Universal Credit contributing to child poverty

18th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has called on the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to make urgent changes to Universal Credit (UC) – as she backed warnings from Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner Bruce Adamson over the ‘disproportionate effect’ of UK Government welfare policies on young people. The First Minister and Mr Adamson…

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Money Statistics: January 2018

17th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for January 2018: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.566 trillion at the end of November 2017. This is up from £1.512 trillion at the end of November 2016 – an extra £1,040.96 per UK adult. Per adult in the UK that’s an average…

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Debt fears for low-income households

16th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

A new report published the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests that a quarter of very low-income households have high debt repayments or are behind on bills or repayment. The size of overall unsecured household debt tells us little about how much ‘problem debt’ there is. Over 60% of unsecured debt is held by households…

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Consumer new car finance volumes slow down to 8% in November

11th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that new business volumes in the point of sale (POS) consumer new car finance market fell by 8% in November, compared with the same month in 2016, while the value of new business increased by 2% over the same period. The percentage of private…

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FEATURE: Financial inclusion

11th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Financial inclusion as a concept can stir mixed feelings in some people: on the one hand it means bringing as many people in to the safety of the financial mainstream as possible, away from those services on the fringes designed primarily to rip off people in vulnerable financial circumstances. On the other hand financial inclusion…

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Consumers unable to pay off Christmas debt until April

10th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Consumers won’t pay off their Christmas debt until April, according to research by Piggybank. Hefty spends on gifts, food, drink and more means the typical adult won’t clear their festive spends until 14 weeks into 2018. On average those polled borrowed £398.19 either through loans or credit cards to cover Yuletide and everything which comes…

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UK’s toughest bankruptcy penalties ignored by former millionaires

10th January 2018 Personal Insolvency |

Bankruptcy Restriction Orders (BRO), which places sanctions against bankrupt executives and banned individuals from being a company director, forming, managing – or even give the impression of managing – a limited company, for up to 15 years, are not being enforced by authorities, leaving former millionaires free to keep assets and continue to enjoy lavish…

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Consumer credit levels ‘remain a concern’ despite borrowing slowdown

5th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

The rate of UK consumer borrowing continued to slow in November according to the Bank of England as it seeks to slow down the growth of the personal loan market.The report shows a growth in consumer credit of 9.1 percent in the year to November 2017. Outstanding balances for consumer credit now stand at over £205.8 billion. In response…

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Households feel New Year hangover

3rd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

An estimated 7.9 million people are expecting to fall behind with their finances this January as a result of Christmas costs, according to new research by the Money Advice Trust. The charity has joined with the Association of British Credit Unions (ABCUL) to issue a call for households to ‘make a plan’ for next Christmas.…

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Citizens Advice warns of new year gym membership commitment

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Citizens Advice is urging people to do their homework before signing up to any fitness memberships this new year, to make sure they don’t end up out of pocket. As many people seek to turn over a healthy new leaf in 2018 the charity is sharing its top tips to make sure signing up for…

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Government outlines plans to make the debt rulings process fairer

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Plans to protect people from unresolved debts which can damage credit ratings without them knowing have been outlined by the Government. It has launched a consultation on how County Court Judgments (CCJs) are issued after concerns were raised that some rogue companies were deliberately sending claims to consumers using incorrect addresses. Credit ratings can be…

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Borrowers added £452 on credit cards at Christmas

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

New research from uSwitch.com has indicated that one in four consumers will carry an average credit card debt of £452 into this year. Despite the cost of living reaching a five year high in 2017, the British public has not held back on their Christmas spending, with almost £8.5 billion being spent on plastic this…

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Consumers head into 2018 with over two thousand pounds of debt

21st December 2017 Consumer Collections |

As 2018 fast approaches, new data from MoneySuperMarket reveals that the average Brit will see in the New Year with over two thousand pounds (£2,172) of debt hanging over their heads. Despite 55 percent of Brits feeling confident that they will stay within budget this Christmas, the leading price comparison website reveals that eight in 10 would…

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