57% of people experiencing financial difficulties as a result of cost of living rises

Research by KIS Finance has revealed that as a direct result of the rising cost of living, 57% of people in the UK are either already struggling financially, or expect to do so in the very near future. With no solution to the war in Ukraine in sight, the situation is set to get much worse, as…

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One in seven people borrow to pay bills

8th March 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #bills

Latest ONS statistics highlighting the social impacts of Coronavirus have indicated that one in seven people borrow to pay bills. The research also showed that  81% of people said their cost of living has risen over the past month. When asked how this was affecting them, 22% of people said they were spending their savings.…

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1.8m Scottish people have taken a financial hit during the pandemic

8th March 2022 Consumer Collections |

Over 1.8 million adults in Scotland have seen their finances get worse during the Covid pandemic, according to new analysis from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS). Polling for the charity by YouGov found 41 per cent of Scottish adults found their financial position got worse during the pandemic, with 15 per cent saying their position has…

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UK faces the biggest income squeeze in generations as inflation heads towards 40-year high

8th March 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #economy

The Resolution Foundation has warned that a typical household’s income will fall by about £1,000 this year once the effect of inflation is accounted for. The change in inflation would be the biggest real-terms fall in incomes since the mid-1970s, the think tank added. It expects inflation to peak in April at 8.3% – much…

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Charities warn £3,000 energy bill could leave 8.5 million households in fuel poverty

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition (EFPC) has issued a warning that the energy crisis could leave 8.5 million households unable to heat and power their homes. The group, which represents almost 50 organisations, claims that cold homes cost lives and that more frail and older people could die next winter without further action from the…

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Pandemic has had a very distinct impact on the progress of people seeking debt advice

The Covid pandemic has had a very distinct impact on the progress of people seeking debt advice, according to research by StepChange. The debt charity measured the impact of debt advice on clients – primarily on progress on resolving debt, but also wider measures such as wellbeing – through surveys undertaken at three months, nine…

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Energy price hike prompts £4.7bn debt crisis

The UK’s energy crisis has prompted one in five (20%) consumers to rely on credit cards, loans and overdrafts to manage the mounting costs recorded over the last three months according to research by Credit Karma. The research found that the vast majority of consumers (78%) say they have experienced price hikes since the beginning…

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Money Statistics: February 2022

28th February 2022 Arrears and Recoveries |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for February 2022 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,765.6 billion at the end of December 2021. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £63,528. Per adult this was £33,328, around 108.7% of average earnings. This is up from the revised £33,306…

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More than one in five people borrow money to cover funeral costs

New research from SunLife shows almost 40% of people are not putting enough money aside to pay for their funeral, leaving their families to pick up the £1,800 shortfall. The report also highlights that one in five is also having to borrow to cover that shortfall with the average cost of a funeral is now estimated…

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400,000 people could be pulled into poverty by benefits cuts in April

25th February 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #poverty

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is warning that a planned real-term cut to benefits in April could pull 400,000 people into poverty. The analysis revealed the consequences of the Government’s decision to uprate benefits by just 3.1% in April, when inflation is forecast to hit 7%. The Foundation says that this represents a real-term cut to…

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Nearly 4m consumers eligible for cold weather payments

25th February 2022 Consumer Collections |

An estimated 4 million people in Britain have so far been eligible for a Cold Weather Payment this winter, according to analysis from comparethemarket.com on data from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Among those 4 million people eligible in total across Britain, 13,000 lived in the six areas where weather stations have been…

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Collections Technology Think Tank 3.1 review

10th February 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #Think Tank

Credit Connect’s hosted its fourth Online Collections Technology Think Tank 3.1 last week which saw collections strategies and the impact of the pandemic discussed by fifteen collections professionals from a variety of industry sectors. The themes of collections risk, customer engagement, affordability, vulnerable customers and the future collections were discussed by panellists and Chair Vanessa…

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Extra 1.3m workers on universal credit since pandemic began

The TUC has warned that millions of low-income workers face a “perfect storm” this April with universal credit (UC) falling behind the cost of living as energy bills and taxes rise. The warning comes as new TUC analysis reveals that the number of workers on UC has increased by 1.3 million since the eve of…

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