Households in arrears figures rise but remain at record lows

13th August 2021 Arrears and Recoveries |

Latest UK Finance figures show that mortgage arrears remained at record lows in the second quarter of 2021, with 1,370 fewer mortgages in arrears at the end of June compared to the end of March. The number of mortgages in early arrears is below the level seen prior to the pandemic. Total mortgage arrears remain…

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Stamp duty holiday drives credit score engagement

11th August 2021 Banking and Loans |

The stamp duty holiday helped drive higher engagement with credit scores, according to Experian. Mortgage applications were 31% higher during the stamp duty holiday than the equivalent period between 2019 and 2020 and those consumers who took out a new mortgage were more likely to check their credit score. Credit score engagement peaked in July…

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Payment holidays for unsecured loans hit peak in March

5th August 2021 Arrears and Recoveries |

Furlough and forbearance measures helped the UK avoid the spike in loan defaults that were expected at the start of the pandemic, but as they are phased out this year, a recent surge in payment holidays for unsecured loans suggests one in ten borrowers are still concerned about maintaining repayments according to new analysis by…

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Rent arrears hits lowest level in a decade

5th August 2021 Arrears and Recoveries |

The average number of tenants in rent arrears is at its lowest level for ten years research by Paragon Bank has found. The Bank has highlighted that in Q2 2021 each landlord surveyed had an average of 1.3 tenants with outstanding rent payments. This is the lowest number since Q1 2011 when research agency BVA…

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Borrowers releasing equity from homes nears pre-pandemic levels

30th July 2021 Arrears and Recoveries |

The number of borrowers releasing equity from their homes has neared pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter of this year, according to the latest figures from the Equity Release Council (ERC). There were 20,352 new and returning customers in the market between April and June, a rise from 16,527 in Q1 2021 and 13,617 in…

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Mortgage borrowing hits record high

30th July 2021 Arrears and Recoveries |

Latest Bank of England (BOE) data has shown that mortgage borrowing hit a record monthly high in June, climbing to £17.9 billlon. This marks a 163% jump on the £6.8bn recorded in May. The increase came as buyers looked to complete deals before the stamp duty holiday started to taper. While the threshold at which…

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Money Statistics: July 2021

28th July 2021 Arrears and Recoveries |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for July 2021 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,721.3 billion at the end of May 2021. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £61,933 and per adult was £32,544, around 108.7% of average earnings. Net mortgage lending rose by…

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Card spending rise suggests consumers are adjusting to ‘new normal’

28th July 2021 Banking and Loans |

New spending analysis of UK card trends by FICO for May 2021,  suggests that some consumers are practising pragmatic financial management, as well as continuing to make use of savings accrued during the pandemic. There are, however, warning signs of the financial pressure growing for those already in debt. Whilst the effects of a full…

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Tesco Bank to close personal current accounts

27th July 2021 Banking and Loans |

Tesco Bank has announced that all Tesco Bank Personal Current Accounts will close from Tuesday 30th November 2021. Tesco Bank’s Current Account was closed to new business in December 2019 and will now also close for existing customers. Tesco Bank will write to Current Account customers to inform them of the closure of their account…

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Over half of global population predicted to use digital banking by 2026

19th July 2021 Banking and Loans |

New research byJuniper Research study has predicted that 53% of the world’s population will access digital banking services in 2026 reaching over 4.2 billion digital banking users, from 2.5 billion in 2021. The research identified increased digital transformation efforts as enabling banks to function effectively during the pandemic; justifying the benefits of digital banking and…

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Lenders expect jump in defaults

16th July 2021 Arrears and Recoveries |

The Bank of England’s quarterly Credit Conditions Survey saw respondents say that the length of interest-free periods on credit cards, for both balance transfers and purchases, had increased in the previous three months, with further increases expected in the next three months. Mortgage availability also increased in the three months to the end of May,…

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Banks urged to remember pressures that consumers and businesses face

14th July 2021 Banking and Loans | #featured

The Bank of England’s latest Financial Stability Report which sets out the Financial Policy Committee’s (FPC) agenda has urged banks to remember the pressures consumers and businesses still face despite the rapid rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine. The FPC also said that while businesses and individuals have emerged largely stable from the pandemic, there are…

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Consumer finance new business grew by 116% in May

6th July 2021 Banking and Loans |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 116% in May 2021 compared with the same month in 2020.  In the first five months of 2021, new business was 15% higher than in the same period in 2020. The retail store and online credit sector…

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