High-cost lender collapses

26th August 2025 Alternative Consumer Lending |

High-cost lending firm Fernwood Financial has entered liquidation. Thousands of customers of the company will have had their debts wiped out following the company’s collapse. Liquidators are contacting clients to inform them of the debt write-off, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed that customers need not make further payments and should cancel automated…

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Shop prices climb by 0.9% as cost hikes hit retailers

Prices in shops have risen at the fastest pace for more than a year and are 0.9% up on a year ago, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The increase comes as retailers pass on additional costs to consumers, with the Government having hiked both employer National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage. The…

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Consumer confidence up in August 

Consumers are more confident this month but are vulnerable to worries about rising inflation and potential tax increases, according to GfK’s latest consumer confidence index. The index rose to its highest since December at minus 17, up from minus 19 in July, boosted by a three-point improvement in households’ sentiment around their personal finances and…

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Banks have closed more than one in three branches in the past five years

26th August 2025 Financial Services | #bank closures

UK banks have closed more than one in three branches over the past five years, according to an analysis report by the Financial Times. The data shows that Lloyds, NatWest, Halifax and Bank of Scotland are set to close another 113 branches before the end of November. The number of bank, building society and credit union branches…

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