Rise in consumer borrowing slowing

31st August 2017 Consumer Collections |

The growth in borrowing by consumers appears to be slowing amid a squeeze on households according to the Bank of England’s latest consumer statistics. The annual rate of growth for consumer borrowing through credit cards, overdrafts and personal loans decreased to 9.8% in July, the lowest rate of expansion since April 2016. The growth rate…

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Funeral debt rises to an all-time

30th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

Research by The Royal London National Funeral Cost Index 2017 reveals funeral debt has also risen to £160 million. One in six (16%) said they struggled with funeral costs, with people taking on an average debt of £1,680. Amongst those who struggled, one in four said they borrowed money from family and friends (26%) and…

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Citizen Advice calls for ban of unsolicited credit card limit increase

30th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

Research by Citizens Advice has found that nearly 1 in 5 people struggling with debts have had their credit card limit raised without them requesting it, a practice the charity would like to see banned. After the Bank of England issued a warning to lenders about how they are granting credit to consumers, Citizens Advice…

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Identity Fraud escalates to new levels

23rd August 2017 Consumer Collections |

Fraud prevention service, Cifas has released new figures showing that identity fraud has continued to rise at record levels in the first six months of 2017.  A record 89,000 identity frauds were recorded, up 5% from last year. Representing over half of all fraud recorded by the UK’s not-for-profit fraud data sharing organisation, 83% of…

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Bank of Gran & Grandad: A third give financial boost to grandchildren

22nd August 2017 Consumer Collections |

A new report released by Saga Money has revealed that the Bank of Gran and Grandad has donated a total of over £37 billion in funds to their grandchildren and one in ten grandparents say this money was to be spent on a deposit for a house. At a time when estate agents are warning that house…

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Nearly 50% of consumers use credit when stung unexpected costs

21st August 2017 Consumer Collections |

A high number of British adults have found themselves unprepared for unexpected costs and have had to rely on friends, family or even credit to pay for them in the past 12 months, according to new research. The survey of 1,035 UK adults carried out by home heating oil supplier, SuperSaverOil.com, found that almost half…

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Consumer finance grows by 7% in June

17th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show growth of 7% in consumer finance new business in June, compared with the same month last year, and growth of 4% in the second quarter of 2017 overall. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 10% compared with June 2016, while…

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Second charge mortgage market growth continues in June

16th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that the second charge mortgage growth continued in June. Commenting on the June 2017 new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Head of Consumer and Mortgage Finance at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said “In June, the second charge…

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FOS Consumer Credit complaints rise in Q2

16th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

Complaints about consumer credit including payday loans and hire purchase showed a rise in the second quarter according to latest statistics released by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Consumer credit complaints totalled 7,281 in the three months to June 30, up from 5,846 in the same period last year. Payday loans, which provide short-term credit at…

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Zoot and Credit Kudos announce partnership

16th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

Credit decisioning specialist Zoot,  has announced a partnership with credit scorecards specialist Credit Kudos. The combination will enable lenders to easily incorporate account transaction data into their existing risk process, leveraging Credit Kudos’ pre-configured risk models through Zoot’s cloud-based platform integrating data and scoring to create a seamless application process. Adam Jackson, Zoot’s Managing Director…

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Over 45 million people have less than one month’s salary in savings

15th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

A recent UK wide survey conducted by Paymentsense has revealed that 45.5 million UK residents have less than one months salary set aside in savings. In addition to this, the study also found that 30% of us don’t in fact have any money set aside in a savings account, to protect us from unforeseen circumstances.…

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Mortgage Loans decrease by 5%

15th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

Developments in the wider economy are making it more challenging for homebuyers and savers. Building societies continue to support both groups and maintained a high market share of new mortgage lending and savings in the second quarter of 2017 according to latest figures from the Building Society Association Building societies approved 112,340 new mortgage loans.…

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Cash payments decrease by 11% in 2016

14th August 2017 Consumer Collections |

The number of cash payments decreased by 11% between 2015 and 2016, but it remains the most frequently used payment method in the UK, according to new data published today by UK Finance. Consumers and businesses made 15.4 billion cash payments in 2016 – down from 17.2 billion in 2015 (a decrease of 11%). However…

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