Ardent appoints Risk and Compliance Director

9th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

Liverpool-based Debt Collection Agency (DCA) and provider of outsourced early arrears and white label solutions, Ardent Credit Services has appointed Nataly Rapoport as the company’s new Risk and Compliance Director. Rapoport joins the growing business from Capita-owned akinika Debt Recovery (formerly iQor) where she held the same position for over 10 years. Rapoport holds a distinction level…

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Unsecured debt amongst 55-74 year olds has risen by a third

5th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

New research from equity release lender More 2 life has revealed that unsecured debt amongst 55 to 74-year-olds has risen by more than a third (+34%) over the last four years – or more than twice as fast as the national average (+14%). While 34% of over 55s have some form of unsecured debt, it…

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Government and councils collections aggressive and frightening – report

5th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

A new report from Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is highlighting the powerlessness of those facing multiple debt collections from local councils and the state. While the practices of private companies have become more customer-focused, a study shows the depths of suffering from people chased for debts like council tax and benefit overpayments. Now the charity wants…

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Consumers hide £69bn of debt

4th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

New research from Direct Line Life Insurance reveals consumers are hiding over £69bn of debt from their partners. People are completely in the dark over their loved ones’ finances, with 8.3 million (16 per cent) of consumers having debts their partner knows nothing about. The average debt hidden from a partner in the UK is £8,293,…

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Water companies have ‘damaged consumer trust’

4th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

Ofwat has said that high levels of payments to bosses and investors by water companies have damaged customer trust. In a number of changes to Ofwat’s 2019 price review (PR19), a range of measures have been included that would see customers share the financial gains made by water companies which have high levels of debt.…

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Almost 3m households do not have Life Insurance

4th July 2018 Consumer Collections |

At least 2.97 million families living in properties across the UK do not have life insurance cover to ensure that their mortgages are paid off should the policyholder pass away, according to new research by Compare The Market. The lack of life insurance protection is particularly concerning given the growing levels of mortgage debt and…

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Millions owed in unpaid council tax to Bath and North East Somerset Council

2nd July 2018 Consumer Collections |

New figures show that Bath and North East Somerset council authority is owed nearly £5 million in unpaid council tax, The figure includes £2.1 million of arrears relating to 2017/18 that were still outstanding at the end of the financial year. Bath and North East Somerset Council said this debt is still being recovered and…

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Council owed £100m in unpaid council tax

2nd July 2018 Consumer Collections |

Liverpool City Council is owed almost £100m in unpaid council tax, according to the latest government data. The data showed that Liverpool City Council was owed £99.9m of historic unpaid council tax as of the end of March. The City council owed £100m in unpaid tax The data comes from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and…

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Irish households loans grow by 1.2%

29th June 2018 Consumer Collections |

The Irish Central Bank has released its latest money and banking statistics for May 2018 indicating that loans to households for consumption purposes grew by 1.2 per cent in the year to end-May. Other highlights from the report include: · Loans to households, adjusted for loan sales and securitisations, declined by 1.6 per cent in…

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FEATURE: TCF, customer vulnerability and building relationships – How technology can help

29th June 2018 Consumer Collections |

Over recent years there has been a tendency for the general public to lament the decline in personal interaction within the consumer credit industry that has been afforded by technological advances.  People have bemoaned branch closures, increased automation, call centres and what has been seen as a ‘computer says no’ approach to affordability assessments and…

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UKAR set to complete asset sell-off by 2021

27th June 2018 Consumer Collections |

Latest figures from UK Asset Resolution (UKAR) has announced it has shrunk its balance sheet by 83%, or £96 billion, so far and repaid 79% of taxpayer cash.  UKAR has said it is aiming to complete the wind down of mortgage books within three years. UKAR incorporates failed lenders Bradford & Bingley and Northern Rock…

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Banks start to take steps to curb unarranged overdraft fees

27th June 2018 Consumer Collections |

New research by Moneyfacts.co.uk reveals that over the past 12 months the average unarranged overdraft fee has fallen from £53.61 to £39.23. Last year, NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland made efforts to reduce fees on some accounts, and in November, Lloyds Bank decided to scrap both its £6 per month usage fee and £5…

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Credit card debt and the cost of borrowing are on the rise

21st June 2018 Consumer Collections |

Credit cards are getting more expensive according to new data released by Moneyfacts which revealed that credit card borrowing is rising by around £3 billion year-on-year and £318 million of debt on plastic was written off in the first quarter of 2018. The report says that it is more likely than not that interest rates…

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