Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
An accountant who helped himself to £27,000 from the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme as part of a bigger Covid loans fraud has been jailed for three years and eight months. Zeeshan Ashraf claimed a total of £268,102.07 and tried to claim £52,732.66 that he was not entitled to from support schemes set up…
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New data from independent lender, Time Finance, reveals that SMEs are not utilising their options when it comes to accessing alternative finance, with nearly 60% having never looked beyond their own bank for commercial finance solutions. Urging SMEs to broaden their horizons when it comes to investing in growth, Time Finance’s new survey delves into…
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The EY ITEM Club Winter Forecast is predicting that UK GDP growth will be at 1% in 2025, down from the 1.5% growth projected in October’s forecast. This represents only a marginal improvement on the 0.8% GDP growth the UK economy likely achieved in 2024. However, the EY ITEM Club still expects steady quarter-on-quarter growth…
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The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, edged up to -59 in January 2025 from -61 in December. However, confidence remains at historically depressed levels. Business leader confidence in their own organisations declined to +6 in January, from +8 in December. There was also a…
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British businesses increased pessimism in January, marking five consecutive months of declining corporate confidence according to the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer.The Barometer fell by two points to 37%, its lowest level in a year, following a £25 billion tax increase announced in October. Despite the dip, confidence is still above the long-term average of 29%. In previous…
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The former boss of a West London bakery who overstated his company’s turnover to secure a maximum-value Covid loan has been banned from acting as a director for ten years. Azizullrahman Akbari, obtained a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan just weeks into the pandemic, claiming the turnover for his New Watan Bakery Limited company was more…
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The latest ‘Red Flag Alert’ report from Begbies Traynor reveals a worrying surge in the number of businesses in the UK entering ‘critical’ financial distress in the final quarter of 2024. In Quarter 4 (Q$) 2024, ‘critical’ financial distress rose by 50.2% to 46,853 companies, underscoring a deteriorating outlook. Of the 22 sectors covered by…
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Two in five SMEs (42%) cite rising costs and taxes as their biggest concerns, with 70% questioning the Government’s support for SMEs according to new research from iwoca. The research also highlighted the looming threat of higher taxes under the current Government comes in close second—a primary worry for two in five (40%) owners. Leaders of the…
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A former London minicab driver is subject to 11 years of stringent sanctions after the Official Receiver found he abused the Covid loan scheme to claim over £47,000 more than his business was entitled to. Huseyin Houssein, a former private hire driver from Nash Road in Edmonton, North London, applied for a £50,000 Bounce Back…
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UK inflation fell in December for the first time in three months as hotel prices fell and tobacco costs eased according to latest ONS data.Annualised inflation came in at 2.5% in December, down from the 2.6% reported in November. Menawhile, core inflation came in at 3.2% in the 12 months to December 2024, down from…
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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has urged the UK’s key regulators to help deliver economic growth. The FSB has written to the Financial Conduct Authority, Finance Reporting Council, Ofgem, Ofwat, Ofcom, Competition and Markets Authority and Information Commissioner’s Office. This follows requests from the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Business…
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A key figure in a scheme designed to undermine the insolvency system has been banned as a company director for nine years. Neville Taylor was paid more than a quarter of a million pounds by Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd to become the sole director of more than 400 companies. Taylor’s disqualification means he will have…
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A fraudster jailed for illegally obtaining a Covid Bounce Back Loan has been ordered to pay the funds back in full with interest. Restaurant owner Ilhan Kekec overstated his company’s turnover to secure a £30,000 loan in May 2020. The 36-year-old was jailed for two-and-a-half years in March 2024 following a trial at Isleworth Crown…
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