Following the announcement of today’s Budget the Money Advice Trust has suggested that a year of pressure lies ahead for UK households. Joanna Elson OBE, Chief Executive of the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline, said: “While the economy is performing better than expected, the OBR’s forecasts point to a year…
Read moreIn 2016, insurance company Zurich found that more than 53% of Britain’s small and medium sized businesses (SME) have issues with late payments with 41% of those experiencing serious cash flow problems as a result. According to Zurich’s SME risk index, £225bn is owned in late payments to British SMEs and two-thirds of UK SMEs agree that…
Read moreThe Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its latest Wealth and Assets Survey. Early indicator estimates from the survey: attitudes towards saving for retirement, credit commitments and debt burden show that nearly half (46%) of GB adults thought buying property would be the best way of making money for their retirement in 2014/16, up from 43%…
Read morePrivate tenants are struggling to get a foot on the housing ladder because of the costs that come with renting according to the Citizens Advice Service. A new report from the charity finds that just under three quarters (74%) of private tenants say the combined costs of rent, agency fees and moving make buying a…
Read moreOver 620,000 families in England and Wales are spending more on overdue bills than on food, new research published by The Children’s Society has found. Families behind on bills are spending 18% of their income on paying back arrears. The Children’s Society is warning that huge bills can force families to cut back on food…
Read moreThe Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published independent research exploring the experiences of potentially vulnerable people using family law services. The report has found that consumers are commonly using loans, credit cards, and payment plans to access legal advice as the cuts to legal aid continue to affect the most vulnerable. While 84% consumers seeking…
Read moreThe government has announced that it will be cracking down on misleading consumer practices including subscription traps, where people pay subscriptions they aren’t aware they’ve agreed to. A report from Citizens Advice last year found as many as 2 million people struggle to cancel continuous payments – often used for buying products online – and…
Read morePhilip King Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management has refuted suggestions that new government financial reporting rules will increase the burden on big businesses, and says greater transparency will help improve customer/supplier relationships. From next month, all big businesses will be obliged to post their payment records on a dedicated government website on how…
Read morePeerPay has developed a cloud-based platform that links the larger, cash-rich firms within an Accountant’s client portfolio with smaller, client companies within the same community looking for money to grow. The brainchild of founders, accountant David Ireson-Hughes, Michael King, an experienced financial services executive, and Alan Burns an experienced technologist, the platform – called FloFunder –…
Read moreConsumers spent £647 billion using payment cards in 2016, new figures fromThe UK Cards Association show. There were 14.8 billion card transactions in 2016, equivalent to 40.5 million transactions a day or 469 a second, data from The UK Cards Association shows. Three-quarters of retail spending (76.4 per cent) was on payment cards. Retail spending on…
Read moreAs the Bank of England’s latest money and credit statistics show an increase in consumer borrowing, Citizens Advice says right now more people are seeking help for debt problems from essential household bills. The Bank of England’s figures for January 2017 show consumer credit grew by 10.3% in the year to January to £194 billion.…
Read moreAldermore has announced that last year it provided over £1bIillon in new lending to SMEs, the backbone of the UK economy. The disclosure comes as the Bank releases its full year financial results for 2016. Aldermore’s Business Finance division comprises Asset Finance and Invoice Finance. In 2016, net loan growth in Asset Finance increased by…
Read moreJohn Davies, The Just Loans Group PLC and Chairman of the Association of Alternative Business Finance provides background to the launch of the Association of Alternative Business Finance. Why was the AABF set up? Before last year’s AltFi.com annual European Summit a group of alternative lenders and industry commentators had a working dinner to test the enthusiasm for…
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