Debt judgments against Irish consumers rise

The number and total value of judgments registered against Irish consumers saw very large percentage rises in the second quarter of 2021 (Q2 2021) compared to the same quarter last year, figures released by registrar Irish Judgments show.

The number of judgments registered against Irish consumers in Q2 2021 was 307, an increase of 358 percent on the 67 seen in the same quarter last year. The total value of registered debt owed by consumers in Q2 2021 was over €30 million, sixteen times higher than the €1.8 million seen in Q2 2020. But, care must be taken with large percentage rises like this as the number and value of judgments in Q2 2020 were artificially low due to interventions designed to protect households from the financial effects of Covid.

The average value of consumer judgments registered was also much higher at €98,780, more than three and a half times the €27,523 seen in the same quarter last year. But, the median value was actually 20 percent lower at €6,050 compared to €7,571 in Q2 2020. This suggests a pattern of more, smaller judgments with a number of very large judgments pushing up the overall average.

Mick McAteer, as Registrar at the Registry Trust said  “Government and regulatory interventions, and creditor forbearance, were clearly protecting Irish consumers and businesses from the full financial effects of Covid last year. Care should be taken in interpreting the very large percentage rises in judgments reported now, as figures were artificially low in the same period last year. But, judgment numbers would now seem to be on the rise again, creating concerns that the Covid financial crisis is far from over for vulnerable consumers and businesses.”

Q2 2020	Q2 2021	Change (compared with 2020)
Judgments against consumers
volume	67	307	358.2%
total value	€1,844,042	€30,325,508	1,544.5%
average* value	€27,523	€98,780	258.9%
median value	€7,571	€6,050	-20.1%