Consumer borrowing grows by 6.7%

24th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The British Banking Association’s (BBA) latest high street banking data shows that consumer borrowing through overdrafts, loans and credit cards grew at an annual rate of 6.7%. Other findings include: Gross mortgage borrowing totalled £13.8 billion in January, 6.3% higher than the same period last year Re-mortgaging approvals in January were 15.7% higher than January…

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Lindorff Group announces 70% debt collection revenue growth

24th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

European debt collections specialist Lindorff Group has announced it’s 2016 full year net revenue and adjusted EBITDA excluding non-recurring items (NRIs) were EUR 647million and EUR 433 million, representing an increase compared to last year of 21% and 24% respectively. Lindorff‘s full year collection performance on its own portfolios was at 106 percent of active forecast. In…

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Citizens Advice calls for extension to energy Prepayment cap

24th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Profits for British Gas’ owner Centrica have risen by 4% to £1.515bn over 12 months, whilst profits from British Gas’ residential energy supply business fell 11% last year to £553m. Iain Conn, Chief Executive of Centrica “The big message is that it’s very competitive out there actually, We have seen increased metering and other costs…

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New home owners need £23,300 deposit to join the property ladder

24th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has published an interactive housing affordability calculator, allowing users to see what level of household income they might expect to need in order to be able to get a mortgage on an entry-level property in their neighbourhood. The calculator uses some assumptions about the size of the deposit, the multiples…

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Gross Mortgage lending reaches £18.9 billion in January

23rd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Council of Mortgage Lenders estimates that gross mortgage lending reached £18.9 billion in January. This is 6% lower than December’s lending total of £20 billion, but 2% higher than the £18.6 billion lent in January last year. This is the highest lending total for a January since 2008 (£25.2 billion). Commenting on market conditions…

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FCA publishes new data trends in the retirement income market

23rd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have today published it’s latest data bulletin for The Consumer Contact Centre. The bulletin includes the latest trends in the retirement income market. The Consumer Contact Centre is the main point of contact for consumers of financial services firms who want to interact with the FCA; it handles more than…

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New CEO joins Teachers Building Society

23rd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Teachers Building Society has pointed Simon Beresford as its new Chief Executive Officer. Beresford will replace Finance Director Dean Fensome, who has acted as Interim Chief Executive. Having recently held the position of Managing Director for BlackRock’s retail business, Beresford has also served at Nationwide where he was a branch director, Managing Director of personal…

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Three Quarters of students struggling under debt-stress

23rd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

New research from Intelligent Environments has found an overwhelming majority of University students are feeling the stress created by their financial situation. Three quarters of students polled that receive a maintenance loan feel stressed about the amount of debt they are accumulating while studying, the effects of which are wide reaching. 39% said their debt has…

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Callcredit receives FCA authorisation

23rd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Callcredit Information Group has announced that it has achieved full Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorisation. The authorisation process involved the Group companies demonstrating they had in place robust business plans, risk management frameworks, and had adequate systems and processes in place to support fair consumer outcomes. In addition, the companies were required to propose a number…

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Benefit payments suspension can lead to rent arrears

22nd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

A new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report  into the use of benefit sanctions has revealed jobcentres and providers use them “inconsistently”, with some Work Programme providers referring twice as many people for sanctions as others in the same area. It also found the “severity” of sanctions – a reduction or suspension of payments because a claimant…

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CML backs bill proposal for legal guardians of missing persons

22nd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Lenders have given their backing to a new law being debated by the Government that would allow the close relatives of missing people to continue to administer their financial affairs such as a mortgage until they are found. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, seeking to create a new…

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HMRC retrieves £92 million in stamp duty crackdown

22nd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

HMRC’s Counter Avoidance Directorate collected £92 million in unpaid Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) in the year 2015-16, according to Collyer Bristow. The amount collected has fallen from £301.2million in 2014-15, indicating that the government’s strategy and legislative changes have been successful in preventing SDLT avoidance opportunities, the law firm said. James Badcock, partner at…

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February 2017: Money Statistics

22nd February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for February 2017: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.516 trillion at the end of December 2016. This is up from £1.466 trillion at the end of December 2015 – an extra £995.53 per UK adult. According to the Office for…

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