Five million working people struggle with money worries

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

New research from Which? has found that nearly five million working people in the UK are worried about their financial situation. Overall, 28% of all UK households said they were experiencing some form of financial distress, be it relying more on overdrafts and loans or struggling to pay bills. When Which? looked at working households that…

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41% worried about current level of debt

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

British adults say that their personal or household finances are the most likely factor, from a list of common causes of stress and anxiety, to have a negative impact on their mental health, according to a new survey of over 2,000 people by insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 and ComRes. A quarter (24%) of British…

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Equifax gains full FCA authorisation

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Equifax has been granted full Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorisation. The FCA approval comes at a pivotal time for credit reference agencies (CRAs), with technological advances and shifts in customer behaviour fuelling important developments in data sharing, evidenced by industry initiatives such as Commercial Credit Data Sharing (CCDS) and the Open Banking Standard. Patricio Remon, President…

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Standard Financial Statement launches

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Today sees the launch of the new Standard Financial Statement (SFS), an initiative designed to bring greater consistency to the way organisations assess people’s finances when they are in debt. The SFS, the launch of which has been co-ordinated by the Money Advice Service, will be adopted by all major debt advice providers across commercial and…

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Ostrich effect’ costs those in debt an extra £55 million a month

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

More than half a million (590,000) Brits holding at least one kind of interest-bearing debt are paying more than they need to by not moving to a better deal, according to new research by TSB. Almost 5 million British adults owe between £7,500 and £25,000, and TSB calculates that more than half a million of these…

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Masthaven appoints new Mortgage MD

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Masthaven have appointed Matt Andrews as the new Managing Director of Mortgages. Andrews is the Managing Director of Bluestone Mortgages. Andrews brings 10 years of mortgage leadership experience with him and prior to his role at Bluestone he was Managing Director of a Merrill Lynch mortgage division and a Director at Kensington Mortgages’ direct to consumer operation.…

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Experian receives FCA authorisation

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Experian has announced that it has achieved full Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorisation Charles Butterworth, Managing Director at Experian said ” The process has allowed Experian to stress-test our risk management structures and the plans we have in place to ensure fair outcomes for our customers. We have always looked to implement effective resolutions for people, to…

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Ofcom’s landline bills cut is a ‘positive move’

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Ofcom has announced that more than two million people who buy only a landline telephone service from BT will see their monthly bills cut by at least £5 per month. Ofcom has reviewed how the market is working for customers who buy only a landline service from a provider – either because they do not want…

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Provenir and Bisnode announce partnership

28th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Provenir has announced a partnership with Bisnode. The collaboration paves the way for innovative, real-time risk decisioning services for European businesses. In search of growth and cost efficiency, companies in Europe seek solutions to optimise their credit risk processes. Agile solutions that can respond quickly to rapid and on-going business and regulatory changes are vital. Bisnode…

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Payday loans complaints rise by 22%

28th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The latest complaint figures released by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) shows that Payday loans complaints have risen by 22%. Complaints to the financial ombudsman about payday loans have risen to almost 200 a week. During the second half of 2016 the Financial Ombudsman Service received 5,095 new payday lending complaints, up 22% on the first six…

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18,000 extra personal insolvencies by 2020 if interest rates rise

28th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Government calculations have forecast an additional 18,000 people will go insolvent by 2020 should interest rates rise just 1%, according to figures released exclusively to Moore Stephens. Moore Stephens says that the Bank of England has come under recent scrutiny from the Treasury Select Committee and senior government figures, with record-low interest rates accused of…

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Bluestone appoints new MD

28th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Bluestone Group has announced the appointment of David Torpey as Managing Director (MD) of Bluestone Mortgages and Group Chief Operations Officer (COO). Torpey will fill the newly created COO role as well as assuming the position of Managing Director of Bluestone’s mortgage business, replacing Matt Andrews who has recently left the business. Torpey brings nearly…

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Energy bill cap would help more low income households save money

27th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Energy switching hit a six-year high last year as more households shopped around for a better deal. 7.7 million gas or electricity switches took place in 2016, according to new data from Ofgem. This is 1.7 million more switches than the previous year, a surge of 28 per cent. In this way, switching rates last year…

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