New scheme aims to boost credit scores

23rd January 2017 Consumer Collections |

A scheme aimed at tackling financial and social exclusion amongst private renters has been launched. CreditLadder in association with Experian’s Rental Exchange programme , seeks to boost a tenant’s credit rating by recording their rent payments on their credit file. This means millions of tenants throughout the UK are now able to build their credit score,…

Read more

Wonga appoints new CFO

20th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

Wonga Group hired Joanna Baker as its new group Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Baker will join the short-term lender in April from Worldpay. Prior to joining Worldpay, Baker spend over a decade at Barclaycard and Barclays, where she was CFO of Barclaycard’s Global Business Solutions as well as head of strategy and planning at Barclays Corporate.…

Read more

HSBC to provide £4 million redress for debt collection practices

20th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

HSBC has voluntarily agreed to set up a redress scheme for customers who may have suffered detriment by paying an unreasonable debt collection charge imposed by HFC Bank Ltd (HFC) and John Lewis Financial Services Limited (JLFS), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced today.  Both HFC and JLFS are now part of HSBC Bank…

Read more

Energy Suppliers need policy to refer vulnerable customers

20th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

Energy suppliers should provide a consistent message on the third-party support available so that vulnerable customers feel comfortable taking up the offer for referral according to a Citizens Advice report. It also said that customers should not be penalised for refusing referrals. “Some consumers may need independent advice or help with a matter that their…

Read more

£13.2 billion spent online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

The UK Card Association has it’s latest statistics from November 2016. The key findings include: Payment card spending grew by 1 per cent in November to reach £56.0 billion, driven by a £476 million rise in debit card spending. £13.2 billion was spent online during the month including Black Friday and Cyber Monday – the…

Read more

January 2017: Money Statistics

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for January 2017: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.512 trillion at the end of November 2016. This is up from £1.460 trillion at the end of November 2015 – an extra £1017.04 per UK adult. Based on November 2016 trends,…

Read more

Britons owe more but pay less in interest

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Money Charity has released it’s latest monthly statistics with it’s research revealing that each Briton is spending, on average, £1001 a year on debt interest repayments, 3.79% of average earnings. That is more than £50 billion at an annual rate – the lowest figure seen since 2003. Debt might have grown to a record 12…

Read more

Bank of Mum and Dad solves personal financial crisis

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

The bank of mum and dad are still the first port of call for people when they hit financial crisis, according to a report by Christians Against Poverty The Charity asked 1,200 of their debt clients where they went for credit when they found themselves short. The results show friends and family as the top…

Read more

FCA takes first criminal action against unlicensed consumer credit lender

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

Dharam Prakash Gopee , appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court charged with offences under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.  These charges arise from an investigation carried out by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) into Mr Gopee and companies he controls including Reddy Corporation Ltd, Speedy Bridging Finance Ltd…

Read more

Creditfix reveals postcodes with the highest percentage of people living in debt

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

Creditfix, has revealed the top 20 postcodes with the highest percentage of people living in debt and currently undertaking an IVA/PTD. Individuals living in Motherwell, Kilmarnock and Glasgow top the list, closely followed by South East London and Plymouth.According to new nationwide data from Creditfix, the top 20 postcode areas across England, Scotland, Wales and…

Read more

Carrington Dean expands business

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Carrington Dean Group has become the first full service debt advice and solutions business in Scotland to receive Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorisation, . Carrington Dean Chief Executive Peter Dean  said “Vulnerable people seeking debt advice need to be able to trust they are dealing with an ethical and expert firm that will always put…

Read more

Vanquis reveals 9% customer growth

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

As part of Provident Financial Group results, the Vanquis Bank division has revealed a 9% rise in customer growth. Here is an overview of the Group’s results on trading for the financial year ended 31 December 2016, ahead of its preliminary results for the year which will be announced on 28 February 2017. Vanquis Bank: delivered fourth…

Read more

Ofcom fines EE £2.7million for overcharging customers

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

EE has been fined £2.7 million by Ofcom for overcharging tens of thousands of its customers. The penalty is the result of an investigation into the mobile phone provider, which found that the company broke a fundamental billing rule on two separate occasions. First, EE customers who called the company’s ‘150’ customer services number while…

Read more