Hi af and welcome to the forum.
Sounds like he is an IP who doesn't do too many IVAs!
Northern Rock have a tough policy at the moment, but I have not received any rejections recently. I do feel that this is all about the quality of your proposal, and if properly presented and demonstrating that you have clearly thought through all of the alternatives, there is no reason for creditors to reject.
You should certainly not pay any up front fees (what does he mean by showing you are solvent - how ridiculous!). The main thing here is do you want to propose an IVA? If so then find an IP who is not afraid of a challenge and is prepared to represent you.
Regards, Melanie Giles, Insolvency Practitioner for over 20 years.
For further details contact me at
http://www.melaniegiles.com and view my IVA blog at:
http://melaniegiles.blogs.iva.co.uk
