Warning that fuel poor older households will top a million by the Spring without financial help

New analysis by Age UK has shown that without more Government financial help, fuel poor older households will top a million by the Spring. The charity has warned that soaring energy costs will push an estimated 150,000 extra older households into fuel poverty this winter as a result of of soaring energy prices. With around…

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Three million households facing crisis as cost of living crunch bites

26th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #debt

New research on the cost of living crunch by Citizens Advice has revealed that one in ten families, equivalent to 3.2 million households, are facing a financial crisis this winter. The charity analysed average income data against household spending on essentials like rent, bills and food to establish how many families can meet their living…

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Three in four families worried about higher winter energy bills

24th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #energy debt

More than three in four (76%) families with children at home are worried that the impact of using the heating more will lead to higher energy costs this winter, according to research by Comparethemarket.com. More than a third (35%) of families say a large increase in energy costs over winter will lead them to cut…

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2.5m people with mental health problems who fell into debt during pandemic considered suicide

24th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #debt

New research by Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, has found that 2.5million people with mental health problems who fell into debt during pandemic considered suicide The Institute is now calling on urgent action from the government, the NHS and essential services providers is required to stop the devastating cycle of debt and mental health…

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HMRC tax debts hit £42bn with 2.4m more people falling behind on payments

19th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #collections

The tax office may struggle to recoup a vast backlog of payments that have accrued during the pandemic as HMRC does not have enough staff and budget cuts to its collection department have resulted in an increasing number of debts being written off according to new analysis by the National Audit Office (NAO). The research…

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Credit & Collections Technology Think Tank review

15th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #technology

Credit Connect’s hosted its inaugural Credit & Collections Technology Think Tank at the beginning of November in Manchester which saw credit and collections strategies and the impact of the pandemic discussed by sixteen professionals from a variety of industry sectors at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The themes of credit and collections risk, affordability, vulnerability…

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Landlord possessions increase

12th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #possessions

The number of landlord possession actions for all court stages have increased compared to the same quarter of last year but remains significantly reduced in comparison to the same quarter in 2019 according to the latest Ministry of Justice (MOJ) statistics. As a result of coronavirus and associated policy actions, all landlord possession actions have…

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Mortgage arrears continue to fall to near historic lows

12th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #arrears

Mortgage arrears continued to fall to near historic lows, with the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme remaining in place until September. according to the latest UK Finance statistics. Possessions meanwhile have slightly risen in absolute terms, off a low base, as the courts work through a backlog of cases that built up during the possessions…

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Bank repossession claims increase by 50%

11th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #repossessions

Homeowners hit by the pandemic are now losing their homes, evicted by banks in court hearings, a joint probe by Money Mail and The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism has found. The ban on bailiff-led evictions was extended until the end of May in England and the end of June in Wales. But the research has…

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2.8m people with mental health problems fell into council tax debt during pandemic

11th November 2021 Consumer Collections | #mental health

Over 2.8 million people with mental health problems fell into council tax debt during pandemic according to new research by Money and Mental Health. The research shows that people with mental health problems have been hit particularly hard financially during the pandemic, with two in five suffering a drop in income, and three in ten…

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Two in five young people say money worries have increased because of the pandemic

More than two in five (41%) young people said that their money worries had increased because of the Covid-19 pandemic, new research YouGov, as part of a partnership between youth charity The Mix and global information services company Experian. Over a third (35%) of young people surveyed agreed that the impact of the pandemic on…

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Poverty levels expect to rise by 120,000

The impact of welcome changes to Universal Credit (UC) announced in the Budget will leave 1.3 million families better off than before the withdrawal of the £20 a week boost to UC last month and make 330,000 more families eligible for support, but 3.6 million families will remain worse off, according to new research the…

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Second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 67% in September

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 67% in September 202 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),…

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