Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Latest Bank of England’s Money and Credit data has found that net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased by £1 billion to £3.6 billion in December, bouncing back from a decrease in net borrowing of £0.9 billion in November. The annual growth rate for net mortgage lending rose to 1.5%, from 1.3% in November,…
Read more
A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has found that more than 1 in 5 people in the UK (21%) were in poverty in 2022/23 – 14.3 million people. Of these, 8.1 million were working-age adults, 4.3 million were children and 1.9 million were pensioners. To put it another way, around 2 in…
Read more
One in seven retirees are returning to work or are considering doing so, with financial pressures, a lack of pension provision and desire for social connection driving this, according to new research from Standard Life. 7% of retirees aged over 55 have already gone back into work, with a further 2% actively looking for employment.…
Read more
New Censuswide polling from StepChange Debt Charity finds that just over two in five (41%) GB adults – equivalent to 21.3 million people – expect their financial situation to worsen over the next 12 months. The findings show that meeting the cost of living and higher energy bills this month is a major factor driving…
Read more
Latest data from Accountant in Bankruptcy has found that personal insolvency numbers (bankruptcies and protected trust deeds) in Scotland for Quarter 3 (Q3) 2024-2025 decreased by 11.4% compared with the same quarter in 2023-2024, which totalled at 1,784. The number of personal insolvencies (bankruptcies and protected trust deeds) in Scotland also decreased by 6% when…
Read more
A coalition of organisations including StepChange Debt Charity, Christians Against Poverty, Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, Money Advice Trust and six others has written to the Government reiterating a call to end imprisonment for non-payment of council tax. The coalition claims the rule is “outdated” and “disproportionate,” as it continues to campaign for reform…
Read more
StepChange Scotland has revealed a rise in the proportion of people struggling to keep up with their energy bills, council tax and mortgage at the outset of 2025. New data from the charity for the final quarter of 2024 shows over one in five (21%) clients with a responsibility for paying a mortgage are in…
Read more
People in debt have lost £48.8 million on fees for failed Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA), with many steered into an inappropriate debt solution by unscrupulous firms offering bad advice according to research by Citizens Advice. The charity has found two thirds of people were not told a key piece of information before entering into an…
Read more
New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 17% in November 2024. 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),…
Read more
Analysis by Shelter and HSBC has shown that 52% of people paying housing costs are starting the new year worried about housing or financial pressures. The research also found that 67% of people with housing costs have experienced housing pressures over the past year. Of those experiencing housing pressures, 57% said they have lost sleep…
Read more
Nationwide is urging those struggling financially to seek help as a perfect storm of record New Year debt, rising energy bills and tax returns is set to make January a tough month for many. According to Nationwide’s spending data, debt levels in November were already four percent higher than the same month last year, at…
Read more
Research by Compare the Market has found that half of university students struggle to repay their credit card balance within three months. The data found that almost one in two (48%) university students have been struggling to repay their credit card balance within three months, with the main reasons being the rising cost of everyday…
Read more
The Resolution Foundation is calling on the Government to offer extra support to working parents, including with childcare and commuting, if it is to fulfil its promise of cutting child poverty. The Resolution Foundation says that he last Labour government reduced relative child poverty significantly – down by the equivalent of 600,000 children between 1998-99…
Read more