Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Latest Red Flag Alert research from Begbies Traynor has revealed a considerable 43.8% year-on-year increase in ‘critical’ financial distress in Q4 2025. Throughout 2025, UK businesses continued to grapple with a prolonged period of economic uncertainty, rising operating costs driven by inflation and higher wages, increased tax burdens, elevated interest rates, and weakened consumer demand. The persistence…
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Trade credit insurer Atradius has issued a red flag to the motor industry as new data reveals a sharp rise in claims for unpaid and late invoices. Failed and late payment claims against automotive businesses, including OEMs, original equipment manufacturers, component manufacturers and dealerships, have risen 78% year-on-year (Nov 2025). Claims across the wider transport sector,…
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New research from Direct Line Business Insurance shows late payments are worsening across the trades sector, with over two-thirds (68%) of tradespeople currently chasing at least one overdue invoice, with the average amount owed standing at £2,023. Over half of the trades sector (53%) says they are experiencing more late payments than a year ago..…
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UK manufacturing firms are urging the Government to tackle the late payments crisis, as new research from Bibby Financial Services (BFS). According to the research, nearly six in ten (59%) manufacturers report that current measures to reduce late payments, including the Fair Payment Code, don’t go far enough to protect them. The sector remains the…
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Latest Red Flag Alert data has revealed a 78% year-on-year increase in ‘critical’ financial distress as higher taxes on businesses, economic uncertainty and inflation weighed on the UK economy. As of 30th September 2025, 55,530 companies were in ‘critical’ financial distress, a 12.6% rise on the previous quarter (Q2 2025: 49,309). Notably, this rise in ‘critical’…
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Rising insolvencies and supply chain shocks are quickly depleting emergency cash cushions, according to trade credit insurer Atradius. The report shows that UK SMEs face a widening resilience gap— the difference between the cost of escalating business risks and the limited accessible liquidity they hold to withstand them. Cash buffers that once offered protection are…
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New research by Capital on Tap has found that 46% of business owners don’t have a business credit card, with 54% of consumers actively avoiding them For business owners, cash flow management is the main purpose of a credit card, with 80% highlighting this as their reason for use. Employee-related expenses such as payroll and…
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Extreme currency fluctuations have caused SMEs to face substantial losses and are compelling businesses to change their FX strategy, according to data from independent SME funder, Bibby Financial Services (BFS). 54 per cent of SMEs surveyed say they’ve been stung by volatile exchange rates in the past year, losing over £53,000 on average as a result.…
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Accountants and financial advisers are increasingly seeing clients struggling to pay tax bills, with the average bill they are struggling to pay coming in at £120,000, according to research from Premium Credit. The study found almost all (94%) accountants and financial advisers who advise on tax have seen a rise in clients struggling to pay…
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Three connected debt collection companies, which kept more than £50,000 in client funds they collected on their behalf, have been shut down. Sunderland-based EDC Group NE Ltd, UK EDC Ltd and UK TCF Limited falsely presented themselves as professional agencies with decades of experience while taking money from both clients and their debtors. The companies…
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A pioneering new service has launched with the ambition to reshape the commercial debt recovery and enforcement landscape across England & Wales. Remote Court Users (RCU) introduces a streamlined, scalable model that places creditors, legal professionals, enforcement agencies, and the court system in closer alignment, delivering efficiency, transparency, and societal benefit. RCU positions itself as…
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The Government has announced new plans to tackle late payments, which it says is part of the most significant legislative reform in 25 years. Late payment is an issue that costs the UK economy £11 billion a year and shuts down 38 businesses every day Late payments are one of the biggest barriers to small…
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Nearly 500,000 SMEs say they have missed tax payment deadlines in the past three years with 19% of them admitting to missing five or more in the past 12 months, according to new research Premium Credit. The study with SME owners and managers found 9% of the UK’s 5.487 million SMEs have missed tax payment…
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