The growing prevalence of online billing is putting businesses and service providers at risk of losing touch with customers according to new research, which reveals that almost one in three consumers have become distant from their bills as a result. The research of a nationally representative sample of 1,000 UK adults by Echo Managed Services, revealed…
Read more
A new CfRC report calls for an expansion of debt advice and financial support services for low paid workers and private tenants. The research (‘Improving the Financial Health of Low Income Groups’), which was supported by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, reviewed how low income households are currently being supported to manage their money, save for the…
Read more
More customers in vulnerable situations will get extra help, under changes to the Priority Services Register announced by Ofgem. Customers on the Priority Services Register can get free, vital services from network operators and suppliers to help them manage their energy. These include: customers being given a password so that they can safely identify representatives…
Read more
Company directors could be fined up to £500,000 if their business is behind nuisance phone calls, under government moves to clamp down on the problem. The law is to be changed in Spring 2017 to make directors personally liable for breaches of regulations. At the moment only firms can be fined for ignoring rules on cold calling,…
Read more
New figures from the Insolvency Service Ireland show that almost 900 people applied to put a formal insolvency arrangement in place with their lenders. The figures were for the three months to the end of September. This was up 102% on the same three months last year. But the number of heavily-indebted people who secured a…
Read more
The Royal London National Funeral Cost Index reveals funeral debt in the UK has risen to £147million as people borrow from friends and family or the ban to fund the last wishes of loved ones. Royal London’s research highlights that the average cost of a funeral in the UK is now £3,675, with 93,359 adults…
Read more
Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for October 2016: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.499 trillion at the end of August 2016. This is up from £1.445 trillion at the end of August 2015 – an extra £995.43 per UK adult. The average total debt per household…
Read moreThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has banned Andrew Barry Hart, the sole director, controller and ultimate owner of Wage Payment and Payday Loans Limited (WPPL), from performing any role in regulated financial services. The FCA has also cancelled WPPL’s interim permission and refused its applications for WPPL to be authorised to carry out regulated activities…
Read more
Glasgow-based independent law firm Yuill & Kyle Limited has secured full authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority. Yuill + Kyle managing partner Stephen Cowan said: “Quite often as part of an audit process a creditor may take the view that they will not deal with a legal firm unless they have the FCA consent. Because Y+K…
Read moreThe Money Charity has released statistics indicating that after years of steady falls, cases of mortgage arrears have risen for the second quarter in a row. According to the Financial Conduct Authority, at the end of Q2 2016 there were 218,279 mortgage loan accounts with arrears of more than 1.5% of the current loan balance. This…
Read more
Target Group has today announced the appointment of Jeremy Edwards as the company’s Chief Client Officer (CCO). Having held senior leadership positions at Accenture, Firstsource Solutions and Hinduja Global Services, Jeremy brings with him a wealth of experience in financial services, business process outsourcing (BPO) and client services. The new role brings together business development, client…
Read moreUlster Bank has sold off £2 billion tranche of loans to Cerberus. The portfolio consists 900 mortgages, across Ireland. Around 14% of the debt is based in Northern Ireland. A spokesman for Ulster Bank said: “Ulster Bank has confirmed the completion of a sale of significantly impaired loan portfolio, predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, enabling…
Read more
New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that new business in the point-of-sale (POS) consumer new car finance market grew 9% by value and 5% by volume in August, compared with the same month last year. The percentage of private new car sales financed by FLA members through the POS reached…
Read more