Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Millions of people across Britain risk falling through gaps in the coronavirus wage subsidy plan and benefits system, according to The Resolution Foundation think tank. The think tank says Government must get Universal Credit (UC) ‘battle ready’ for the UK’s growing unemployment crisis by encouraging more people to claim, extending eligibility to more middle-income households,…
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LegalTech business ME Group, which solves complex legal disputes using technology, has called for the government to ensure that lenders do not use the recent Bank of England interest-rate cut to boost profits at the expense of borrowers on standard variable rate (SVR) mortgages. ME Group CEO Rob Cooper said that when the Bank took…
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Global information and insights provider TransUnion, has found that three out of five (59%) households are already being negatively financially impacted by the COVID-19 virus, according to a new study. The findings contrasts with research commissioned just before the outbreak for TransUnion’s Consumer Credit 2020 report, where 60% of consumers had stated they had the…
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New figures from debt charity StepChange have revealed that thousands of households’ finances are at breaking point as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. The research reveals just how vulnerable people are to changes in personal circumstances with three out of four new clients identified a life event or income shock as the main reason for…
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Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for March 2020 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,680 billion at the end of January 2020. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £60,363 and per adult was £31,845, around 112% of average earnings. Net mortgage lending rose…
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Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has urged the Government to go further to protect people on low incomes from the impact of coronavirus. The Government has rightly committed to several bold and compassionate measures that will offer security to many businesses and employees. But new data published today by the DWP shows that the country entered…
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Britain is facing an unprecedented time, with the Covid-19 pandemic threatening jobs; particularly freelancers, the workforce on ‘zero-hours’ contracts, leisure workers and small business owners. New research by TransUnion commissioned just before the outbreak, has found that that one in five consumers (21%) wouldn’t manage financially if they lost their job tomorrow, and this number…
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Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds have become the first major banks to review overdraft charges, as it aims to help customers struggling financially through the coronavirus crisis. Barclays will waive overdraft charges for a fixed period while Lloyds Banking Group and HSBC are increasing fee-free overdraft buffers to £300. Barclays account holders will have any interest…
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Citizens Advice says it has seen record-breaking demand for advice since the escalation of the coronavirus pandemic with the highest daily number of visitors to its website being topped four times last week. The debt charity says that web data shows a clear picture of the changing narrative of how this crisis is affecting people…
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The Government has confirmed a £500 million hardship fund will provide council tax relief for vulnerable households. Local Government Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP has confirmed the government’s £500 million Hardship Fund will provide council tax relief to vulnerable people and households to help those affected most by coronavirus. The government has set out…
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The incomes of self-employed people are ‘falling like a stone’ amidst economic disruption caused by Covid-19, according to charity the Money Advice Trust, which runs the Business Debtline advice service. The warning comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak told MPs that constructing a scheme to protect the self-employed who are losing work because of the Coronavirus…
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New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that FLA members provided £11.1 billion of new business in January 2020, 2% higher than in the same month in 2019. Growth was driven by the consumer finance sector which reported new business up by 4% compared with January 2019. It was a…
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The latest quarterly Moneyfacts UK Credit Card Trends Treasury Report, which studies the UK personal finance market (unsecured personal loans, credit cards and overdrafts), highlights that average unsecured personal loan rates have increased, with the lower tiers particularly impacted over the last quarter. In the past quarter, tiers to have seen average rates rise include…
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