Consumers struggle with financial literacy in the wake of the pandemic

Consumers are failing to measure up when it comes to understanding their finances, according to a survey of 24,000 European consumers by credit management group Intrum. While 58 per cent say they want to ensure they are in a stronger financial position before another global crisis, more than a quarter have less visibility of their…

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2021 Credit & Collections Technology Company Power List announced

Credit Connect has announced its annual Credit & Collections Technology company power list for 2021. The third edition of the power list is a round-up of the most prominent innovating companies within credit and collections technology. Credit Connect has identified the top 20 ‘Premier’ innovators highlighting the achievements and successes of the top-performing companies. The…

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Three million households facing crisis as cost of living crunch bites

26th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #debt

New research on the cost of living crunch by Citizens Advice has revealed that one in ten families, equivalent to 3.2 million households, are facing a financial crisis this winter. The charity analysed average income data against household spending on essentials like rent, bills and food to establish how many families can meet their living…

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High cost credit options creating increase in debt levels in run up to Christmas

New research has found that the number of people with debt has increased by ten percentage points in just six months (64% to 74%), with variable workers, which includes gig workers and freelancers likely to be acutely impacted, alongside young people aged between 18 and 34, according to the latest findings from Credit Kudos’ Borrowing…

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2.5m people with mental health problems who fell into debt during pandemic considered suicide

24th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #debt

New research by Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, has found that 2.5million people with mental health problems who fell into debt during pandemic considered suicide The Institute is now calling on urgent action from the government, the NHS and essential services providers is required to stop the devastating cycle of debt and mental health…

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Rising costs will make it harder for families to put food on the table

19th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #debt

Rising costs will make it harder for families to put food on the table, according to results from PayPlan’s Autumn Income Shock Survey, commissioned to understand the growing impact of inflation on people in financially vulnerable situations. The research found that rising energy prices will affect 30% of people’s ability to put food on the…

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HMRC tax debts hit £42bn with 2.4m more people falling behind on payments

19th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #collections

The tax office may struggle to recoup a vast backlog of payments that have accrued during the pandemic as HMRC does not have enough staff and budget cuts to its collection department have resulted in an increasing number of debts being written off according to new analysis by the National Audit Office (NAO). The research…

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Northern Irish business insolvencies rise by 75% whilst personal insolvencies decline

18th November 2021 Business |

Latest statistics from the Insolvency Service have shown that Northern Irish business insolvencies increased by 75% whilst personal insolvencies declined by 1% in the latest monthly figures. In October 2021 there were 102 personal insolvencies in Northern Ireland, 11% lower than October 2020 and 56% lower than October 2019. This consisted of 95 IVAs, four…

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Personal insolvencies fell by 3% in October 2021

Latest figures from the Insolvency Service have indicated that Personal insolvencies fell by 3.0% to 9,668 in October 2021 compared to 9,966 in September 2021, and were 19.2% lower than October 2020’s figure of 11,960. There were 601 bankruptcies were registered, which was 44% lower than October 2020 and 57% lower than October 2019. The…

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Credit & Collections Technology Think Tank review

15th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #technology

Credit Connect’s hosted its inaugural Credit & Collections Technology Think Tank at the beginning of November in Manchester which saw credit and collections strategies and the impact of the pandemic discussed by sixteen professionals from a variety of industry sectors at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The themes of credit and collections risk, affordability, vulnerability…

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Mortgage arrears continue to fall to near historic lows

12th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #arrears

Mortgage arrears continued to fall to near historic lows, with the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme remaining in place until September. according to the latest UK Finance statistics. Possessions meanwhile have slightly risen in absolute terms, off a low base, as the courts work through a backlog of cases that built up during the possessions…

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Two in five young people say money worries have increased because of the pandemic

More than two in five (41%) young people said that their money worries had increased because of the Covid-19 pandemic, new research YouGov, as part of a partnership between youth charity The Mix and global information services company Experian. Over a third (35%) of young people surveyed agreed that the impact of the pandemic on…

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Poverty levels expect to rise by 120,000

The impact of welcome changes to Universal Credit (UC) announced in the Budget will leave 1.3 million families better off than before the withdrawal of the £20 a week boost to UC last month and make 330,000 more families eligible for support, but 3.6 million families will remain worse off, according to new research the…

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