New YouGov polling by StepChange Debt Charity has revealed the state of household finances over a year into the cost of living crisis, with people imminently facing higher council tax, less support with energy bills and increased rent or mortgage payments. StepCange says that the survey examines the toll that the cost of living crisis…
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New data from the Student Loans Company (SLC) has found that 52,000 students overpaid by £20.35 million with overpayments, surging by a fifth. In 2021/22, the total overpaid in student loans was up 19% to £20,354,089 with the number of graduates overpaying their student loans surging 15% to 52,187. The average overpayment rose to £390.…
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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced the Spring budget for 2023. Commenting on budget, Credit Services Association (CSA) Chief Executive Chris Leslie said: “For the collections sector, Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget has greatest relevance in its impact on the surplus money people have at their disposal and the cost-of-living squeeze that may affect an individual’s ability…
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Latest quarterly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that personal insolvency numbers increased by 20% in February 2023 from February 2021’s total of 6,839 and decreased by 4.4% from February 2020’s total of 8,590. Personal insolvencies also increased by 5.9% in February 2023 to a total of 8,210 when compared…
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Second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 8% in January 2023 according to the latest Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) data. Commenting on the latest new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Geraldine Kilkelly, Director of Research and Chief Economist at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said “The second charge mortgage…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed final mortgage guidance, setting out the ways mortgage lenders can help customers worried about or already struggling with their mortgage payments because of the rising cost of living. The regulator has also published new data and analysis on the mortgage market. This shows that, in addition to the…
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One in seven people have skipped meals due to the rising cost of living, new Which? research has found. According to the latest findings from Which?’s Consumer Insight Tracker, a number of households are going without food and sitting in cold homes due to the rising cost of living. One in seven (15%) said they…
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A new survey of homeowners who pay a mortgage, conducted by independent market research firm Danebury Research on behalf of global technology specialist Dye & Durham, fas found that the ongoing cost of living crisis is affecting the mental health of more than half (56%) of UK mortgage holders who have genuine concerns over their…
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Credit Connect’s hosted its sixth Online Collections Technology Think Tank 4.1 last week which saw collections strategies and the impact of cost of living economic stresses discussed by thirteen collections professionals from a variety of industry sectors. The themes of collections risk, customer engagement, affordability and the future of collections were discussed by panelists and…
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New data from specialist lender Hodge shows a significant increase in the number of its 50+ customers taking out a mortgage for debt consolidation in January this year compared with January 2022. The data shows that in January 2023, 18% of customers said they were using the loan for debt consolidation, compared with just 2.13%…
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Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for February 2023 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,832.8 billion at the end of December 2022. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £65,946 and per adult was £34,653, around 105.7% of average earnings. Net mortgage lending rose by…
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New data from Macmillan Cancer Support shows that tens of thousands of people going through or recovering from cancer treatment in the UK (16%) have had to sell personal possessions or borrow money just to make ends meet. The research also found that almost one in three (31%) are struggling to pay their basic living…
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Poorer households are hit harder than wealthy households when it comes to rising energy costs according to new research by Interactive Investor. When factored into the other key areas of household expenditure, including food, housing costs (rent or mortgage) and transport, the research calculated that the poorest 10% of households face spending 26% of their…
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