Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
The IoD (Institute of Directors) Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, ticked up to -66 in December 2025 from the (pre-Budget) November level of -73. Once business leaders had a little more time to reflect on the impact of last year’s Budget on confidence in their…
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Deloitte’s latest survey of UK Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) shows that 59% of the UK’s largest businesses have become more optimistic over the past 12 months on the potential for AI to boost the performance of their own organisation – up from 39% when last measured in the third quarter of 2024. CFOs overwhelmingly (96%)…
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Business confidence in the UK has fallen, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), with only 46% (compared with 48% in Q3) of companies expecting increased sales this year and 24% saying they expect to see a decline in turnover. The survey saw 63% of firms polled cite tax rises as their primary concern,…
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The former manager of a Nottingham city centre chicken shop was jailed after securing £50,000 in Covid support, despite having sold the business the previous year. Mujeebullah Khan applied for the maximum-value Bounce Back Loan on behalf of Chunky Chicken in May 2020. However, Khan and his business partner had sold the business based on Shakespeare…
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Latest data from the Office of National Statistics(ONS) has shown that inflation fell by more than expected in November amid a slowdown in food prices. Annualised inflation came in at 3.2% in November, down from the 3.6% reported in October Commenting on the inflation figures for November, ONS Chief Economist Grant Fitzner said “Inflation fell notably in November…
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More than 3,000 smaller pubs will pay business rates for the first time after losing exemptions, despite Budget promises of hospitality support with some pub landlords face bills exceeding £10,000 Following an emergency summit of pub chiefs, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has issued an urgent call for Government to introduce a 30%…
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The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has published its annual BRC Payments Survey, which shows how people make payments in 2024. This year’s survey reveals a significant decline in credit card use, from 14.2% of transactions to 12.6%. With higher interest rates making credit cards a more expensive way to shop, consumers turned to debit cards, where…
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The UK economy unexpectedly contracted by 0.1% in October, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows, matching the 0.1% decline recorded in September. Economists had anticipated growth of 0.1%. Quarter-on-quarter, the economy shrank by 0.1% in three months to October, primarily due to a decline in manufacturing and stalled services growth. Production output…
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A Derby businessman who used Covid support scheme funds on online trading platforms has been jailed. Temidola Ojelabi secured £80,000 across two Bounce Back Loan applications for Platinum Gates Limited in 2020 when businesses were only entitled to a single loan. Money from the loans was then used on online trading platforms when it should…
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New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that total asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) in October 2025 grew by 7% compared with the same month in 2024. In the ten months to October 2025, new business was 2% higher than in the same period in 2024. The…
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The UK economy is expected to grow by 1.4% in 2025, revised slightly up from the previous forecast of 1.3%, driven by strong public spending. However, GDP is expected to slow to 1.2% in 2026, before rising to 1.5% in 2027 – unchanged from the previous forecast, because of productivity challenges and cautious fiscal tightening.…
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High street banks’ lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) slowed in the third quarter of 2025, according to UK Finance, reaching £4.2 billion. Year-on-year growth dropped to 6.4%, down from 8.3% in the previous quarter and 14% in Q1. This marks the slowest growth since banks resumed lending to SMEs in early 2024. UK…
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Taxpayers lost £10.9 billion to fraud and error as the previous government’s pandemic response left the front door open to fraud, an independent commissioner report has found. The Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner, Tom Hayhoe’s, final report to Parliament finds many schemes – including Bounce Back Loans and Eat Out to Help Out – were rolled…
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