Nationwide customers have hidden more than 38,000 potentially distressing payment references since the launch in May of its in-app feature designed to help people experiencing domestic and economic abuse. The figures come exactly one year after the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy set out plans to remove barriers to financial services, with accessibility, mental health and…
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Latest official figures published by the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) have shown that there were 2,348 personal insolvencies (bankruptcies and protected trust deeds) in 2026-27 Q2, an increase of 559 (31.2%) compared with 2025-26 Quarter 2 (Q2), covering July-September 2026. In the same Quarter there were 713 debtor applications for bankruptcy benefitted from the revised…
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New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes fell by 3% in August 2026. Commenting on the latest new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Director of Consumer Finance & Mortgages and Inclusion at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said “The…
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More than four in ten people struggling with debt wait over a year before seeking help, according to research from StepChange Debt Charity and PRA Group. The study of more than 1,600 debt management plan client, found that 43% worried about their finances for more than a year before seeking advice. Embarrassment was the most common…
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Days before the Chancellor delivers the Autumn Budget, more than half of adults (52%) expect it to leave them worse off, according to new research from Creditspring, with just 12% expecting to be better off, so pessimists outnumber optimists by more than four to one. The research shows that many households go into the Budget with…
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More than a third (36%) of households in Britain with an annual income of less than £40,000 have skipped meals or eaten less because of financial pressures in the last three months, according to the latest Vanquis Financial Wellbeing Index. Over the same period, more than a quarter (27%) have delayed medical or dental treatment…
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Latest monthly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales showed that personal insolvencies decreased by 2% in September 2026 compared to the previous month, with 11,894 people entering insolvency compared to 11,684 in August. Personal insolvencies were 9% higher than in September 2025, when the figure was 10,952. The insolvencies consisted of 671…
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New research from the Centre for Responsible Credit has found that around 3.5 million low- to middle-income households in Britain, 44% of those who use credit, cannot afford both their essential living costs and their credit repayments. For these households, the median budget shortfall is around £633 a month. The report analyses Bank of England/NMG…
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Just under half (49%) of working women are now classed as financially vulnerable, compared to 35% of men, according to analysis by the financial wellbeing firm Hymans Robertson Personal Wealth. The research investigated the financial wellbeing of the UK workforce, lifting the lid on how frequently they have stressful feelings about their finances and where…
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More than half (52%) of adults aged 25-55 have experienced a major life event, such as redundancy, serious illness, bereavement, or relationship breakdown, in the last three years, according to new research commissioned by the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline. These events often have significant financial consequences, with one in five…
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New research by the Personal Finance Research Centre, University of Bristol, in partnership with StepChange Debt Charity and funded by NatWest Group, has revealed acute housing pressures, debt and lasting pandemic impacts affecting under-35s. According to the report, almost half (44%) of StepChange clients aged 18-34 surveyed have borrowed money to cover their housing costs.…
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Fewer than one in ten (9%) adults with living parents have discussed how finances should be managed if they developed a condition such as dementia. This is despite more than half (53%) saying they would feel comfortable having the conversation, according to new research from Nationwide. A lack of preparedness means that nearly a quarter…
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Latest Bank of England data (Quarter 3 2026) has shown that credit card defaults increased in the three months to August, with banks and building societies expecting further rises by November, highlighting growing risks in unsecured lending. Within the overall figure, demand for credit card lending was unchanged. Mortgage defaults fell slightly and are expected…
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