Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has shown that inflation held at 3.8 per cent in the year to September. Core Inflation came in at 3.5% in the 12 months to September, down from the 3.6% in August and below the forecast 3.7% forecast by the market Commenting on inflation figures for September, ONS Chief…
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One in five of the 64 profit warnings issued by UK-listed companies during Q3 2025 cited the impact of weaker consumer confidence, the highest proportion recorded for this cause since 2022 and up from just 6% during the same period last year, according to EY-Parthenon’s latest Profit Warnings report. While 19% of all profit warnings referenced falling…
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UK SMEs say specific Government initiatives designed to help them survive and grow don’t go far enough, according to new research from independent funder, Bibby Financial Services (BFS). The Q3 2025 SME Confidence Tracker, which surveys 1,000 UK SMEs, reveals that over half (52%) of small businesses believe measures such as the Fair Payment Code,…
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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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Business confidence sank to its lowest level in three years as record high tax worries ravaged firms ahead of next month’s Budget, according to research by ICAEW’s Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) quarterly index. Sentiment in Q3 stood at -7.3, down from -4.2 in the previous quarter. Confidence is now at its weakest level since Q4…
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Business volumes in the financial services (FS) sector fell at the quickest rate since June 2020 in the third quarter of 2025, according to the latest CBI data. Despite the sharp deterioration in activity, sentiment was broadly flat in the three months to September, marking an improvement compared with the previous quarter’s steep drop. The…
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The Institute of Directors’ (IoD) latest Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, fell to -74 in September 2025 from -61 in August. This exceeds the recent record low of -72 in July 2025 and marks the lowest reading of the Index since its introduction in July 2016.…
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Optimism among businesses has declined sharply over the last month according to latest analysis by Lloyds Bank. After four months of elevated confidence, September saw a return to levels seen in the first part of the year. The latest Lloyds Business Barometer saw a reduction of 12 points in September, with confidence remaining above the…
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New research by challenger business, Allica Bank, has shown a sharp rise in broker confidence for the months ahead. Though just over 18% expressed concern for the next six months, over half (51.2%) of brokers said they had a positive outlook, a significant increase on Quarter 4, when confidence was just 24%. A further 30%…
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Credit Connect Media hosted its second Commercial Credit & Collections Conference of the year last week in Tower Hill in London, which saw over 35 trade credit and insolvency professionals from various industry sectors meet to discuss the latest industry challenges. The Commercial Credit & Collections Conference hosted three themed round tables following an economic…
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A new survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggests growing concerns about the cost of living in the year ahead. The survey of 2,000 people, conducted by Opinium, found people’s biggest concern was ‘prices rising faster than wages’, with 57% of respondents agreeing (61% among working people). This was higher than concerns around tax…
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The UK economy is projected to experience only modest growth over the next two years, according to a report by KPMG. The firm forecasts a rise of only 1.2% this year and 1.1% in 2026, significantly lower than the Office for Budget Responsibility’s earlier estimate of 1.9% driven by lower interest rates and infrastructure investment,…
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The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to hold interest rates at 4.0%. The MPC voted 7 to 2 in favour of the hold, with two dissenting member preferring to cut rates by 0.25% to 3.75%. Commenting on the MPC’s decision not to change the Bank Rate from 4.00%, George Lagarias, Chief Economist at…
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