Northern Irish personal insolvencies increase whilst business insolvencies fall

Latest monthly statistics from the Insolvency Service have indicated that Northern Irish personal insolvencies have risen whilst business insolvency figures fell. In August 2023 there were 139 personal insolvencies in Northern Ireland, which was 11% higher than in August 2022. The insolvencies consisted of 108 IVAs, 14 DROs and 17 bankruptcies. Business insolvencies registered in…

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One in four people behind on at least one bill

One in four people in the UK (27%) are currently behind on at least one bill with Citizens Advice warning the situation only looks set to deteriorate in the coming months. The research estimates household debt, covering things like essential bills and benefit repayments sits at £22 billion. But the charity warns the true figure…

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One in ten fear vulnerable relatives have lost money through poor financial decisions

14th September 2023 Arrears and Recoveries | #vulnerable

Close to half (45%) of adults are concerned about the financial decision-making of their more vulnerable relatives as they get older, with one in ten (10%) saying their relatives have made poor financial decisions in the past two years resulting in some form of financial loss, according to data from a recent report by AKG,…

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Mortgage arrears increase by a third

13th September 2023 Banking and Loans | #mortgage arrears

Latest Bank of England figures have indicated that the value of mortgage arrears jumped by almost a third (29%) in April-June compared with the same period in 2022, with the total value of outstanding mortgage debt at £16.9 billion, the highest total since 2016. New arrears cases equated to 16% of the total outstanding mortgage…

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Financial worry taking a heavy toll on mental health of young people

Resarch from lender Creditspring has found that 30% of people say their mental health has deteriorated since the start of the cost-of-living crisis, with the rate rising to almost half (48%) among 25 to 34-year-olds. The research shows that financial woes are directly contributing to this widespread decline in mental health, with a quarter (23%)…

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One in five households set to spend third of income on housing

12th September 2023 Banking and Loans | #housing costs

One in every five households in England (4.8 million) will be forced to spend more than a third of their income on housing by the end of the next parliament unless politicians commit to a long-term plan to fix the housing crisis, according to a new report by Pragmatix Advisory on behalf of the National Housing Federation…

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Midlands hardest hit by rising cost of living

11th September 2023 Arrears and Recoveries | #debt

The data suggests that the Midlands is the region of the UK hit hardest by the rising cost-of-living according to research by Lowell. Lowell’s latest Financial Vulnerability Index shows 41% of all areas that became financially worse off this year are in the Midlands region, with areas in Birmingham, Leicester and Coventry became financially worse…

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Rising rents draining financial resilience

Latest research Hargreaves Lansdown has found that the average renting household has just £180 left at the end of the month, while a household with a mortgage has £337. Renters are less likely to have enough emergency savings to cover three months of essential spending. Only 45% cross the threshold, compared to 72% of those…

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Housing costs concerns hits highest levels recorded

8th September 2023 Arrears and Recoveries | #bills

Worries about housing costs have hit the highest levels ever recorded by Which?’s Consumer Insight Tracker, as interest rates are widely expected to rise further. The Insight Tracker recorded highest levels of concern around housing costs – with four in five mortgage owners (79%) and 4 in 5 renters (81%) saying that they were worried…

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Credit & Collections Technology Awards announces 2023 shortlist

Credit Connect is pleased to reveal the companies, partnerships and individuals that have been shortlisted in this year’s seventh annual Credit & Collections Technology Awards. The Credit& Collections Technology Awards is the UK’s celebration of tech innovators in credit and collections. The technology-focused award scheme seeks to champion innovation and best customer outcome solutions. The shortlist…

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London postcodes at highest risk of mortgage defaults

As interest rates rise, mortgages in London postcodes are at the highest risk of default, according to a new analysis by Mazars. The analysis found that 19 out of the top 20 postcodes with the most risky mortgages, defined as loans at least 4.5 times the borrower’s earnings, were in London. South West London dominated…

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Ovo calls for standing charge reprieve for vulnerable

Ovo Energy is calling on the government to remove standing charges for the most vulnerable customers this winter and has confirmed it will be retaining the current standing charge level after the 1st October as the price cap comes into effect. The company has also renewed its calls on the government to introduce a social…

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UK workers will be worse off in 2024 than in 2019

The Resolution Foundation says inflation could fall to 3% by the next election, and interest rate hikes are likely to dry up. However, taxes will rise, cost of living payments will end, and rents and mortgages will be higher, so we’ll be no better off than we are now – and much worse than when…

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