Council tax arrears hits £6.6bn

Latest figures published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government show that council tax arrears have increased by over £600 million, with total debt reaching £6.6 billion, an increase of over 80 per cent since before the pandemic. The data reveals 400,000 more households fell into council tax arrears between 2022 and 2024, with 1.8…

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Barclays appoints McCormack Head of Mortgage Intermediaries

26th June 2025 Appointments |

Barclays UK has announced that it has appointed Roland McCormack as its Head of Mortgage Intermediaries. The newly created role is a senior leadership position that reflects the bank’s broker-first approach and its continued commitment to the intermediary market. As Head of Mortgage Intermediaries, McCormack will be responsible for leading Barclays’ intermediary channel strategy, delivering…

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AI boosts productivity and profitability for businesses

The vast majority of businesses using AI say the technology has helped them to boost their productivity and profitability according to new research from Lloyds’ Business Barometer. The data showed that of the 59% of UK companies currently using AI, more than three quarters say it has improved their productivity (82%) or profitability (76%). Productivity…

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Lending Standards Board announces closure

The Lending Standards Board (LSB) has announced it will close. The UK’s non-statutory regulator will begin a solvency wind-down of its business operations, scheduled for 31st October 2025. The LSB’s decision to close follows the withdrawal from registration by the UK’s largest high street banks, who said that the FCA’s Consumer Duty provided sufficient protection…

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