Households overcharged by £24.1bn by utilities and telecoms firms

30th May 2019 Consumer Collections |

Citizens Advice has found regulators have allowed water, energy, broadband and telephone networks to overcharge customers by £24.1 billion over the past fifteen years. The charity is calling for companies to return some of this to customers through a rebate on their bills and for regulators to stop this happening again. The research follows its…

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Money Statistics: May 2019

29th May 2019 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for May 2019: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,633 billion at the end of March 2019. This is up from £1,588 billion at the end of March 2018, an extra £852.40 per UK adult over the year. The average total debt per…

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Broadband, phone and media firms must inform customers about best deals

16th May 2019 Consumer Collections |

Broadband, phone and TV (Media) customers must be told when their contract is coming to an end, and shown the best deals available, under new rules announced today by Ofcom. Ofcom wants customers to be able to take advantage of choice in broadband, phone and TV, and get the best deals for their needs. This…

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Consumer finance new business decreases by 2%

13th May 2019 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business fell by 2% in March compared with the same month last year. In Q1 2019 as a whole, new business was at a similar level to Q1 2018. Retail store and online credit new business increased by 4% in…

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Money Statistics: April 2019

25th April 2019 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for April 2019: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.633 trillion at the end of February 2019. This is up from £1.584 trillion at the end of February 2018, an extra £942.39 per UK adult over the year. The average total debt per household,…

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FCA data shows 5% drop in complaints in second half of 2018

18th April 2019 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published the latest complaints figures for regulated firms for the second half of 2018. During the second half of 2018 (2018 H2), complaints decreased by 5%, falling from 4.13m to 3.91m. This is the first time the number of complaints has fallen since firms were required to change the…

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FCA reveals its priorities for 2019/20

17th April 2019 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its Business Plan for 2019/20, which outlines the key priorities for the coming year. As the UK finalises preparations to leave the European Union, the immediate priority will remain supporting an orderly transition post-exit. The FCA will also continue to play a leading role in shaping the global…

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Consumer finance new business increases by 1% in February

8th April 2019 Arrears and Recoveries |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show growth of 1% in consumer finance new business in February 2019, compared with the same month last year. Retail store and online credit grew in February by 6%, compared with the same month in 2018, while the personal loan and credit card finance sectors…

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Money Statistics: March 2019

27th March 2019 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for March 2019: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.629 trillion at the end of January 2019. This is up from £1.579 trillion at the end of January 2018, an extra £952.50 per UK adult over the year. The average total debt per…

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NAO: Regulators could be failing consumers

20th March 2019 Consumer Collections |

A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found that the four main regulators – Ofwat, Ofgem, Ofcom and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – understand the significant difficulties facing consumers across utilities, communications and financial services markets, but cannot prove if they are effectively responding to consumer concerns or offering enough protection for…

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FCA fines Carphone Warehouse £29m for insurance mis-selling

13th March 2019 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined The Carphone Warehouse £29,107,600 for failings that led to the mis-selling of “Geek Squad” a mobile phone insurance and technical support product.  This follows an FCA investigation which stemmed from whistleblowing reports. The FCA found The Carphone Warehouse failed to give its sales consultants the right training to…

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New data sources could boost financial inclusion

13th March 2019 Consumer Collections |

New research from Experian has identified 5.8 million people in the UK who are virtually invisible to the credit economy because there is little or no information available on their financial track record. In the absence of sufficient information to make a decision, these Invisibles can either be excluded from mainstream financial services or be…

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Consumer credit predicted to grow by 3% this year

8th March 2019 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show consumer finance new business in January was at a similar level to the same month in 2018. Credit card and personal loan new business together fell in January by 3% compared with the same month in 2018, while retail store and online credit new…

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