Energy bills forecast to hit £3,363 a year

12th July 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #energy

New forecasts from Cornwall Insight are predicting that typical gas and electricity bills in England, Wales and Scotland could reach £3,363 in the new year. The figures have increased significantly from the £3,003 figure forecasted two weeks ago. Predictions for the Q4 2022 (Oct-Dec) Cap, have also seen a steep increase, and now sit at…

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One in six households facing ‘serious financial difficulties’

One-in-six UK households (4.4 million) are now in ‘serious financial difficulties’ compared to one-in-ten (2.8 million) in October 2021 according to research by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust. The figures are worse than at any point during the pandemic. Of those 4.4 million in serious financial difficulties, to make ends meet 71% have reduced the quality…

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FCA urges struggling consumers to seek help

6th July 2022 Arrears and Recoveries |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and MoneyHelper are urging consumers to get help as soon as possible if they are struggling financially because of the rising cost of living. Millions of people get help with their finances every year. However, new research suggests many borrowers are missing out on available support. The research reveals some…

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Consumers have racked up £5.6bn on BNPL debt already this year

5th July 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #BNPL

New research from Credit Karma, consumers have spent over £5.6 billion using buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) services in 2022 so far, with an average spend of £396 per person. The research also found that BNPL has been a lifeline for 58% of the service users trying to manage the rising cost of living with the number of…

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85% of disabled consumers haven’t requested additional support from firms

5th July 2022 Consumer Collections |

More than three-quarters of disabled consumers have not shared their support needs with businesses and organisations when accessing essential services, according to the latest research from Experian. Some 85% of disabled consumers and those with support needs said they had not explained to their bank or building society how they could be better supported when…

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Money Statistics: June 2022

30th June 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #debt

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for June 2022 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,786.6 billion at the end of April 2022. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £64,286 and per adult was £33,780, around 105.3% of average earnings Net mortgage lending rose by…

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Breathing space rate highest for people aged 25-44

The government has published breathing spaces data which shows breathing spaces rates were highest for people aged 25-44 (one in 445 of those aged 25-34 and one in 440 of those aged 35-44), and lowest for those aged 65 and over. In the first year of the support, there were 63,864 breathing spaces registered. One…

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Low-income households enduring ‘year of financial fear’

Seven million households are living through a ‘frightening year of financial fear’, going without food, heating, toiletries and even showering as they try to cope with the cost of living crisis new research by Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found. The research found that low-income families have fallen behind on payments by an average of £1,600.…

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Second charge mortgage new business increases by 48%

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 48% in April 2022 Commenting on the latest new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Director of Consumer & Mortgage Finance and Inclusion at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said…

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Personal insolvencies increase by 23%

Latest statistics quarterly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that personal insolvencies numbers increased by 23.3% compared to May 2021’s figure of 8,496 and increased by 11.2% to 10,476 in May 2022 compared to 9,417 in April. There were 2,030 DROs and 566 bankruptcies. For individuals, 566 bankruptcies were registered, which was…

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Money Advice Trust publishes its latest outcomes report

16th June 2022 Arrears and Recoveries |

The Money Advice Trust has published its Outcomes Report 2021, which outlines the impact of the charity’s activity across its National Debtline and Business Debtline services, training and influencing work. In 2021 the charity helped 170,420 people through its National and Business Debtline services with 1.63 million visits to its advice websites. National Debtline, which…

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Two fifths borrow to pay off Buy Now Pay Later

More than two in five Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) customers borrowed money to make repayments research bt Citizens Advice has found. The types of borrowing included overdrafts, borrowing from friends and family, loans and payday loans. The most popular was credit cards (26%). Younger shoppers were most likely to borrow to pay off BNPL…

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Worsening cost of living crisis impacting mental wellbeing

As the cost of living crisis continues to worsen, the impact on households is continuing to evolve, with people suffering psychologically as well as financially, as revealed by the latest Inflation Nation report from the Yorkshire Building Society. According to the report, more than two thirds (67%) of adults are concerned by the impact of…

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