Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
The UK’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis remains significant, with new figures revealing a sharp rise in housing costs and debt levels, according to research by Money Wellness. The data, which tracks household finances from the fiscal year 2023/24 to the first quarter of 2024/25 (prior to April’s price increases), shows that ,ortgage payments have surged by…
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Credit Connect has announced the shortlist of companies and partnerships for this year’s second annual Credit & Collections Industry Awards. The finalists for this year’s awards consist of 97 entrants (whittled down from over 100 entries) from 73 companies within the shortlist, there are 23 partnerships in the running to win across the 20 categories.…
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New research by SunLife has found that seven in ten over 50s are struggling with their water bills. The average water bill is set to rise by an average of between £79 and £224 with 71% are already spending more on their household bills than they were a year ago, while 61% are spending more…
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As consumers brace themselves for the higher prices kicking in from today (1st April) across bills including energy, water and broadband, those on the lowest incomes are running out of options, Citizens Advice warns. Households in the lowest 10% for income already spend around two-fifths (41%) of their earnings, after housing – on water, energy,…
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Nine million households need to read their meter by 1st April to avoid the risk of overpaying on their energy bills by a collective £34 million, according to research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service. To avoid the higher price cap, which comes into effect on 1st April, households on standard variable tariffs (SVTs)…
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A new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report has warned that bill payers remain exposed to another energy crisis while facing ‘worryingly high’ energy debts and some of the highest electricity costs in the world. The public accounts committee (PAC) said that the Government has more to do to convince Parliament of the security of UK…
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The combination of a weak economic outlook and benefit cuts that fall disproportionately on lower-income families means that living standards are on track to fall over the next five years for the poorest half of households by £500 on average, according to the Resolution Foundation’s overnight analysis of Spring Statement 2025. Key findings include: A…
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A new survey by Ocean Finance has found that 73% are worried about affording their essential bills this Spring. Millions of households across the UK are set to be hit with yet another wave of bill increases this April, with hikes expected across council tax, broadband, water, energy, and phone contracts. 42% say they’ve already…
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A new study by Go.Compare has revealed that an estimated 6.6 million people now rely on their credit cards to pay everyday bills such as groceries and utilities. In total, 17% said they need their card to afford their bills, with 13% stating that the cost of living crisis is the reason for this. This…
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New research by Stepchange has found that more than one in four (27%) adults in the UK, equivalent to around 15 million people, would be unlikely to speak to a friend, partner or family member about debt problems. The polling, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of StepChange, found generational and gender divides when it comes…
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The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) is urging households to steal a march on April’s wave of bill rises through simple actions, which could help shave hundreds of pounds off water and energy costs. The consumer body is concerned many of the most vulnerable households will struggle to cope with next month’s ‘perfect storm’ of…
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Latest data from GfK’s consumer confidence index showed that it increased by one point in March to minus 19, despite analysts expecting a drop. Sentiment about the performance of the UK economy over the past year and its potential to gather momentum in the coming year improved in March. However, consumers became slightly more pessimistic…
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StepChange Debt Charity’s 2024 Statistics Yearbook, published to mark the start of Debt Awareness Week, has revealed tha the average StepChange client is £3,911 in arrears on household bills, a jump of 25% from £3,124 in 2023. Overall, the average amount of debt per StepChange client jumped 7%, from £16,706 in 2023 to £17,936 in…
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