Building Society lending up despite economic uncertainty

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Building societies provided almost one in three mortgages approved in the final quarter of 2016.  Collectively they approved 109,543 new mortgage loans, up 7% on the same period in 2015.  Consumers saved less in Q4 than they did the Lending in 2016 as a whole was higher than in 2015 with mortgage approvals up by…

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Starling Bank and Callcredit announce partnership

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Starling Bank, has signed a four year contract with Callcredit Information Group for decisioning and customer management solutions. The DecisionStrategy platform, the solution will provide multi-bureau credit decisioning and identity verification capability, helping Starling Bank to make informed decisions on an individual and quickly on-board customers with confidence.  Callcredit will also be helping the app only bank,…

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Furness appoints new FD

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Furness Building Society has appointed Matthew Dobson as it’s new Finance Director. Dobson joins from Williams & Glyn and has 15 years of experience in the banking industry – joins the building society having previously held senior roles at Barclays before moving to Williams & Glyn Treasury. Colin Millar Chairman at Furness Building Society, said ”…

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Price freeze shows that energy firms can keep bills down

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

British Gas is keeping its current gas and electricity prices on hold until August. The company said it was able to hold tariffs in the face of higher wholesale prices by cutting its costs. However, Scottish Power has said it is raising its dual fuel prices by an average of 7.8% from 31 March. It…

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Budgeting support service for Universal Credit claimants launched

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Money Advice Service has launched an Online Money Manager service. The new service is an interactive tool that offers personalised advice, on making the most of money for Universal Credit claimants. It offers help and advice on a range of money topics, including opening a bank account, keeping on top of bills and dealing…

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FEATURE: Collections Compliance

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Importance of qualifications in the debt collection sector Twenty years ago the idea of qualifications in the debt collection sector were alien: why would a firm spend money on their collector’s education and provide time away from the daily task of collecting? After all it’s a simple game – ask for payment, take payment –…

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Chair appointed to new integrated Association

10th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Bob Wigley has been announced as the chair of the new integrated trade association called Financial Services Trade Association, which will bring together six member organisations operating across a wide range of financial services in the UK. The six trade associations which are set to merge are: The Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA) British Bankers’…

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Consumer car finance increased by 8% in 2016

10th February 2017 Arrears and Recoveries |

The latest released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that new business in the point of sale (POS) consumer car finance market grew 12% by value and 8% by volume in 2016. New business was up 3% by value and down 3% by volume in December, compared with the same month in 2015.…

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Continued growth in consumer finance in 2016

10th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The latest figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show growth of 9% in consumer finance new business in 2016. New business in December grew by 2% compared with the same month in 2015. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 8% in 2016, while retail store and online credit…

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Dundee City Council writes off £12.8 million of debt

10th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Dundee City Council has written off £12.8 million of debt in just three years according to local news sources. An investigation into the local authority’s finances has uncovered the large sums owed to the public purse that were written off between 2013 and 2016. That included more than £4.75m in unpaid rates from businesses, £2m…

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BNP Paribas appoint new UK compliance head

10th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

BNP Paribas has named Francois Regnier as it’s new head of its compliance team in the UK. Regnier has worked at BNP Paribas since 2001, according to his LinkedIn profile, most recently serving as its chief operating officer and deputy to Verstraeten. His appointment was announced internally to the bank’s UK compliance department earlier in Januar. Regnier…

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Mortgage possessions fall in Q4 of 2016

10th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The number of properties taken into possession last year declined by almost 25%, according to new data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Last year’s total of 7,700 cases of possession compared with 10,200 in 2015, and was the lowest number since 1982. Over the course of 2016, the number of mortgages in arrears also fell by 7%. However,…

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Second-charge mortgage repossessions 37% lower in 2016

9th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that the number of second charge mortgage repossessions was 144 in 2016, almost 37% lower than in 2015. In the final quarter of 2016, the number of repossessions was 39, up by 18% compared with the same quarter in 2015. The rate of second-charge…

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