Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Gas and electricity prices will rise by 2% for millions of households under the latest cap announced by energy regulator Ofgem. The energy price cap will rise by £35 per year for a typical household from October. While the rise is small, it underscores the fact that energy costs remain stubbornly high. With energy debt…
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CPI inflation jumped 0.2 percentage points to reach 3.8 per cent in July. Worryingly, the rise was driven by the higher cost of essentials with faster price rises for energy (rising from 4.5 per cent in June to 8 per cent in July), petrol (up by 2p per litre in July) and food (4.5 per…
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Latest monthly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that personal insolvency figures rose slightly in July when compared to last month and to July 2024. Personal insolvencies increased by 1.8% in July 2025 to a total of 10,515 compared to June 2025’s total of 10,328, and slightly increased by 0.3%…
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Average energy arrears among people seeking debt advice from StepChange Scotland have surged by 42% year on year, leaping from £2,464 in the first half of 2024 to £3,499 in the first half of 2025. This sharp increase raises serious concerns about the ability of households to heat their homes this winter while repaying built…
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Latest Ministry of Justice figures have shown increases in mortgage possession claims from 5,348 to 6,537 (22%), orders from 3,384 to 4,429 (31%), warrants from 2,959 to 3,787 (28%) and repossessions by county court bailiffs from 869 to 1,146 (32%) when compared to the same quarter in 2024. There were increases in mortgage possession claims…
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The Government has issued a reminder to eligible households encouraged to check they are named on their electricity bill to automatically benefit from the Warm Home Discount this winter. Millions could save £150 on their electricity bills this winter. Every household where the billpayer receives an eligible means-tested benefit will now be in line for…
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The Civil Enforcement Association (CIVEA), the principal trade body for civil enforcement agencies in England and Wales, has joined forces with the National Support Network (NSN) to help vulnerable individuals access vital services, from debt advice to mental health and housing support. Civil enforcement agents work to collect unpaid payments, like council tax, parking fines…
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New data from global credit management provider Pepper Advantage has shown that arrears and direct debit rejections (DRRs) have declined, with the overall arrears rate decreasing by 4.4% and the DRR rate falling by 5.1% with Quarter 2 (Q2) 2025 marking the first quarter since the Covid-19 pandemic in which a decline in both areas…
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Summer 2025 is proving even tougher for families, with 81% of parents feeling financially stressed and 52% worse off than last summer, according to new research from credit-building business Loqbox. The data shows households feeling the squeeze, driven by pricier holidays, rising childcare costs, and mounting back-to-school expenses, with 52% feeling worse off than in…
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A quarter (5.7 million) of the UK working age population don’t think they’ll ever be financially independent, according to Scottish Widows’ latest Retirement Report. The most commonly cited indicators for achieving financial independence included being debt-free (56%), having sufficient emergency savings (51%) and comfortably meeting daily expenses (43%). Looking at financial resilience, the data published by…
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New data published by Rightmove has shown that the average advertised rent of homes outside of London has risen to another new record this quarter of £1,365 per calendar month (pcm), marking a £400 rise compared to five years ago. Rightmove’s research also notes that the yearly pace of rent growth continues to slow. This…
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The system of regulating water companies needs “a complete overhaul” as the sector hikes customer bills to expand failing infrastructure and tackle pollution, according to a new report by the Government’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The report says that the water system has been left to sink for too long, with hikes in customer bills…
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New data from Coram Family and Childcare’s annual Holiday Childcare Survey has found that childcare costs have gone up by 4% since last summer. The data shows that working parents face an average bill of £179 per child per week – £1,075 for the six-week break. Commenting on the data, Susannah Streeter, Head of Money…
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