Rising consumer borrowing could spell problems for people’s finance futures

2nd March 2017 Consumer Collections |

As the Bank of England’s latest money and credit statistics show an increase in consumer borrowing, Citizens Advice says right now more people are seeking help for debt problems from essential household bills. The Bank of England’s figures for January 2017 show consumer credit grew by 10.3% in the year to January to £194 billion.…

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Living standards weak growth means low-income families will fare worst

2nd March 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)’s forecast for average earnings projects that median household income will not grow at all for the next two years. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has calculated the future effects of the economic downtown indicating that following on from the deep recession and already-tepid recovery, this would leave median…

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Level of unsecured lending debt increases by 10%

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Bank of England has released it’s latest Money & Credit statistics for January 2017. In response to the statistics, Peter Tutton, Head of Policy at StepChange Debt Charity, said: “While the consumer credit growth rate has slowed, the level of outstanding unsecured debt continues to increase by more than 10% year on year and another £1…

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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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