Lenders approve 1.5m credit cards and loan payment holidays

29th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

Customers facing temporary financial difficulties due to the coronavirus have been granted almost 1.5 million payment holidays by lenders on their credit cards and personal loans according to latest figures from UK Finance. As of 21st May, 877,800 customer accounts had been given a payment freeze on their credit card. This is an increase of…

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RBS to refund £2.2m after overdraft breaches

28th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

RBS will repay around £2.2 million in charges and interest to approximately 36,000 customers who went into or attempted to go into unarranged overdraft without first sending an alert to them. The bank failed to send accurate text warnings to customers, from February 2018 until December 2019, and has now agreed to fully repay the…

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Visa delivers successful request to pay pilot

28th May 2020 Regulation and Compliance |

Visa has facilitated the first request to pay message sent and received using Pay.UK’s standards, ahead of the anticipated commercial launch of request to pay later this year. Request to pay is a new, flexible way to settle transactions between businesses, organisations and individuals. The messaging service is designed to complement existing payment infrastructure and…

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FCA proposes protections for customers using payment firms

26th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a consultation on additional guidance for payments firms to strengthen the way in which they look after customers’ money. The payments sector is a priority area for the FCA and the consultation follows ongoing work to ensure payments firms are adequately protecting customer funds. The guidance is part…

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Mortgage holiday numbers rise to 1.82m

22nd May 2020 Consumer Collections |

Latest figures from UK Finance show 1.82 million mortgage payment holidays have been issued as of 20th May 2020 – equivalent to one in six mortgages issued by lenders. UK Finance says Lenders have welcome the FCA’s draft guidance consultation published today, and the PRA’s related publication, on the next steps for those borrowers already on…

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FCA proposes mortgage payment holiday extension – industry reaction

22nd May 2020 Consumer Collections |

Homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage due to Coronavirus will be able to extend their mortgage payment holiday for a further three months, or start making reduced payments, in proposals published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA has published new draft guidance today for lenders which will set out the expectations for firms…

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Mortgage holidays create £821m extra interest

21st May 2020 Consumer Collections |

Mortgage breaks taken by 1.6 million homeowners could cost them at least £821 million in extra interest according to new analysis. Research by mortgage broker L&C Mortgages has shown that the mortgage breaks taken by 1.6 million homeowners due to the COVID-19 pandemic could cost them at least £821 million in extra interest. Figures calculated…

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Scottish Personal insolvencies decrease by 16.9%

15th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

The Accountant in Bankruptcy, Scotland’s Insolvency Service that administers person insolvencies in Scotland has published its statistics for April 2020 which indicated that there were 976 personal insolvencies (bankruptcies and protected trust deeds (PTDs)) in April 2020. Personal insolvencies decreased by 199 (16.9%) less than in April 2019. Bankruptcies decreased by 71.6% in April 2020…

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Landlords facing year’s worth of rent arrears if eviction ban is extended

14th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

Landlord and Tenant Solicitors firm, Landlord Action, says that any extension to the ban on evictions could cause financial ruin to landlords who already had possession cases for rent arrears going through the courts prior to the ban. Some landlords with pre Covid-19 possession cases will find themselves trying to cover more than a year’s…

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High cost short term lender closes

13th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

High-cost short term lender Nextcredit has entered administration. The company had around 9,000 customers. Based in Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, the company was incorporated in 2011 with the aim of providing high cost short term credit to individuals. In 2017, the business model was realigned, with a revised focus on an alternative consumer retail lending market.…

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Furlough scheme extends to October – industry reaction

13th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

The government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will remain open until the end of October, the Chancellor has announced. In a boost to millions of jobs and businesses, Rishi Sunak said the furlough scheme would be extended by a further four months with workers continuing to receive 80% of their current salary. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said…

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Scottish Parliament amends bankruptcy legislation

12th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

Scottish Parliament has published a new bill to amend bankruptcy legislation. The Coronavirus (Scotland No.2) bill will be subject to an expedited procedure and subject to Parliament’s approval, is likely to come into force by the end of the month. The Bill includes proposals to make a number of important changes to current bankruptcy legislation,…

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Association calls for ‘zero VAT’ on enforcement fees

11th May 2020 Consumer Collections |

The Government has been urged to apply a zero rating to VAT on High Court enforcement fees by the High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA). In its response to a Ministry of Justice consultation on the issue, the HCEOA this week said new regulations on VAT fees needed to be simple, fair and consistent. As…

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