New research by Moneyfacts.co.uk reveals that over the past 12 months the average unarranged overdraft fee has fallen from £53.61 to £39.23. Last year, NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland made efforts to reduce fees on some accounts, and in November, Lloyds Bank decided to scrap both its £6 per month usage fee and £5…
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UK Finance has announced its latest household finance update for May 2018. The highlights from the report include: Credit card spending was 2.3 per cent higher in May than a year earlier, with outstanding levels of card borrowing having grown by 5.7 per cent over the year. The total of 193 million credit card purchases…
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The switch to Universal Credit is hitting parents with upfront childcare bills that have reached £1,000, new analysis from Save the Children has revealed. In a new report, the charity has warned that this will force families into ‘childcare debt’ or block them from going back to work unless the government makes urgent changes. The report…
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Credit cards are getting more expensive according to new data released by Moneyfacts which revealed that credit card borrowing is rising by around £3 billion year-on-year and £318 million of debt on plastic was written off in the first quarter of 2018. The report says that it is more likely than not that interest rates…
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In 2016–17, 27% of 25-54-year-olds (6.9 million people) reported having a longstanding illness, of which 18% (1.3 million) reported having a longstanding mental health problem. The number with a longstanding mental health problem rose by 250,000 since 2013–14. These are among the key findings from IFS’s annual report on Living Standards, Poverty and Inequality…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published the latest analysis from its Financial Lives survey. The report found that unsecured debts in rural areas are generally lower with the average amount owed by a town or city resident over a £1,000 more (£3,600) compared with someone in a rural area (£2,510). In rural areas, where…
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South Tyneside Council has announced that they have agreed on a collection contract with judicial services firm, Marston. Marston will enforce failed debt payments on behalf of the council and South Tyneside Homes, the firm will also take from debtors at the local authority’s request. Cabinet member for resources and innovation and chairman of South Tyneside Homes, Coun…
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Over a quarter (26%) of consumers have been unable to pay a household bill, as the statement amount was higher than expected, according to a new report. This figure has jumped by 10% since similar research was completed in 2016. Ongoing price hikes across a range of sectors – including gas, electricity and broadband – in…
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A new service enabling people to report the death of an individual to several major financial services providers at the same time has been launched. The free, online Death Notification Service is available to anyone who wishes to notify, in a single step, one or more of the member organisations1 that a customer has died. The gateway service…
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Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for June 2018: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.539 trillion at the end of April 2018. This is up from £1.535 trillion at the end of April 2017– an extra £949.30 per UK adult. Per adult in the UK that’s an average debt of…
Read moreThe Welsh Government has launched a plan to end prison sentences for non-payment of council tax. Regulations will be brought forward in early 2019 to prevent any more people being jailed for council tax debt in Wales, pending the outcome of a 12-week consultation. Unlike other forms of civil debt, courts have the power to…
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The Credit Services Association (CSA), the voice of the UK debt collection and debt purchase sectors, has confirmed the full programme for this year’s UK Credit and Collections Conference (UKCCC), including a keynote address by Romana Pearson, Head of Consumer Credit at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The conference is divided into morning and afternoon…
Read moreA new Open Banking Expo is set to be launched which aims to bring together a cross-section of the UK’s brightest minds to put the second payment services directive (PSD2) under the spotlight and encourage financial services – and other industry sectors – to embrace the new legislation in order to drive product innovation and…
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