Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Business activity returned to growth for mid-market companies during the third quarter of 2026, according to NatWest’s Mid-market Growth Tracker, while the rate of output growth accelerated to its fastest level for 22 months in September. NatWest’s Tracker – which is based on the Purchasing Managers’ Index™ and surveys mid-market businesses operating in the manufacturing…
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Bibby Financial Services’ (BFS) latest SME Confidence Tracker reveals that small businesses’ greatest wish for Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey’s first Autumn Budget is to reduce the cost of doing business. SMEs’ wish-list for the Budget shows that reducing the cost burden is a number one priority. The data showed that a…
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The UK economy grew by 0.1 per cent in August, after economists previously forecasted that it would fall, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) The small increase follows 0.4 per cent growth in July and comes as Chancellor John Healey prepares to give his first Budget this month. In the three…
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Retailers face a £440 million increase in electricity costs this year, despite their energy use remaining virtually unchanged, a new report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reveals. The trade body has raised concern that this will feed directly into consumer prices, raising the cost of living for millions of families. The industry report, Counting…
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A noodle bar franchise boss who kept running his business after being disqualified as a company director has been sentenced and handed a fresh 10-year ban. Desmond Pheby continued managing Wok & Go Franchise UK Limited, which sold franchises for the Wok & Go noodle takeaway chain, despite an earlier seven-year director disqualification for failing…
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UK business confidence has suffered its most prolonged downturn since the global financial crisis, as recovery hopes for Q3 were toppled by a resurgence of geopolitical tensions, a survey of 1,000 business leaders by ICAEW has found. Sentiment during the quarter was on course to return to positive territory for the first time since Q4…
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UK SMEs are facing growing cash flow pressure, with 40 per cent saying they have been forced to cut customer payment terms to protect their own finances, according to the latest SME Confidence Tracker by the UK’s largest independent invoice financier, Bibby Financial Services (BFS). With the Commercial Payments Bill yet to be passed, and…
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The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism over prospects for the UK economy, fell to -54 in September, from -49 in August 2026. In contrast, business leaders became significantly more optimistic about the prospects for their own organisations, with confidence rising to +10, from -5 in August. The data showed that…
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The UK economy expanded by 0.5% in the second quarter, an upgrade from the initial 0.4% estimate and following 0.6% growth in Q1, official figures from the Office for National Statistics show. Annual growth was also revised higher to 1.4%, although the estimate for full-year 2025 growth was reduced to 1.2%. Consumers continued spending during…
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Prime Minster, Andy Burnham has announced plans to reform the state pension triple lock from 2030, with the changes intended to generate savings to help fund a proposed national care service in England. The Prime Minister said the triple lock – which sees pensions rise each year by whichever is highest of inflation, average earnings…
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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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The Chancellor must use next month’s Budget to give businesses the breathing space they need to deliver growth – including by freezing the business rates multiplier for one year – according to the chartered accountancy body ICAEW. Research from ICAEW, which was used to form its Budget submission to HM Treasury, pointed to a clear…
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Directors are being warned to verify their identities with Companies House or risk prosecution after the Insolvency Service secured its first convictions for these offences. Jill White and Marc Dillon, directors of White (Reading Properties) Limited, and Modinat Banjo, director of J Isogony Apparel Limited, were fined at City of London Magistrates’ Court. Identity verification…
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