Credit, collections & insolvency news
The Civil Enforcement Association (CIVEA) has warned of a spate of scams using information from the Ministry of Justice to dupe people into paying money to fake enforcement firms. CIVEA, which represents civil enforcement agencies, has received 16 complaints this year from people who have paid fake fines to fraudsters posing as enforcement agents. This…
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New research from National Debtline, the free debt advice service run by the Money Advice Trust, has revealed that the average level of priority debt – including council tax, energy and rent arrears – held by callers has risen 54 percent since 2018, from £2,642 to £4,080. The findings, based on a survey of National…
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The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has published its first-ever draft business plan for 2023/24. In its first-ever draft business plan, the ECB, which will operate independently of the profession and Government, has stated that its five priorities are to: Design and start to gather an evidence base to support the development of a proportionate oversight framework.…
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Research by Citizens Advice has suggested that bailiffs are breaking the rules on a massive scale and raking in huge fees, all while driving people into deeper hardship. The charity says that it is raising the alarm over bailiff behaviour, as its latest cost of living survey found one in four people (27%) have fallen…
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Credit Connect’s hosted its sixth Online Collections Technology Think Tank 4.1 last week which saw collections strategies and the impact of cost of living economic stresses discussed by thirteen collections professionals from a variety of industry sectors. The themes of collections risk, customer engagement, affordability and the future of collections were discussed by panelists and…
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Latest figures from the Ministry of Justice (October to December 2022) for England and Wales have revealed that landlord repossessions increased by 98% at the end of 2022 The new figures show that there were 5,409 landlord repossessions in this period, a 98% increase on the same quarter last year and a similar level to…
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CIVEA has alerted its members to the risks of media misreporting of the legal activities of civil enforcement agents. In a statement CIVEA said “We are concerned that conflating this issue is irresponsible and potentially dangerous, because it presents a threat to agents in the field where people may confuse what they do and subject…
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Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps has given energy bosses a deadline of Tuesday (7th February) to report back to him on what remedial action – such as providing compensation – they plan to take should they have wrongfully installed prepayment meters in the homes of vulnerable customers. The Business Secretary has today told Ofgem…
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The Government has announced its support for a new independent bailiff regulator, the Enforcement Conduct Board, Commenting on the support Adam Butler, Public Policy Manager at StepChange said “It’s encouraging to see the Government renew its commitment to raising standards in the bailiff enforcement industry, especially at a time when millions are struggling with the…
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The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB), the new independent oversight body for the enforcement industry (bailiffs) in England and Wales has announced that it has appointed Chris Nichols as the organisation’s first Chief Executive Officer. Nichols joins from the Legal Services Board, where he has served as Director of Policy and Regulation since September 2018 and…
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Credit Connect’s hosted its second Credit & Collections Technology Think Tank in mid-November in Manchester which saw credit and collections strategies and the impact of the pandemic discussed by sixteen professionals from a variety of industry sectors at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The themes of cost of living impacting customer engagement, credit and collections…
Read moreOne in twelve private renters in England, equivalent to 941,000 people are currently under threat of eviction, according to new research from the housing charity Shelter. The charity’s polling, conducted by YouGov and funded by Nationwide Building Society, found that of those at risk of eviction, 504,000 private renters had received or been threatened with…
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Almost one in four (24%) people in England and Wales are very worried about getting into serious debt over the next six months, rising to over a third (36%) among those with children, new independent research from the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has found. The ECB has been created with agreement between the enforcement industry…
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