Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
The winding-up of the furlough scheme on 1st October threatens to add further pressure to household finances atop the triple threat of inflation, rising energy costs and covid uncertainty according to Interactive Investor. Consumers could also face an additional challenge of reining in spending which has escalated since lockdown. In a poll of 801 interactive…
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A new report is urging the Government to take the lead in supporting consumers to recover financially from the pandemic. Innovation Foundation Nesta has commissioned Guaranteeing a Rapid Recovery – a report from the Social Market Foundation (SMF) which sets a series of recommendations for government and innovators to support consumers as they recover from the pandemic. The research…
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Credit Connect’s hosted its third Online Collections Technology Think Tank 2.1 last week which saw the discussions focused upon collections strategy as we prepare to start to feel the impact of the pandemic and Brexit. Fourteen collections professionals from a variety of industry sectors joined the discussion on business transformation, customer engagement, affordability, vulnerability and…
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Private renters and landlords across the country face a cliff edge as the end of furlough coincides with cuts to benefit support. With the Bank of England warnings indicating that renters are more likely than any other group to have lost their jobs or been furloughed, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) argues that many…
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New research by Age UK has found that one in five UK women pensioners now living in poverty. Age UK’s research shows that in less than a decade the proportion of female pensioners in the UK living in poverty has increased by six percentage points, resulting in one in five female pensioners – 1.25 million…
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UK Finance and the Building Societies Association are calling for important changes to be made to the Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) scheme to help struggling homeowners as the furlough scheme draws to a close. SMI is a government loan scheme that helps homeowners who are in receipt of benefits1, but as it stands, they…
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Research by the nationwide buy-to-let specialist, Sequre Property Investment, has revealed that the tide of pandemic rental arrears woes that have impacted one in five landlords could be starting to turn, as the majority are now seeing a reduction in the level of late rental income owed to them. The survey of nearly 4,000 UK…
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Latest figures released by Accountant in Bankruptcy (AIB) have indicated that Scottish business insolvencies rose by 36% in August 2021. In August 2021 there were 89 company insolvencies registered in Scotland, approximately double the number than in August 2020 and 13% higher than in August 2019. This was comprised of 11 compulsory liquidations, 76 CVLs…
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Citizens Advice is sounding the alarm on the impact of a cut to Universal Credit with MPs expected to debate ending the £20-a-week increase today (Wednesday 15 September). Previous research from the charity shows that 2.3 million people receiving Universal Credit will be pushed into the red by the cut. It warnspeople are one and…
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The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a surge in people over 50 seeking professional financial advice, according to new research from Scottish Widows. Almost half (46%) of Independent Financial Advisors (IFAs) in the UK have reported an increase in the number of over 50s reaching out to them for help over the last 18 months. Some…
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Almost a third of families with children at home (32%) are struggling to pay down debt which has accrued since the first UK lockdown began in March 2020, compared to just 16% of households without children, according to the latest Household Financial Confidence Tracker from comparethemarket.com. Excluding mortgage repayments, UK households say that their debt…
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Debt advice provider, PayPlan, says that it welcomes new Government guidance which asks local authorities to improve the way they collect council tax arrears and have more consideration for residents with vulnerabilities. But the organisation also believes there should be further reform. Alistair Chisholm, Head of Advice, Sector Policy and Partnerships at PayPlan, said “We’re…
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New research from Citizens Advice has highlighted the potential impact of a cut to Universal Credit this October. The research of over 2,000 people on Universal Credit shows more than a third (38%) would be in debt after paying just their essential bills if their benefits drop by £20 a week. This is equivalent to…
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