Coventry Council owed £12.5 million in council tax

11th July 2017 Consumer Collections |

Coventry City Council is owed more than £12.5million in council tax, according to a new report. Only six of 36 metropolitan councils in England had lower levels of council tax arrears relative to their collectable council tax at the end of March 2017. However, only four metropolitan local authorities collected more council tax arrears than Coventry in 2016/17.…

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CSA launches revised Code of Practice

11th July 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Credit Services Association (CSA), the voice of the UK debt collection and purchase industry, has revised and relaunched its Code of Practice to incorporate new Principles of Business. The new revised Code continues to promote best practice in terms of collections activity, and also details what the CSA expects of its members in terms…

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Capita Asset Services to be acquired by Link Group

10th July 2017 Consumer Collections |

Capita has announced the sale of the Capita Asset Services businesses (CAS) to Link Administration Holdings (Link Group) for a cash free, debt free consideration of £888 million. Capita Asset Services offers a range of services including mortgage and loan servicing.  Capita has previously entered the UK mortgage servicing Crown Mortgage Management and Vertex Mortgage…

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Consumer finance has risen by 5% so far in 2017

7th July 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show consumer finance new business grew in May by 8% compared with the same month last year. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 11% compared with May 2016, while retail store and online credit new business increased by 3%. Second charge…

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1st Credit and Hammersmith & Fulham Council launch joint venture

6th July 2017 Consumer Collections |

Hammersmith & Fulham Council and Debt Purchaser 1st Credit have launched a new joint venture: H&F Ethical Debt Collections, at the Local Government Association’s annual conference in Birmingham.The partnership changes the way public sector debts are handled, ending the two-tier treatment of customers in debt by applying Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) standards to public as…

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New toolkit helps creditors to support people who fall behind on payments

5th July 2017 Consumer Collections |

A new toolkit to bring consistency to the way creditors work with debt advice agencies when collecting repayments from people who are in debt has been launched by the Money Advice Service today. This is the first time that all major debt advice agencies and creditors have worked together to raise standards of creditor practice…

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Average student debt rises to more than £50,000

5th July 2017 Consumer Collections |

Three-quarters of students will never clear their debt with the average debt now standing at £50,000 according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report. Students in England graduate with average debts of £50,800, after interest rates are raised on student loans to 6.1%.Other key findings in the report include: Those from the poorest backgrounds…

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FCA announces proposals on consumer credit performance management

4th July 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published proposals on how consumer credit firms should manage risks related to how they pay and manage the performance of their staff. The FCA expects all firms to consider the way they pay and incentivise staff, and ensure they manage any potential harm to consumers. The FCA is consulting…

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Research shows how Local Authorities can improve Council Tax collection practice

28th June 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Debt Counsellors Charitable Trust has today published new research which identifies good practice for Local Councils when collecting Council Tax debts. Sevan local councils agreed to be interviewed for the report and based on these interviews, it details recommendations that would allow the collection of council tax in a more responsible, fair and consumer focused…

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Over a quarter of Brits have personal debt repayment fear

19th June 2017 Consumer Collections |

A TDX Group Consumer Debt Report has revealed that over a quarter (28%) of Brits fear they may not be able to keep up with repayments on their personal debt. The online survey, conducted by YouGov, also found that unsecured debt now tops average monthly earnings¹, with more than one in four (28%) owing in…

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Overdue bills and housing arrears triple in a decade

14th June 2017 Consumer Collections |

Debt charity Christians Against Poverty has discovered that household bills and costs have tripled in the past ten years. A decade ago, the average client owed £1,412 in priority arrears, a figure representing just nine per cent of that person’s whole debt problem. In 2016, it had ballooned to £4,582, nearly a third (32%) of…

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CEO announced for Lindorff and Intrum Justitia

9th June 2017 Consumer Collections |

Intrum Justitia AB has announced that Mikael Ericson will be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of the combined company once the transaction is completed. Erik Forsberg, the current Chief Financial Officer of Intrum Justitia, will continue as the CFO of the combined company. In November 2016 Nordic Capital Fund VIII, currently, the indirect majority…

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Arvato Financial Solutions appoints new Commercial Director

6th June 2017 Consumer Collections |

Arvato Financial Solutions has appointed a new Commercial Director in the UK & Ireland as it targets growth in the Finance & Accounting Business Process Outsourcing (F&A BPO) and debt collection space. Debbie Nolan, who has spent the last four years as Business Development Director in Arvato’s Customer Services business, will move on to its…

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