Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
MoneyPlus Advice, a Manchester-based debt advice firm offering help to people struggling with unmanageable debt says they are seeing startling data for just how much cost of living is influencing debt enquires. Between 2020 and 2022, customers citing ‘cost of living’ as their reason for seeking debt advice, increased by 450%. A sharp increase of…
Read more
New analysis by consultants LCP of detailed data on household spending patterns suggests that many elderly widows and those on pension credit were already at high risk of living in fuel poverty even before the surge in energy bills in recent years. Even if the government comes up with additional help to cover increased bills,…
Read more
New analysis from Citizens Advice has indicated that one in four (24%) people won’t be able to afford to pay their energy bills in October based on current forecasts. This is double the number already in the red ahead of the price cap rise. The figure could jump to one in three(34%) people in January…
Read more
The Government would need to find £12 billion simply to achieve what it was aiming to do with the £24 billion package announced in May according to new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), funded by the Nuffield Foundation as part of the forthcoming IFS Green Budget. The analysis says that the figures…
Read more
New analysis published by the TUC has shown that energy bills are now expected to cost more than two months of average take-home pay in 2023 – without government intervention. Average take-home pay (after tax) will be £2,054 per month in 2023 based on Bank of England forecasts, so at £4,108, two months’ pay will…
Read more
The total number of customers in arrears with their mortgages continued to fall in the second quarter of 2022 according to latest UK Finance data. In absolute terms there were 530 more possessions in Q2 2022 compared with the same period last year, however the total for this quarter is approximately half the number seen…
Read more
Energy bills for a typical household could hit £4,266 next year, according to new predictions by Cornwall Insight. The higher estimate means the average household would be paying £355 a month, instead of £164 a month currently. Cornwall Insights says that the increase in forecasts since last month reflects both the increase in the wholesale…
Read more
Nearly six million households are struggling to afford essential telecoms services according to a new analysis by Which?, as it calls on the government to cut the amount of VAT paid on mobile, broadband and telephone services. The consumer champion found that millions of households reported issues affording essential telecoms services such as mobile phone…
Read more
New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) have indicated that second-charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 24% in June 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…
Read more
The Resolution Foundation has warned that inflation could hit more than seven times the Bank of England’s 2% target, with the think-tank saying it could pass the 15% mark in early 2023. Inflation currently stands at 9.4% and the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is expected to increase interest rates further as it looks to tackle…
Read more
New research from the University of Edinburgh’s Smart Data Foundry, supported and funded by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust has found that as revealed that the over-50s are being hit hardest by the current financial crisis and could face a lifetime of financial insecurity. According to the report, economic inactivity rates have risen a third amongst…
Read more
Latest figures fromcomparethemarket.com’s Household Financial Confidence Tracker, has found that nearly half (46%) of households with children at home, the equivalent of 3.8 million families, struggled to pay their bills over the last month, reflecting the worsening conditions for millions of families across the UK as the cost-of-living crisis deepens. Financial anxiety is highest amongst…
Read more
The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has called for renewed urgency in putting in place a new universal water affordability scheme to provide fair, consistent and sustainable financial help for the 1.5 million households across England and Wales living in water poverty. the call follows a report which has revealed a steep rise among the…
Read more