FCA report highlights borrowers falling into early arrears

24th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

New data published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as part of its annual report has revealed that 0.3 per cent of borrowers has failed to make their mortgage payments within six months of taking out their loan. This figure compares to 0.25 per cent of households falling behind on their payments after six months…

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CSA shortlisted as best overall Association in Excellence Awards

24th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

The Credit Services Association (CSA) has been shortlisted within The Association Excellence Awards 2018 for its work in promoting the quality and professionalism of its members in supporting customers in debt and returning monies to the UK economy. A panel of 20 senior figures from UK-wide trade associations have identified the CSA as one of…

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Government student loan sale ‘lost £604m’

23rd July 2018 Consumer Collections |

The National Audit Office (NAO) has said that the government has lost more than £600m in revenue from selling student loans “too cheaply.” According to the NAO report, the government’s sale of its first batch of student loans was carried out efficiently, but its method for determining whether the sale would secure value for money…

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HMCTS announces contractors appointed to enforce Criminal Court orders

23rd July 2018 Consumer Collections |

The HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has announced the results of the tender process for Approved Enforcement Agency Services. The provider companies appointed are Capita Business Services, Excel Civil Enforcement, Jacobs Enforcement and Outsourcing UK. In 2017 HMCTS commenced a procurement exercise to re-tender the Approved Enforcement Agencies contracts. Approved Enforcement Agencies act on behalf of…

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FCA outlines plans to keep existing definition of vulnerability

17th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today announced it is retaining its existing definition of vulnerable consumers in response to its Consumer Approach consultation, with new guidance on vulnerability set to be published next year. The consultation, which was launched in November last year, proposed a new definition for vulnerable consumers. A range of organisations…

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FEATURE: Instilling a truly customer-centric mindset in your collections staff 

17th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

Consumer debt continues to be a pressing issue and one that isn’t going away. Our research into debt recovery processes earlier this year highlighted this, finding that more than one in three consumers (35%) have fallen into arrears due to their outgoings rising above household income – a 7% increase since we carried out similar…

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Webinar to explore research from collections calls

17th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

A new webinar taking place on Tuesday 24th July will explore how consumer debt collections can be optimised. The webinar will explore collections analytics and lessons learnt from over 100,000  collections calls. Presenter and MD of Lightico Zviki Ben Ishay said “Debt collectors spend countless hours trying to contact borrowers to reclaim their overdue payments. After…

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Women and seaside towns see rise in personal insolvencies in 2017

13th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

A higher percentage of women than men in England and Wales entered insolvency in 2017, continuing the trend of recent years, says insolvency trade body R3, commenting on the annual personal insolvency statistics released by the Insolvency Service. Looking at the geographical spread in the statistics, the North East and coastal towns such as Plymouth…

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Remortgaging figures continue to increase

13th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

UK Finance has released its Mortgage Trends update for May. Highlights from the report include: There were 32,200 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in the month, some 8.1 per cent more than in the same month a year earlier. The £5.4bn of new lending in the month was 12.5 per cent more year-on-year. The average…

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‘Flawed’ Universal Credit causing debt for social housing families

12th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

The National Housing Federation, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Community Housing Cymru and the Northern Irish Federation of Housing Associations, are joining together to warn that the Universal Credit system is “flawed” and causing debt, suffering and hardship for the families they house. Together these organisations represent more than 1,000 housing associations housing over…

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One in five consumers has had an outstanding credit card balance for six months

10th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

One-in-five (22%) British adults have had an outstanding credit card balance for at least six months, including the 4% of British adults who have had an outstanding balance for over five years, according to a survey of over 2,000 British adults by insolvency trade body R3. The research, part of a long-running survey of Britain’s…

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Digital debt recovery solutions could save councils thousands – report

10th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

Local authorities could save thousands of pounds by using digital debt recovery instead of resorting to traditional solutions like bailiffs according to new research by Essendex. Figures show that around £2.8bn of outstanding council tax was owed to local authorities in England as of March 2017 – with many councils struggling to claw back the money.…

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East Anglia, Brighton and Newcastle residents most likely to be insolvent

10th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

New research from TDX Group has indicated that people living in East Anglia, Brighton and Newcastle residents are the most likely to be insolvent. Commenting on the research Richard Haymes, Head of Financial Difficulties at TDX Group, an Equifax said  “Our latest research shows a significant and growing disparity between the level of individual insolvencies across…

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