Second charge mortgages fell by 2% in April

18th June 2025 Consumer Collections | #mortgages

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes fell by 2% in April 2025. 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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Mortgage debt and regional inequality put millions of pensioners at risk

12th June 2025 Arrears and Recoveries |

New research from SunLife has reveals that seven in ten (73%) over 50s have private pensions, rising to 75% in the South West, 76% in the South East and 83% in Northern Ireland, in the North West 30% of over 50s have no private pension savings at all. Average incomes in the region are also…

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Millions face mortgage burden in retirement as AI threatens financial security

12th June 2025 Arrears and Recoveries | #debt

New analysis by Sprive, suggests a perfect storm is brewing as millions face retiring with mortgage debt hit by late homebuying, sky-high prices, and AI disrupting income security Analysis of official Government housing data* reveals that as buyers are being forced to take on longer mortgage terms later in life, they are increasingly likely to carry…

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Mortgage lending increases by 50.4%

Latest data from the Bank of England has shown that the number of new mortgages competed by lenders jumped 50.4% to £77.6 billion in the first three months of the year compared to 12 months ago, hitting the highest quarterly level for more than two years. The data shows that the outstanding value of all…

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Government announces enforcement sector consultation

The Government has announced in a Written Ministerial Statement that the Ministry of Justice will be consulting on how to implement regulation of the enforcement sector. The Government says the review will aim to increase protections for those facing debt enforcement action and raise fees recoverable by bailiff firms. Setting out plans to overhaul to…

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Third of households trying to use less water to cope with rising bills

New research by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust has found that over a third of households (34%) are cutting their use of water instead, with one-in-five (19%) reducing the number of showers or baths they take. The data showed that 24% report their energy bills have increased ‘a lot’ and 29% say their water bills have risen…

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FOS announces consultation to cut compensation interest

5th June 2025 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is set to cut the interest firms must pay on compensation payouts. Currently, firms must pay 8% interest on compensation awards. The study will look at cutting the interest rate applied to compensation handed down against firms that have lost cases to customers. This is the first step in FOS’s…

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One in four people have no emergency savings

Nearly one in four UK adults (23%), around 12.5 million people, have no savings to fall back on in a crisis, according to new research from StepChange Debt Charity. Four in five (78%) of those with no rainy day savings say they find it difficult to keep up with living costs. As cost of living…

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Spring 2025: Credit & Collections Technology Think Tank review

Credit Connect hosted its first Spring Credit & Collections Technology Think Tank in York, which saw credit and collections strategies discussed by thirteen professionals from a variety of industry sectors at the Milner Hotel The event Chair, Chris Warburton from ROStrategy said “Thanks to everyone who attended the Credit Connect Think Tank event in York…

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Mortgages approvals fall for fourth consecutive month

Latest data from the Bank of England has found that net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals decreased sharply by £13.7 billion to -£0.8 billion in April. This followed an increase in net borrowing by £9.6 billion in March. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases decreased for the fourth consecutive month, with a fall of…

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Financial services providers’ webchats are inconsistent in meeting customer needs

New research from the LSB (Lending Standards Board) has revealed significant disparities in customers’ experiences across financial services providers’ ‘webchat’ services – including key differences in experience between webchats supported by AI tools and by humans. The LSB’s study, carried out by ESA Retail, was conducted via 190 mystery shopping customers, who were asked to…

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2025 Credit & Collections Industry Award winners revealed

The winners of the 2025 Credit & Collection Industry Awards have been announced following a live in-person event yesterday (Thursday 22nd May) at the Milner Hotel in York There were eighteen winners (four of which were partnership wins) from the twenty awards categories, which were presented by awards compare’ Brennan Reece. The Credit & Collections…

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DWP blocks £1bn Universal Credit incorrect payments

More than £1 billion in incorrect Universal Credit (UC) payments have been blocked by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in a drive to stop people falling into financial difficulties. The milestone was reached after a programme to review payments was ramped up last summer, with more than one million cases now looked at.…

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