Financial anxiety is significantly impacting the daily lives and well-being of millions of people across the UK, according to new research from financial education charity Money Ready. The study reveals that 39% of adults feel anxious when they think about money – and this anxiety extends into having a real effect on people’s wellbeing, behaviour…
Read more
Energy regulator Ofgem has announced a 7% (or £117) reduction of the energy price cap for the period covering 1st April to 30th June 2026. This change amounts to a reduction of around £10 a month for the average household using both electricity and gas. The price cap refers to the default tariff applied when a…
Read more
New figures published by StepChange Debt Charity Scotland have revealed that the average debt among people seeking help from the charity has reached on average £20,116 per client, a 10% rise year-on-year, and the highest level recorded in over a decade. Two in three clients were in arrears on their household bills, owing an average…
Read more
Four in five (80%) of adults believe younger generations are worse off now than two decades ago, according to research from Hymans Robertson Personal Wealth. More than half (59%) blame the rising cost of living as a key pressure, while almost half (43%) highlight increasing housing costs. Surprisingly, almost three-quarters (74%) of over-55s say young…
Read more
The average UK household is now spending nearly £119 per week on food shopping, according to new research by Confused.com, amounting to more than £6,000 per year. The research shows that the average food bill is £1,144 per year, or £22 per week, more expensive than in 2024, a 23% increase. This is significantly higher than…
Read more
Latest monthly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that personal insolvencies increased by 12% in January 2026 compared to January 2025, rising to 10,843 from 9,644. Personal insolvencies were 20% lower in December 2025 compared to January 2026, when numbers were affected by a temporary backlog. The personal insolvency data consisted…
Read more
Latest UK Finance research has found that around 5,160 mortgaged properties were repossessed in 2025, a 39% increase from 2024. The fourth quarter saw 1,210 homes repossessed, up 17% year-on-year but down 13% from the previous quarter. Despite this rise, only 0.92% of all mortgages were in arrears. The report highlighted that most repossessions involved…
Read more
The UK housing market has continued to outperform the wider economy, underpinned by a mortgage market that has absorbed higher interest rates more effectively than many expected, according to analysis from the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA). IMLA’s latest report projects that mortgage arrears will continue falling through 2026 and 2027, even as the final…
Read more
New research has revealed that 88% of the UK is struggling to cope with high living costs, equal to an estimated 48 million people nationwide. The survey found that over two in five (45%) indicated that the country’s high living costs are impacting them even more than last year, showing that things have been getting…
Read more
New research by Pepper Advantage has found that mortgage arrears fell 1.1% in Quarter 4 (Q4) 2025 , marking the third consecutive quarterly decline and the lowest arrears rate since Q4 2023. Residential and Buy-to-Let Performance: The residential arrears rate declined by 0.9% in Q4, continuing a gradual improvement. Buy-to-let arrears fell by 10.4%, reflecting…
Read more
Desperate families are finding themselves forced to borrow from illegal loan sharks as a consequence of getting into severe debt due to the high costs of paying for the funerals of loved ones, according to research by Funeralexperts.com. The data revealed that around 32,400 people (3%) of the 1.08 million people who were forced to…
Read more
The number of people living in “very deep poverty” in the UK is at the highest level in more than 30 years, according to new research by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). Very deep poverty is defined by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as earning below 40% of the median household income. According to its latest report,…
Read more
Dubbed ‘divorce month’, January has famously been cited as the time of the year when family lawyers see a surge in those looking to end their marriages. According to current data from Google, searches for ‘divorce’ in the week beginning 11th January are at their highest in 12 months in the UK. Family lawyers also…
Read more