60% of public unaware of open banking

5th March 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

Despite the launch of Open Banking in 2018, new research suggests consumers need more education on the subject, with nearly 58% of people not knowing what Open Banking is. Whilst the new regime went live in January, new research by YouGov, surveying 4,458 British adults on behalf of the challenger bank, CYBG, provides a stark…

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Consumers defy income pressures to spend on leisure

20th February 2018 Consumer Collections |

Consumers were less constrained in their leisure spending in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to the previous year, according to the latest findings from the Leisure Consumer Q4 2017 report by Deloitte. The quarterly survey of more than 3,000 UK adults found that 2017 ended positively for the leisure sector, with consumer spending increasing in seven…

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Northern Ireland struggles to make progress on poverty in a decade

20th February 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

Almost one in three working-age adults in Northern Ireland are out of work, according to a new Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) report that shows that Northern Ireland’s employment rate is lagging behind the rest of Great Britain. The warning comes as JRF highlights the poverty rates in Northern Ireland and the challenges facing low-income families.…

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Government launches review of high University fees

19th February 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

The Government is due to undertake a major review of university funding and student financing. In its unanimously-agreed Report on Student Loans, the Treasury Committee has made a series of recommendations, which the Government should address as part of its review. Interest rates Justification for high interest rates on student loans is questionable Above-inflation rate…

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Home ownership less likely for young adults than two decades ago

19th February 2018 Consumer Collections | #featured

Today’s young adults are much less likely to own their own home than those in their place one or two decades ago according to a new report IFS research which looks at how and why homeownership rates have changed for young adults over the past twenty years. The biggest decline in homeownership has been among…

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Debt used as a way to maintain spending power

6th February 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

New data research by onefourzero and GK analysing the credit market has found that consumers now use debt to maintain their spend power. The report analysed demand data for credit cards and overdrafts, and found that reliance on consumer credit has become the new normal; British consumers are borrowing more now than ever before. What was…

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‘Challenging times’ for households consumer credit grows by 9.5%

30th January 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

The Bank of England has today published its latest monthly Money and Credit report showing growth in consumer credit of 9.5 percent in the year to December 2017 up from 9.3 percent in November. Outstanding balances for consumer credit now stand at over £207.1 billion .The 8.9% growth in credit card lending has pushed the…

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Inflation fear concern for household spending

30th January 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

Significantly more UK households say they are spending more on essential products and services than they were a year ago, according to the latest Lloyds Bank Spending Power Report. The report has also found that significantly more consumers say they have increased their spending on essentials compared to 12 months ago with 70% of adults…

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Rise in personal insolvencies reflect ‘challenging times’

29th January 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

The Insolvency Service has released its latest statistical release shows the outcome status of Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs). The statistics show: The percentage of IVAs failing within the first two years has increased Ten IVA providers accounted for over 80% of new IVAs registered in 2017. Total insolvencies rose for the second consecutive year, returning…

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Mortgage lending drops to lowest level in five years

26th January 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

UK Finance has published the latest mortgage lending figures. Key data highlights from the report include: Mortgage activity has been building through the year, helped by increasing numbers of first-time buyers. Gross mortgage lending in the month is estimated to have been £20.2 billion, 1.2 percent more than a year earlier. Credit card spending decreased slightly…

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Mortgage sales decrease by £5.8bn in December

23rd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

December mortgage sales in the UK plummeted by 38% (£5.8 billion) on November, according to Equifax Touchstone analysis of the intermediary marketplace. Year-on-year sales dropped by 12.8% (£.1.4 billion). Residential figures dropped dramatically by 39.6% (£4.9 billion) on the previous month. Buy-to-let sales also tumbled, falling by 32.1% (£853.7 million) on November. All regions across…

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Household spending outpaces income growth

22nd January 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

Household spending increased more rapidly than income growth in the last financial year (2016-17), with the biggest rises taking place among lower-income households, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest ONS Family Spending figures. The ONS figures show that households increased their spending by 4 percent in 2016-17, helped by low inflation and…

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Debt advice economic benefits to society of up to £960m

18th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

The Money Advice Service has published The Economic Impact of Debt Advice, a report that demonstrates a financial return of up to £960m per year to the UK economy.  This is in the context of an estimated £150m and £200m total annual investment in debt advice. The research, undertaken by Europe Economics, builds on work previously…

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