Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Business confidence fell 12 points to 41% in September, the lowest level since April 2025, according to the Lloyds Business Barometer. This decline follows August’s reading of 53%, the second highest recorded this year, and buoyant results since May. While confidence remained well above the survey’s long-term average of 30%, it was six points below…
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HM Treasury, the UK’s economics and finance ministry, has recorded more than £62 million in invoices were paid late over the past three years, despite the announcement of the landmark reform to crack down on late payments earlier this year in May. The data obtained via a Freedom of Information request and analysed by the…
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New research by Sidetrade has found that US businesses wait an average of 25 days beyond agreed terms to be paid, whilst UK businesses wait 22 days. Across more than US$3.6 trillion in US B2B transactions, businesses are paid in 54 days on average against 29-day terms. Across more than $930 billion in the UK,…
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Robust safeguards will be needed if plans to automate the recovery of lower-value tax debts from taxpayers who have persistently not engaged with HMRC go ahead, chartered accountancy body ICAEW has warned. The government has proposed the extension of its enforcement powers to recover lower-value debts from the bank accounts of some individuals and businesses who…
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New research from Howden has revealed that despite new government measures designed to tackle late payments, the issue continues to put significant pressure on UK SMEs. The survey found that nearly one in three SMEs receive late payments often or very often, while more than half experience them at least occasionally. Almost one in five…
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Research by Dun & Bradstreet has found that the UK’s largest businesses are the country’s worst payers, as insolvencies remain at their highest sustained level since the financial crisis The data showed that the largest businesses pay suppliers on time on fewer than one in seven occasions. Businesses employing more than 1,000 people paid suppliers…
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Latest data from Allianz Trade showed that the Cash Collection Cycle (CCC) rose again in 2025 (67 days) and appears to have settled at a structurally high plateau, with the driver being inventories, with companies moving away from ‘just-in-time’ efficiency toward ‘just-in-case’ resilience. The UK maintained a 40-day cash collection cycle in 2025, shorter than…
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More than one in five (22%) SMEs fear they could be forced out of business over problems paying tax bills in the next five years, according to new research from Premium Credit. The study of SME owners and managers found nearly two out of five (39%) say they have missed up to four tax bill…
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New data from Purbeck Insurance Services has revealed that applications for personal guarantee-backed finance rose 63% year-on-year in Q2 2026, reflecting sustained and growing demand for borrowing among small and medium-sized businesses. Behind every loan application is a director who has personally guaranteed a business loan, and the scale of that exposure is growing as…
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Business confidence has fallen to its lowest level in four years, according to the ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor. The index recorded a score of minus 14.6 for the second quarter, marking six consecutive quarters of negative reading, the joint-longest streak since the 2008 financial crisis. Negative confidence readings typically coincide with difficult periods for businesses…
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UK small business profit growth reached 7.4% in the year to the first quarter of 2026, according to Sage’s latest SME Pulse report. The figure was up from 5.5% in the previous quarter and marks the strongest pace since Q1 2022. The difficulty is that stronger profits are still not always turning into available cash. Sage found that…
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Garfield AI (Garfield), the world’s first AI-powered law firm authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, has helped a freelancer win a small debt claim at trial. This marks the first court trial won with the support of a regulated AI lawyer anywhere in the world. The win is a landmark moment for legal…
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UK SMEs trading internationally are facing a tipping point, with seven in ten warning they could be pushed into bankruptcy if disruption linked to the Iran war continues according to new research from SME funder Bibby Financial Services (BFS). The data reveals the growing financial toll of the conflict on UK importers and exporters, with…
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