Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
A disqualified company director has been jailed for running a football magazine business while banned. Yorkshire businessman Peter Etherington was the man behind Professional Player, described on social media as ‘a luxury lifestyle magazine’ read exclusively by professional footballers and their families. Etherington admitted acting as a director of the company which produced the magazine,…
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New figures published today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show its members provided £84.3 billion of new lending in the first half of 2026, 5% higher than in the same period last year, helping businesses invest, households make essential purchases and supporting economic growth across the UK. The figures underline the central role…
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Latest research from the Finance & Leasing Association for Q2 has shown an improvement in confidence across the finance and leasing industry, despite continued economic uncertainty. While most respondents (61%) still expected UK economic conditions to weaken over the next 12 months, this was down from 81% in Q1 2026. At the same time, the…
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are missing out on an estimated £54 billion in revenue due to a lack of confidence in accessing external finance, according to new research from broker-lender Portman Finance Group. The research found that 30% of businesses have missed a growth opportunity because of a lack of external finance, with affected…
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The UK economy has demonstrated continued resilience despite disruption from the conflict in the Middle East and is now forecast to grow at a slightly better-than-expected pace in 2026, according to the new EY UK Economic Outlook. EY predicts that UK GDP will grow by 0.9% in 2026, a slight increase from the 0.8% growth…
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Business confidence in the UK hit a four-month high, rising five points to 49% in July, two points higher than the 12-month average of 47%, according to the Lloyds Business Barometer. This was driven by an increase in economic optimism, reflecting the decline in global energy prices, the Bank of England holding interest rates and…
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The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leaders’ optimism about prospects for the UK economy, fell marginally to -63 in July 2026, down from -61 in June. Business leader confidence in their own organisations also fell, to -2 in July from +7. The majority of the underlying indicators also declined; revenue expectations fell…
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The number of UK businesses entering insolvency-related processes fell in the second quarter of 2026, but a decline in new company registrations suggests business confidence remains subdued, according to R3 analysis. R3’s latest Quarterly Business Health report, based on data from Creditsafe found there were 6,854 insolvency-related activities in Q2 2026, down 6% compared to…
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A director has been sentenced after fraudulently inflating his company’s turnover to secure Covid support, which he used to pay off his personal debts. Faruk Chowdhury falsely claimed his company had a turnover of £150,000 and that the Bounce Back Loan would be used for legitimate business purposes. Chowdhury’s company, Learn & Earn Ltd, showed…
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Shop price inflation slowed to 0.9 per cent higher than the previous year in July, down from 1.2 per cent in June, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Inflation on non-food products fell to 0.2 per cent from 0.6 per cent, and overall food price inflation fell from 2.4 per cent from…
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New research by Money.co.uk has found that childcare providers are struggling to break even despite childcare fees increasing. Analysis of 2025 Department for Education data reveals that the average private nursery in England makes just £933.66 profit per child each year — around £78 per month — after operating costs. Far from profiteering, many providers…
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A fourth company director has been disqualified for their role in a scheme involving unauthorised banking transactions worth almost £14 million. Daryl Dylan allowed unarranged overdrafts with Barclays Bank to be used to make transfers of more than £1.6 million from the accounts of Oldcocdt Ltd and Oldcostl Ltd in 2021. Most of the transfers…
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Independent SME lender Time Finance has announced that it has strengthened its Invoice Finance Operations team with the appointment of Emma Caton as Relationship Manager. Caton joins Time Finance in its Invoice Finance North team with over 13 years’ experience in the industry, having previously held Relationship and Client Manager roles at RBS, HSBC, Bibby…
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