Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Economists lexpect the UK to enter a recession this year, with new research from the EY Item Club showing that the recession could be deeper than expected. The forecast reflected findings that showed the rate of economic inactivity had not fallen as quickly as expected, with the number of inactive people rising by half a…
Read more
New research by Fair4All Finance has found that the unprecedented support from banks and the regulator significantly helped customers during Covid-19, with no detrimental impact on bottom lines. The research conducted with Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group and Yorkshire Building Society looked at the response of major banks and building societies during Covid-19. The aim was to understand…
Read more
The Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps is calling on suppliers to do more to protect vulnerable energy users and has pledged to crack down on the mistreatment of energy users by suppliers, following reports showing some are doing nowhere near enough to support vulnerable customers. Shapps has written to energy suppliers calling on them…
Read more
New analysis from Citizens Advice has found a record number of people were in need of crisis support during 2022, as the cost-of-living crisis pushed more people than ever before to breaking point. The new research found that in the last 12 months, the charity helped more than 200,000 people with crisis support – which includes food bank…
Read more
Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight has predicted that energy bills are expected to fall to about £2,200 from July. The decrease will mean that typical annual household energy bills will have fallen from £4,279 now to £3,208 from April, and then will ease to roughly £2,200 for the remainder of the year. The forecasts show prices…
Read more
Octopus Energy has come top in Which?’s annual customer survey as the consumer champion calls on energy firms to do more to support consumers during the cost of living crisis. Over the last two years, the energy market has changed completely – gas prices have soared, millions of consumers have been transferred to a new…
Read more
As the cost of living continues to spiral people are cancelling or switching their insurance policies in a bid to make savings, according to research by Consumer Intelligence. Around 7% of people have already cut back on insurance to make savings in the last three months and a further 7% are considering back in the…
Read more
Almost two in five over-55s (39%) said that their outgoings exceeded their income during parts of 2022, new data from more2life and economics consultancy Cebr has found, with a growing number turning to unsecured borrowing to cover shortfalls. The research also revealed that the number of people whose spending exceeded their income every month has more than doubled to 8% (2022) from…
Read more
In an open letter sent today to the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt MP, 95 Charities and non-profit organisations across the UK have joined together to call for more targeted support in the form of a social tariff for the energy market to help older and disabled households heat their homes. New research by Age UK reveals strong…
Read more
Two thirds (63%) of households resorted to credit cards, loans and overdrafts to cover Christmas costs in 2022 according to new research by Credit Karma. A total post-Christmas balance of £9.8 billion has prompted concern around managing repayments, as rising levels of borrowing coincide with higher household expenses for necessities, from groceries to heating and…
Read more
Surprise economic growth in November means that the UK is unlikely to have fallen into recession last year. But this will be of cold comfort for many families who are still in the midst of a deep living standards downturn according to the Resolution Foundation. With latest ONS GDP data showing a surprising growth of…
Read more
NatWest has unveiled a £40m support package for customers as it looks to cushion the impact from the soaring cost of living. The bank’s plans include extending the time it takes to repay an unsecured loan or overdraft if payments are missed from 18 months to two years. NatWest will give firms cash back on…
Read more
New research from Citizens Advice found that 3.2 million people across Great Britain ran out of credit on their prepayment meter last year because they couldn’t afford to top up. That’s one person every 10 seconds – cut off from their energy supply as the cost-of-living crisis left people struggling to keep the lights on.…
Read more