56% of Brits would prefer biometric banking

27th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

New research from Equifax, shows that 56% of people online would prefer to use a biometric security method over traditional options like passwords to log into their financial accounts online. The online survey, conducted by YouGov, found that a third (33%) of people would prefer to use fingerprint recognition as a security method to access their…

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Britain’s poorest, excluded from banking, turn to high-cost credit

27th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Poorer people in Britain are being excluded from the financial system and forced to rely on expensive and substandard banking products, according to a new report. There are 1.7 million adults in the country that do not have access to a bank account, the report said, raising the risk that they will turn to high-cost…

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Consumer lending slows in February

24th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

The British Bankers Association (BBA) has released February 2017 figures for the high street banks. The data shows that household borrowing of £13.4 billion in February was 4.6% higher than in the same month last year. Main highlights included:  The BBA’s latest high street banking data show that consumer credit is growing at an annual rate…

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Central Bank of Ireland publishes Mortgage Arrears and Repossessions Statistics

23rd March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Irish Legal rights group FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) has raised concerns over mortgage arrears figures released by the Central Bank of Ireland’s latest statistics on Residential Mortgage Arrears and Repossessions from Quarter 4 in 2016.  The group said the data confirms that worrying trends continue where family homes are in mortgage arrears. Over 5,000…

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Gross mortgage lending hits £18.2 billion in February

23rd March 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has published it’s latest monthly statistics. The CML estimates that gross mortgage lending reached £18.2 billion in February. This is 8% lower than January’s lending total of £19.8 billion, and closely matches the £18.1 billion lent in February last year. Commenting on market conditions in this month’s market commentary, CML…

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Customer Vulnerability research guide launched

21st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) and The UK Cards Association are today launching a new publication – Vulnerability; a guide for debt collection – that will help their members to better identify and support customers in vulnerable circumstances. Both trade associations worked in partnership with the University of Bristol’s Personal Finance Research Centre (PFRC)…

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New parents spend almost £10,000 on new baby in first year

21st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

The financial impact of having a baby is placing a significant burden on parents. According to new research by comparethemarket.com, new parents will spend £184 a week on necessities such as food, clothing, nappies and childcare for their baby, equating to £9,568 in the first year of parenthood. The cost of starting a family is…

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Brits spend longer making a cup of tea than pausing to look at their finances

21st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

New research from Skipton Building Society has found that the majority of us spend longer each day on making a cup of tea than we do pausing to look at our finances. Skipton Building Society interviewed 2,000 UK adults about their financial habits, highlights of the report include: Three in five people (57%) spend half…

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Cabot Credit Management wins Customer Service Award

20th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Cabot Credit Management (CCM),has won a customer service award at the seventh UK Customer Satisfaction Awards ceremony. CCM won the Customer Feedback Strategy award, ahead of nine other finalists including EDF Energy, HM Passport Office, Virgin Money and RSA Insurance. This award is centred around how easy it is for customers to give feedback and how…

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Consumer spending growth to slow in 2017-18

17th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

​Real consumer spending growth will moderate from around 3% in 2016 to around 2% in 2017 and 1.7% in 2018, according to PwC which summarises that the impact of Brexit on consumers will also vary by category of spending. In an extract from the UK Economic Outlook, which launches in full on 21st March 2017,…

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Affordability high on the agenda for UK organisations

17th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Despite the rising importance of affordability assessments’ for UK organisations, less than half (40%) of risk leaders rate themselves as very effective at identifying customers who are financially vulnerable, according to a new study from Callcredit Information Group. The New Affordability study of UK risk and customer experience managers finds that organisations increasingly see it…

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Modest Income growth and poverty roughly unchanged in 2015–16 figures

17th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published the latest official statistics on household incomes, covering the financial year 2015–16. IFS researchers have summarised the headline trends observed in the new data and placed them in historical context in order to understand better changes in living standards in recent years. Key findings include: Average household…

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Financial fraud costing £2 million a day

17th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

In 2016, the UK lost £2 million each day as a result of financial fraud, according to official figures released by Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK). The figures show the overall scale of financial fraud was £768.8 million, an increase on the £755 million lost in 2015. The figures are published as all major…

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