Credit, collections & insolvency news
Official figures show that inflation jumped to 5.4% in December, with this the highest rate since the 7.1% recorded in March 1992. The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation was up from 5.1% in November, with soaring food costs and energy price increases helping drive the rate up. The Office for National Statistics (ONS)…
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The number of people finding it hard to keep up with bills and credit commitments has doubled since the start of the pandemic according to new research from StepChange Debt Charity. The charity has found the proportion of people struggling is now nearly one in three (30%) UK consumers – 15 million people – compared…
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The number of County Court Judgments (CCJs) issued against consumers in England and Wales in 2021 rose by more than one third compared to 2020, according to latest figures released by the Registry Trust. The number of consumer judgments registered in 2021 was 848,124, up by 36 percent from 625,901 in 2020. The Registry Trust…
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The number of decrees and total amount of debt registered against Scottish consumers in 2021 rose compared to 2020, according to figures released by the Registry Trust. The number increased from 13,308 in 2020 to 14,444 in 2021, a rise of nine percent. The total value rose even more, by 19 percent, from £37 million…
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Latest figures from the Insolvency Service have indicated that personal insolvencies in England & Wales fell by 10.1% to 8,434 in December 2021 compared to 9,385 in November 2021, and were 12.4% lower than December 2020’s figure of 9,625. There were, on average, 6,648 IVAs registered per month in the three-month period ending December 2021,…
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New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 36% in November 2021. Commenting on the latest new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Director of Consumer & Mortgage Finance and Inclusion at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said…
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The anticipated £700 increase to the default tariff cap is set to put energy bills as a proportion of benefit levels at a generational high and tip many more into hardship, new research by Citizens Advice has revealed. Citizens Advice is calling on the government to provide a one-off grant this April to support families…
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More than a quarter (27%) of consumers think they could be losing money due to lack of, or insufficient, understanding of financial terminology, according to recent research from Aviva. The insurer also found that women (30%) are more likely to think financial lingo could be losing them money than men (23%). To understand the saving…
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Benefits will need to be hiked by twice as much as planned this spring in order to protect millions of the poorest in society from the impact of surging inflation according to new analysis by the Insititute of Fiscal Studies (IFS). The analysis shows poorer households tend to spend almost three times as much of…
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New research by Moneyfarm and Dectech has revealed that 25% of the nation are financially dependent on a partner. A further 17% are reliant on their parents with a further 10% reliant on other relatives. Whilst 8% of UK adults are dependent on their children, most surprisingly, 22% of 18 to 30-year-olds are actually financially…
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New research from Quilter has found that if another lockdown is implemented as a result of the Omicron variant, many women consider themselves in a worse off position financially. The research, carried out by YouGov for Quilter, found that more than one in five (22%) women said they were in a worse position financially than…
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Nearly half of consumers(44%) want urgent help in managing their own money, according to a new opinion poll highlighting the dire state of the personal finances of millions of people. The findings come from a poll by Opinium of 4,000 people commissioned by the leading think-tank, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), and credit management company…
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Black Friday and Christmas has helped card average spending to increase to a new over two-year high according to new analysis of UK card trends for November 2021 by FICO. With average spending and cash usage rising, the data was typical of previous festive seasons. However, a drop in the percentage of payments to balance…
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