Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Britain is on course for an unprecedented 15 years of spending cuts and lost pay growth, according to the Resolution Foundation’s overnight analysis of Budget 2017. The report finds that despite the Budget day focus on short term forecast improvements, the date for achieving an overall budget surplus has been pushed back until 2025. Average…
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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…
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The 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%…
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Private 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…
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Over 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…
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The 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 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…
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As 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.…
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A significant proportion of small businesses across Britain are preparing to reduce investment and staff costs once business rates rise next month, according to a new survey from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The research finds that more than a third (36%) of small firms expect to see their business rates increase from 1…
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The advantages of the fall in the value of sterling post-Brexit may not be able to overcome the other strong headwinds the sector faces, resulting in 1,800 UK hotel companies having at least a 30% chance of going insolvent within the next three years according to Moore Stephens. While a weaker pound may encourage more…
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Euler Hermes has released an economic statement suggesting two years of substantial declines in insolvencies is about to end. Ludovic Subran, chief economist at Euler Hermes said “This is happening because global growth is not accelerating and will linger below +3% in the coming years. Companies are therefore more vulnerable to external shocks.” At a global…
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Over 760 businesses ceased trading in December 2016 with 1093 small businesses scheduled to cease trading in January according to research, carried out on behalf of London insolvency practitioners Hudson Weir. The research reveals that 14.5 per cent of these companies were operating in the retail and food and drink sectors. This means at least another 110…
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