Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Latest figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 20% in March 2026. Commenting on the latest new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Director of Consumer Finance & Mortgages and Inclusion the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said “The…
Read more
New research by MoneySuperMarket shows that raising a child in the UK costs anywhere between £143,412 and £500,982, depending on the childcare and schooling choices families make. By combining the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data with a new survey of UK parents, MoneySuperMarket’s analysis shows how underestimated the financial commitment of parenthood really is. Even when families can opt out of pre-school nursery…
Read more
More than half (58%) of adults who are single or live alone say they could not cope with an unexpected bill of £850 according to new research by Aviva According to the research, people who live alone spend on average a little over £630 a month on essential costs, such as food/ groceries, transport, council…
Read more
Three million households are being forced to skip meals and cut family visits, according to new research from Which? Which?’s latest Consumer Insight Tracker shows that households across the country are having to take more and more drastic measures to mitigate rising costs. In the month to 10th April, analysis found consumer confidence fell to…
Read more
New research by Age UK has found that 3.4 million (28%) pensioners, more than one in four, are struggling financially, and nearly half of them have been struggling for three years or more. Notably, a fifth (22%) of those struggling, equivalent to 740,000 aged 66+ said they have been struggling financially for more than five…
Read more
New research from debt management firm Lowell has revealed that on average, it takes families until mid-April (3.8 months) to clear their festive debt. The survey found that 74% of UK families relied on credit cards and Buy-Now-Pay-Later schemes to help cover the cost of Christmas. While some families have the luxury of being able…
Read more
While the use of AI in payments management continues to grow, the UK is proving slower to adopt AI solutions than its European peers, with skills gaps and regulatory uncertainty slowing progress according to new research by Intrum. Intrum’s European Payment Report, based on a survey of over 8,000 businesses in 20 markets, is produced…
Read more
Latest monthly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that personal insolvencies increased by 3% when compared to February 2026 and 30% higher than in March 2025, totalling 12,252 personal insolvencies The insolvencies consisted of 654 bankruptcies, 4,523 debt relief orders (DROs) and 7,075 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). T The 7,075 IVAs registered…
Read more
The Credit Services Association (CSA) has set out ten challenges for how public sector recoveries and collections could evolve, to better support people in financial difficulty and improve outcomes for taxpayers. The new paper, published by the CSA, is titled ‘Ten key discussions in the debate around modernising public sector collections.’ The trade body for…
Read more
Neither the Covid-19 pandemic nor the cost-of-living crisis produced significant deterioration in average collections on established paying portfolios, according to analysis by credit management firm Intrum. Using advanced econometric techniques, Intrum examined the performance of proprietary portfolios of defaulted debt between 2016 and 2025. The analysis examined the influence of macroeconomic variables (such as real…
Read more
Ofgem’s latest debt and arrears data shows that total energy debt has risen once again and now stands at a record £4.55 billion for the period to the end of 2025, up 18% year on year. As essential bills like gas and electricity continue to drive the cost of living crisis, StepChange reveals that client…
Read more
The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has announced new vulnerability standards for enforcement firms and agents. The Standards provide stronger protections for people in vulnerable situations. Over 7 million cases of unpaid debts are sent out for enforcement each year, with the industry recovering over a billion pounds, much of which is for the public purse. The ECB ensures that enforcement is done fairly,…
Read more
The Government has announced that millions of people and businesses who owe money to the Government will benefit from more personalised and affordable repayment support under new plans to improve how debt owed to the public sector is managed. The 2026–2030 Government Debt Management Strategy outlines how departments will better use data and earlier engagement to help people who…
Read more