Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Lantern Group has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire specialist debt recovery law firm Ascent from Irwin Mitchell, subject to regulatory approval. The deal expands Lantern Group’s portfolio of regulated credit and recoveries businesses, which includes Lantern and Sonex. Ascent is recognised for its experience across collections and recoveries, litigation, enforcement, field…
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Consumer sentiment has dropped sharply since the conflict in the Middle East escalated, according to a survey by Barclays. The survey found that around 80% of consumers are concerned that the conflict will increase inflation and energy costs. Nearly half of the respondents said they had already started adjusting their spending behaviour. The data showed…
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New Age analysis of DWP data has found that, despite the rise in women’s State Pension age, the number of female pensioners in the UK has fallen by 740,000 since 2010-11, while the number of women living in poverty has stayed steady at 1.1 million. Age UK warns that this is a failure of policy and…
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New research by StepChange Debt Charity reveals the long-term and harmful impact that coerced debt can have on someone’s credit record, in many cases preventing them from securing a home, mobile phone contract, car finance agreement, or even employment opportunities. Coerced debt is a form of economic abuse where the perpetrator coerces a victim into…
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New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 17% in 2025. 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), said “The…
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New figures published today by Registry Trust have shown that court judgment activity rose sharply in 2025, reaching its highest level since before the pandemic. A total of 1,196,174 new County Court Judgments (CCJs) were registered across the UK and Ireland in 2025 – a 10.1% increase year-on-year and the highest annual total since 2019, 1,163,903…
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Financial anxiety is significantly impacting the daily lives and well-being of millions of people across the UK, according to new research from financial education charity Money Ready. The study reveals that 39% of adults feel anxious when they think about money – and this anxiety extends into having a real effect on people’s wellbeing, behaviour…
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New figures published by StepChange Debt Charity Scotland have revealed that the average debt among people seeking help from the charity has reached on average £20,116 per client, a 10% rise year-on-year, and the highest level recorded in over a decade. Two in three clients were in arrears on their household bills, owing an average…
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Latest monthly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that personal insolvencies increased by 12% in January 2026 compared to January 2025, rising to 10,843 from 9,644. Personal insolvencies were 20% lower in December 2025 compared to January 2026, when numbers were affected by a temporary backlog. The personal insolvency data consisted…
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Latest UK Finance research has found that around 5,160 mortgaged properties were repossessed in 2025, a 39% increase from 2024. The fourth quarter saw 1,210 homes repossessed, up 17% year-on-year but down 13% from the previous quarter. Despite this rise, only 0.92% of all mortgages were in arrears. The report highlighted that most repossessions involved…
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The UK housing market has continued to outperform the wider economy, underpinned by a mortgage market that has absorbed higher interest rates more effectively than many expected, according to analysis from the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA). IMLA’s latest report projects that mortgage arrears will continue falling through 2026 and 2027, even as the final…
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New research has revealed that 88% of the UK is struggling to cope with high living costs, equal to an estimated 48 million people nationwide. The survey found that over two in five (45%) indicated that the country’s high living costs are impacting them even more than last year, showing that things have been getting…
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Desperate families are finding themselves forced to borrow from illegal loan sharks as a consequence of getting into severe debt due to the high costs of paying for the funerals of loved ones, according to research by Funeralexperts.com. The data revealed that around 32,400 people (3%) of the 1.08 million people who were forced to…
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