Consumer spending falls for the first time in four years

12th June 2017 Consumer Collections |

UK household spending has fallen for the first time since 2013. Kevin Jenkins, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Visa said “Consumer spending fell for the first time in nearly four years in May, following some marked slowdowns in growth since the beginning of the year. Our Index clearly shows that with rising prices and stalling…

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Consumer Car finance sees new business decrease in April

9th June 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that new business in the point of sale (POS) consumer new car finance market fell 19% by value and 28% by volume in April, compared with the same month in 2016. This mirrored a reduction in private new car sales in April which…

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One in ten Irish homeowners behind on mortgage payments

9th June 2017 Consumer Collections |

One out of every 10 Irish borrowers is in some form of arrears on their mortgage. A total of 76,400 mortgages on homes were in arrears in the first three months of this year, new Central Bank of Ireland figures show. Of the total in arrears, almost 34,000 mortgage accounts are more than two years…

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Credit card borrowing growing at the fastest rate since 2006

1st June 2017 Consumer Collections |

Latest Bank of England figures show that the annual growth of consumer credit (which includes credit cards, personal loans and overdrafts) was up 10.3% in April, up from the 10.2% recorded in March, but lower than February’s 10.5% rise. There were 64,645 home loans approved in April, the lowest number since September last year. The…

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Irish drawdowns of consumer loans exceeded repayments by €158 million in April

31st May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Central Bank of Ireland has released Ireland’s Money and Banking Statistics for April 2017. Drawdowns of consumer loans exceeded repayments by €158 million in April, the largest monthly increase since January 2011. The new lending largely comprises medium term loans, which typically include car loans, furniture and holiday loans. Here is an overview of the latest…

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Managing finances as stressful as exams

26th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

New research from Which? University reveals that undergraduate students find managing finances as stressful as exams. A survey of over 2000 undergraduate students at UK universities shows that one in seven (15%) rank managing finances as the most stressful aspect of their university experience, alongside exams (15%) and almost as stressful as coursework (18%). The figures…

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Gross mortgage lending falls 11% in April

25th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has estimated that gross mortgage lending reached £18.4 billion in April. This is 11% lower than March’s lending total of £20.7 billion, but is 4% higher than the £17.7 billion lent in April last year. Commenting on market conditions in this month’s market commentary, CML senior economist Mohammad Jamei…

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Consumer Credit grows by 6.4% in April

25th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The British Bankers Association (BBA) latest high street banking data shows that consumer credit growth was 6.4% in April, compared with 6.1% in the previous month. Gross mortgage borrowing totalled £13.4 billion in April.* Net mortgage borrowing was 2.4% higher than a year ago. Eric Leenders, BBA Managing Director for Retail Banking said “As the…

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Irish household debt continues to fall

23rd May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Central Bank of Ireland has published its latest Household Credit Market Report. The report collates information from internal and external sources to give an up-to-date picture of developments in the household credit market in Ireland. The report finds that Irish households continued to reduce their debt-to-income and debt-to-asset ratios during Q4 2016 but indebtedness…

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Stepchange launches election briefing

18th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Debt Advice Provider Stepchange has launched an election briefing calling on parties to help struggling households this Election. Here is an overview of Stepchange’s statement: 8.6 million households are using credit for everyday living expenses, including 1.1 million having to turn to high cost credit. These are households who might be managing for now but are increasingly…

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1.4 million households struggling to pay their mortgage

17th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Research by L&C Mortgages has revealed that 1.4 million UK households are struggling to pay their mortgage and 2.6 million people think their monthly mortgage payments are too high. Over half (58%) have never remortgaged for a better deal, as highlighted in L&C’s ongoing campaign to get homeowners to save as much as they possibly…

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Consumer finance growth continues

15th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show growth of 10% in consumer finance new business in March, compared with the same month last year, and 6% growth in Q1 2017 as a whole. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew in March by 7%, compared with the same month…

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Second-charge mortgage repossessions falls by 50%

11th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that the number of second-charge mortgage repossessions in Quarter 1 2017 was 17 – down by 50% compared with the same quarter in 2016. Commenting on the figures, Fiona Hoyle, Head of Consumer and Mortgage Finance at the FLA, said: “The number of second-charge…

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