Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
The Insolvency Service has published a revised Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) protocol to improve the service currently offered to people in debt and safeguard them from poor practice. IVAs are a legally binding agreement between a person who is insolvent and their creditors. The new protocol includes an easy-to-read ‘key facts’ document, which will be given to…
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The winners of the 2025 Credit & Collection Industry Awards have been announced following a live in-person event yesterday (Thursday 22nd May) at the Milner Hotel in York There were eighteen winners (four of which were partnership wins) from the twenty awards categories, which were presented by awards compare’ Brennan Reece. The Credit & Collections…
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More than £1 billion in incorrect Universal Credit (UC) payments have been blocked by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in a drive to stop people falling into financial difficulties. The milestone was reached after a programme to review payments was ramped up last summer, with more than one million cases now looked at.…
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The annual cost of household bills has risen by £112 on average year-on-year, according to new research by Compare the Market. The research analyses the cost of energy, water, home insurance, motor insurance, and council tax. It reveals that the combined cost of these household bills has risen by 2% on average, compared to 12…
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Latest monthly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that personal insolvency figures increased by 7.9% in April 2025 to a total of 10,012 compared to March 2025’s total of 9,282, and increased by 4.4% compared to April 2024’s total of 9,586. The personal insolvencies consisted of 589 bankruptcies, 3,837 debt…
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Latest monthly statistics from the Insolvency Service show that in April 2025, personal insolvencies increased while business insolvencies declined in Northern Ireland. The data showed that there were 123 individual insolvencies in Northern Ireland. This was 10% higher than in April 2024. There were 95 IVAs, 16 bankruptcies and 12 DROs. Business insolvency data shows there were 30…
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Latest figures from Hargreaves Lansdown has found that households have an average of £196 left at the end of the month. The data showed that among those households on the lowest fifth of incomes, this falls to £3, and for the second lowest it’s £34. Younger people have less left at the end of the…
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Nearly 40 per cent of people are at risk of being unable to cover their basic needs in retirement, up from 35 per cent in 2023, according to a report from Scottish Widows. Low-to middle-income earners and people under the age of 40 were highlighted to be at more risk. The report also highlighted housing…
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New research by Saltus has found that one in eight (12%) are financially supporting both generations, often at the expense of their own financial goals. The data found that seven in ten (73%) high net worth parents are financially supporting adult children, while more than two thirds (68%) are helping their ageing parents or grandparents…
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Latest Bank of England data has shown that net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased sharply by £9.7 billion to £13 billion in March, following a decrease in net borrowing of £1.0 billion to £3.3 billion in February. The annual growth rate for net mortgage lending rose from 1.9% to 2.7% in March, the…
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Household bill arrears among StepChange Scotland clients have surged to an average of £5,193, according to the charity’s newly published 2024 Scotland in the Red report, marking a staggering 65% increase from £3,147 in 2023. Nearly seven in ten (68%) of those seeking help from StepChange Scotland are now behind on essential household bills. The…
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Latest monthly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that there were 9,205 personal insolvencies in England and Wales during March 2025, which was 7% lower than in February 2025 but 2% higher than in March 2024. The personal insolvencies consisted of 613 bankruptcies, 3,490 debt relief orders (DROs) and 5,102…
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Latest annual data analysis by the Accountant in Bankruptcy has shown that there were 7,412 personal insolvencies in Scotland in the year 2024-2025. This was a decrease of 8.3% from 2023-2024’s figure of 8,082, and a decrease of 7.4% on 2022-2023’s figure of 8,001. Quarterly figures (Q4, 2024-25) showed that there were 1,673 personal insolvencies…
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