Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Water UK has announced that water bills are set to rise from April, adding to the cost of living crisis due to hit households across the country. As water companies issue customers’ water bills for next year, showing an average increase of 1.7%, or about £7, Ofwat has called on water companies to make providing…
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The Bank of England (BoE) has increased interest rates to 0.5% from 0.25% as it looks to restrain a surge in the cost of living. With inflation soaring, the Bank opted to increase rates at successive policy meetings for the first time since 2004. Forecasts suggest inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index, is…
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Monzo has been reprimanded by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for failing to specify the monthly charge in the correct document when users agreed to overdrafts. The CMA claimed that a breach between October 2018 and November 2021 meant that the app’s customers were not aware of the potential monthly fees, on exceeded agreed…
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Ofgem has appointed British Gas to take on supplying Together Energy’s approximately 176,000 domestic customers and 1 non-domestic customer. This follows a competitive process run by Ofgem to get the best deal possible for customers. Funds that current and former domestic customers of the suppliers have paid into their accounts will be protected, where they…
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The number of County Court Judgments (CCJs) issued against consumers in England and Wales in 2021 rose by more than one third compared to 2020, according to latest figures released by the Registry Trust. The number of consumer judgments registered in 2021 was 848,124, up by 36 percent from 625,901 in 2020. The Registry Trust…
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The number of decrees and total amount of debt registered against Scottish consumers in 2021 rose compared to 2020, according to figures released by the Registry Trust. The number increased from 13,308 in 2020 to 14,444 in 2021, a rise of nine percent. The total value rose even more, by 19 percent, from £37 million…
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The number of households suffering from ‘fuel stress’ spending at least 10 per cent of their family budgets on energy bills is set to treble overnight to 6.3 million households when the new energy price cap comes into effect on 1st April according to new research by the Resolution Foundation. The research shows that the…
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Benefits will need to be hiked by twice as much as planned this spring in order to protect millions of the poorest in society from the impact of surging inflation according to new analysis by the Insititute of Fiscal Studies (IFS). The analysis shows poorer households tend to spend almost three times as much of…
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Consumers using Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) are much more likely to be struggling according to latest research by debt charity StepChange. In response to the HM Treasury’s consultation on how to regulate BNPL StepChange is pointing to clear evidence that BNPL products are being widely used by people experiencing financial difficulty. For example, consumers…
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New rules home and motor insurance renewal rules brought in by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are expected to save consumers £4.2bn over the next 10 years. From 1st January 2022 insurers will be banned from quoting customers a higher price for renewing their home or motor insurance than they would pay if they were…
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Energy suppliers will undergo financial stress testing from January to measure their resilience against a range of scenarios in a raft of new measures announced by Ofgem which aims to boost financial resilience in the energy sector. Ofgem says that where stress testing reveals weaknesses, the regulator will agree an improvement plan for companies to address any concerns, particularly where consumers are…
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Consumers experiencing financial difficulties as a result of economic abuse will receive further support to help them regain control of their finances and their independence, as part of an updated industry Code. The changes, in UK Finance’s revised voluntary Financial Abuse Code of Practice, will enable the industry to continue its commitment to helping victim-survivors…
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The Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline, has welcomed today’s action from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), to uphold complaints against a company found to have used ‘misleading’ and ‘irresponsible’ debt advice adverts. Online adverts from Financial Support Systems, trading as National Debt Service, were found to have misled consumers by suggesting…
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