I think there is a time limit of six years that there has to be some sort of action to claim payment on the loan. I only know this because I received notification out of the blue from Barclaycard that they wished me to settle my (three) credit cards from many years ago. I then read in the financial pages about them suddenly deciding to chase up old accounts but could not pursue them because of this time limit. Having said this, I would suggest that you should be sure that they have not been in touch for 8 years before rejoicing. If you have moved and they can prove that they have indeed TRIED to contact you, they may have a case. I think in my case that Bays handed all their old debts to an agency.