Horace -(posted 7396 days ago)amazing how much your situation almost exactly mirrors my own - HB&S say I owe a 26k shortfall on my reposessed HFX mortgage in about 1997, blah blah blah!
1. read all the do's & don'ts on this site. They really help with formulating responses to HB&S's letters.
2. SARN = Subject Access Rights Notice - this is a right you have under the Data Protection Act (DPA) to see any info a company holds about you. Sample SARNS are held on this site. YOU SHOULD SARN HALIFAX!
3. Strict Proof. Noone can claim dosh from you without proving they are owed it. Again there is plenty of advice on this site without me muddying the waters with a rehashed (possibly inaccurate) explanation.
4. Time Barring. If it has been in excess of 6 years since your last contact with the Halifax, it may be that the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) code will mean they can't go after it (but don't get your hopes up) - again read this site extensively.
5. DON'T WORRY!!! you are not the only person currently going through this! I lost sleep when HB&S contacted me out of the blue late last year, but felt a hell of a lot better after I had taken some positive action. The first action being looking at this site!
I hope this is of some help.