Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Bradford & Bingley plc (B&B), part of UK Asset Resolution (UKAR), today confirms that following an open and competitive process it has agreed to sell two separate asset portfolios comprising performing buy to let loans for a total of £11.8bn to Prudential plc and to funds managed by Blackstone. Financial completion is expected within the…
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Commenting on figures published by the ONS today (Friday), which shows that unsecured borrowing is at its highest level (as a share of household income) in 8 years, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Today’s figures should set alarm bells ringing. The last thing our economy needs right now is another consumer debt crisis. But…
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The Bank of England’s latest money and credit statistics show consumer borrowing increasing by 10.5% in the year to February to £196 billion. As the Bank and the Financial Conduct Authority launch reviews into lending practices, Citizens Advice says more must be done to make sure lenders across all consumer credit markets behave responsibly towards…
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The UK government is to make households that are made homeless exempt from Universal Credit following reports that the new benefits system has led to an increase in rent arrears. According to The Guardian, local authorities in London have said that rent collection levels for homeless tenants placed in emergency accommodation have collapsed following the introduction…
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A Select Committee on Financial Exclusion has called on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Banks to give greater priority to tackling financial exclusion in the UK. With more than 1.7 million people in the UK without a bank account and 40% of the working age population with less than £100 in savings, the Committee asks them to end…
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New research from Skipton Building Society has found that the majority of us spend longer each day on making a cup of tea than we do pausing to look at our finances. Skipton Building Society interviewed 2,000 UK adults about their financial habits, highlights of the report include: Three in five people (57%) spend half…
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The House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee has published a report on Brexit which looks at justice for families, individuals and businesses. The report has found that : The current system for civil justice cooperation across the EU member states – in the development of which UK expertise has been prominent – works well. Disputes that…
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Real consumer spending growth will moderate from around 3% in 2016 to around 2% in 2017 and 1.7% in 2018, according to PwC which summarises that the impact of Brexit on consumers will also vary by category of spending. In an extract from the UK Economic Outlook, which launches in full on 21st March 2017,…
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published the latest official statistics on household incomes, covering the financial year 2015–16. IFS researchers have summarised the headline trends observed in the new data and placed them in historical context in order to understand better changes in living standards in recent years. Key findings include: Average household…
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The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) has downplayed the impact of the problems in the roll out of Universal Credit on claimants and local councils, claiming that rent arrears associated with Universal Credit “are likely to be of a short duration” and “should not present an insurmountable obstacle to landlords”. This is despite its…
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Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for March 2017: Personal debt in the UK The average total debt per household – including mortgages – was £56,310 in January. The revised figure for December was £56,148. Based on January 2017 trends, the UK’s total interest repayments on personal debt over a 12…
Read moreUK consumer debt now stands at £240 billion according to new insight from. Almost three quarters (73 per cent) of UK adults admit they currently have some form of unsecured borrowing, such as personal loan, bank overdraft or credit card, with a third (33 per cent) of those admitting they rely on credit to get…
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New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show growth of 10% in consumer finance new business in January, compared with the same month in 2016. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 11% compared with January 2016, while retail store and online credit new business increased by 1%.…
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