Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
A new survey by credit management company Lowell revealed that British Gen Z adults owe on average £5,069 of debt, with 13% owing more than £10,000, a further 61% of people admitting financial decisions they have made are already starting to affect their future goals. With almost half (48%) of Gen Z outlining credit card debt as their main…
Read more
Debt difficulties may be a reality for the majority of households, but even this isn’t enough to stop many struggling in silence and running the risk of spiralling into persistent problem debt, according to research by Fair4All Finance, the not-for-profit financial inclusion organisation. The research on the hidden impact of the cost-of-living crisis reveals widespread…
Read more
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is warning that the nation’s health can’t be protected only through NHS reform, as new JRF-backed research by the King’s Fund health and care think tank exposed the staggering toll poverty is taking on NHS services. With almost four million people in the UK facing destitution in a single year,…
Read more
Missed payment rates among mortgage holders have returned to levels seen at the height of the cost of living crisis, Which?’s latest consumer insight tracker finds, as the Spring Budget leaves some feeling low about their future household finances. In the month (up until 8th March), 8.1 per cent of mortgage holders missed essential payments…
Read more
Members of the UK Regulators’ Network (UKRN) the Financial Conduct Authority (FC) FCA, Ofgem, Ofwat, and Ofcom, have published a joint letter setting out shared expectations in relation to debt collection and customers experiencing financial difficulty. The letter calls on companies to improve their debt collection practices, after identifying shortcomings across the financial services industry,…
Read more
Outstanding debt on credit cards increased by nearly 10% in the past year, as households turned to borrowing to cope with inflationary pressures and rising living costs. according to latest UK Finance date. The number of credit card transactions rose by 3.8% to 371.4 million in December, with a total spend of £19.2 billion in…
Read more
A new repor from charity Mental Health Innovations, has revealed the extent that the cost-of-living crisis is having on the mental health of the nation. A third of those who are struggling with financial difficulties also tell us they have suicidal thoughts. The report analysed data from two million text conversations over five years, taken…
Read more
New polling by Debt Justice indicated that a record 6.7 million people in Britain are now in financial difficulty. The polling conducted for Debt Awareness Week indicates that 13% of people have missed three or more credit or bill payments over the past six months. Debt Justice’s ,anifesto calls on all political parties to make a…
Read more
The Insolvency Service has published its latest monthly Insolvency Statistics, showing personal insolvencies were up by 23% compared to February 2023 at 10,136. The rise was driven by a 44% increase in Debt Relief Orders (DRO) applications compared to February 2023. In the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an end to fees for DRO’s from…
Read more
As the cost of living crisis continues to escalate, a personal insolvency specialist has issued a warning about a concerning trend of mounting debt among the hospitality workforce. According to Creditfix, hospitality workers are grappling with unprecedented financial burdens, with an alarming average debt level of £13,151 with the industry faces a dual challenge as operating…
Read more
Latest Bank of England figures show that the proportion of mortgages in arrears increased to its highest level since 2016 in the last three months of 2023. The share of outstanding mortgage balances in arrears rose to 1.23% in Q4 2023 from 1.12% in Q3. The value of these balances in arrears stood at £20.3…
Read more
Energy regulator Ofgem has announced a call for input to examine issues around affordability and debt in the energy market. The regulator says that its first responsibility is to protect consumers, and we remain very concerned that struggling households have a limited ability to cope with future price shocks. At the same time, the cost…
Read more
New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 2% in January 2024 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…
Read more