Scottish consumer debt sees sharp rise

24th April 2020

Scottish consumers owed £14.3 million in registered debt in Q1 (January-March) 2020, according to figures released today by Registry Trust.

The figures were a rise of 20 percent when compared to Q1 2019.

The number of decrees saw a small increase of three percent compared to Q1 2019. The large rise in the value over the period was driven mostly by a 16 percent increase in the average size of decrees from £2,267 to £2,629.

Trust chairman Mick McAteer said “Covid19 interventions by government and regulators, and forbearance by creditors means we should see a major fall in numbers next quarter. But this latest data suggests some Scottish consumers are already struggling with debts. Further damage to household finances will show up later.”

 

Q1 2019 Q1 2020 Change (compared with 2019)
Decrees against consumers
volume 5,253 5,430 3.37%
total value £11,910,308 £14,272,964 19.84%
Average* value £2,267 £2,629 15.93%
Median value £1,289 £1,427 10.71%