Money Statistics: May 2017

5th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for May 2017: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.529 trillion at the end of March 2017. This is up from £1.484 trillion at the end of March 2016 – an extra £886.84 per UK adult. The average total debt per…

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Consumer borrowing rises whilst mortgages hit a six month low

5th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Bank of England’s latest money and credit statistics have revealed that mortgage approvals have fallen to a six month low. The statistics also show an increase in consumer debts such as credit cards and loans. The Bank of England’s figures for March 2017 show consumer credit increased by 10.2% in the year to March, to…

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Opportunity to improve personal finance education in schools

4th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Just one in ten (10%) British adults say they have received useful advice about personal finance through their school or college, a new survey of over 2,000 British adults by insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 and ComRes has found. A similar proportion, 11%, say the advice they received via public education was not useful.…

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Alarming rise in Scottish consumer decrees

3rd May 2017 Consumer Collections |

There were more small claims decrees for debt against Scottish consumers in Quarter 1 (Q1) 2017 than in any other first quarter on record, according to figures released today by Registry Trust. In the first quarter of the year, 6,879 debt decrees were registered against consumers in Scotland, over a third higher than the same…

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Over-65s mortgage debt set to double by 2030

3rd May 2017 Consumer Collections |

A study, by the International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC-UK), supported by the Building Societies Association (BSA) has found that borrowing into older age is likely to move from niche to mainstream within the next decade. The amount of mortgage debt held by over 65s is set to increase by more than £19 billion by 2030 (from…

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Bank of Mum and Dad fund over a quarter of home purchases

2nd May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Legal & General and Cebr have published a new report into the role the Bank of Mum and Dad plays in helping their children get on, or move up the property ladder. The research shows the Bank of Mum and Dad will lend over £6.5 billion in 2017, up from £5bn in 2016, providing deposits for…

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Fraudsters prey on low income families

2nd May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Families in Britain who are struggling financially are increasingly becoming prime targets of financial fraud, according to new research from Experian. This group, made up of more than 4 million people in the UK, have experienced the highest growth rate in fraud between 2014 and 2016. Of all the fraudulent credit applications made using an…

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Cards spending increases by £300 million in February

28th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures fromThe UK Cards Association show that total card spending in February 2017 was £57.2 billion, an increase of £300 million on January, and up from £52.2 billion in February 2016. Other findings in the report showed: The number of card purchases increased to 1.3 billion, up by 14 million during the month and…

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Consumer borrowing slows

28th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

The British Bankers Association (BBA) has released March 2017 figures for the high street banks. Eric Leenders, BBA Managing Director for Retail Banking said: “In March, annual growth in consumer borrowing from the main high street banks* slowed, perhaps mirroring the dip seen in retail sales volumes as price rises appear to have started biting…

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Over 50s becoming big users of contactless payments

28th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

Almost 12 million over 50s are actively using contactless payments with one in five tapping the plastic up to three times a week according to research by Saga Money. The survey of almost 10,000 shows that half (50%) of over 50s use their contactless cards when doing the weekly shop, whilst almost a third (29%)…

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Financial complaints top 3 million

26th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published data on the number of complaints reported by firms under new rules which came into force on 30 June 2016. The total number of complaints reported by firms in the second half of 2016 was 3.04 million. This number is higher than previous reporting periods because under the…

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Brits underestimate true cost of fraud

26th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

Online research from Equifax reveals that 61% of Brits underestimate the financial cost of fraud, valuing the impact at less than £1 billion. Over half (54%) estimate the cost to be £500m or below, well below the £1.1 billion level published in the latest KPMG Fraud Barometer. The survey, conducted by YouGov, found 60% of…

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Report: One in Five consumers have concerns about new payment methods

26th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

Almost four in five (77%) British consumers have concerns about using new payment methods according to data from global law firm Paul Hastings. A survey of over 2,000 consumers highlights how security fears are preventing many consumers from embracing new payment technologies, yet providers of new methods are often leading the way in creatively addressing…

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