Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
With fewer than 90 days to go until the start of the Consumer Duty the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has urged firms to ensure they are ready for the 31st July deadline. Sheldon Mills, Executive Director of Consumers and Competition at the FCA, warned that firms who ignore the Duty or who pose the most…
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British Gas has announced that it will no longer outsource forced installations of prepayment meters (PPM). The company says that the announcement follows a detailed investigation overseen by independent regulatory compliance consultancy, Promontory Financial Services. The report concludes that there are no systemic failings in the way British Gas handled the fitting of prepayment meters…
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Households on traditional prepayment meters are being urged by the Government to redeem their energy bill support vouchers, with £160 million remaining to be claimed. Prepayment meter customers have so far claimed £620 million under the government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS). New figures show that more than £780 million in EBSS vouchers have been…
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The Government has announced new legislation which will aim to ensure businesses and consumers are protected from rip-offs and can reap the full benefits of the digital economy with confidence. Fake reviews that cheat customers, subscription traps that cost more than a billion pounds a year and new powers for the Competition and Markets Authority…
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A new Smart Data Council has been set up to help lower bills for consumers and small firms by making it easier to switch utility providers, the Department for Business and Trade has announced. The loyalty penalty, the difference between what loyal and new consumers pay for the same service, currently sits at £1,114 a…
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Energy regulator Ofgem has revealed that British domestic energy suppliers have signed up to an updated Code of Practice and tougher Ofgem oversight of prepayment meters (PPMs) that are enforced under warrant installations or remotely switched without consent (all involuntary installations). The Code of Practice sets out clear procedures that suppliers must follow, strengthening protections…
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The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has published its first-ever draft business plan for 2023/24. In its first-ever draft business plan, the ECB, which will operate independently of the profession and Government, has stated that its five priorities are to: Design and start to gather an evidence base to support the development of a proportionate oversight framework.…
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Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) provider, Creditfix has announced that it will no longer accept referrals from third-party debt packager firms from 1st May 2023. The company says that it hopes that the move will encourage other Insolvency Practitioners to follow suit in the interest of protecting customers – especially as the cost-of-living crisis continues to…
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Low-income households will be left an average of £209 short on their energy bills this financial year, new Which? research has found, as the consumer champion calls for an energy social tariff to protect the most financially vulnerable. Even with the government’s decision to keep the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 for an average household…
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This weekend’s increase in the minimum wage won’t ‘lift the pressure’ on hard-pressed families, the TUC has warned. The TUC highlighted that the minimum wage will rise below inflation and far lower than soaring food prices. Analysis by the union body shows that minimum wage workers will miss out on £124 this year as a…
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UK trade body for debt collection and purchase industry, the Credit Services Association (CSA) launched a new online training module on the consumer duty. The new course will be developed by CSA Learning, offers users an interactive and accessible learning resource to assist with their understanding of the consumer duty and how it can be…
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New Government research has found that over 94,000 prepayment meters were forcibly installed in homes under warrant last year without customer consent – on average over 7,500 meters a month. After calling on suppliers to stop forcibly installing prepayment meters, the Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps has now revealed the most overzealous suppliers, as part…
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The Bank of England has raised interest rates for an 11th consecutive time to 4.25% following the surprise rise in inflation. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted for this change by a majority of 7-2, with the minority vote wishing to keep the rate at 4%. Commenting on the rise, Paul Broadhead, Head of Mortgage…
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