Over half of consumers are not aware of their credit score

8th December 2021 Consumer Lending | #credit reference

New research has found that just over half (51%) of consumers are not aware of their credit score. The research by NerdWallet has found that18% want to improve their credit score but don’t know how to, whilst 17% of UK adults feel anxious about the state of their credit score. 12% of respondents believe have…

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FCA’s new Consumer Duty aims to drive a shift in industry mindset

7th December 2021 Consumer Lending | #regulation

New plans from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will aim to ensure a higher and more consistent standard of consumer protection for users of financial services and help to stop harm before it happens. The FCA is concerned that currently, financial services do not always work well for consumers. The new plans will fundamentally shift…

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Demand for credit by younger borrowers rises above pre-Covid levels

Demand for consumer credit has yet to match the pre-Covid peak seen in January 2020, but the latest Market Pulse from Equifax suggests that rapidly rising applications for credit, more than doubling between November 2020 and August 2021, point to returning financial confidence, especially among the young. Younger borrowers, in particular those aged 18 to…

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Research finds Gen Z credit card usage is widespread

1st December 2021 Consumer Lending | #credit cards

New research by MoneySuperMarket finds Gen Z are some of Britain’s savviest credit card users, confidently using them as a tool to manage spending and reach long-term personal finance goals. Despite being a form of payment thought to be declining in popularity among young adults, well over half (59%) of 18–24-year-olds own one. Moneysupermarket said ,…

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Demand for consumer credit surges to £706m in October

Latest Bank of England data has shown that October saw a surge in credit card borrowing. Consumers borrowed a net additional £706 million last month, with new credit card borrowing accounting for £637 million of the credit, the largest amount of card borrowing since July last year. Between the start of the pandemic and April…

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Money Statistics: November 2021

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for November 2021 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,749.2 billion at the end of September 2021. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £62,938 and per adult was £33,072, around 108.6% of average earnings. Net mortgage lending rose by…

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Experian launches lending verification service

29th November 2021 Consumer Lending |

Consumers will be able to get access to better financial products and services, as Experian launches a new service to help lenders provide even faster, more accurate and bespoke lending decisions. Work Report™ is the first digital verification service that will allow consumers to consent to digitally share their payroll information with another organisation. It…

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Building Societies report growth in mortgage lending

26th November 2021 Consumer Lending |

Latest figures released Building Societies Association (BSA) for Q3 2021 have shown continued momentum in the housing market, with gross lending by building societies up 22% compared to the same period in 2020. The figures indicated that gross lending in Q3 2021 was £16.9 billion, up 22% on the same period last year (Q3 2020:…

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Near-prime consumers hit hard as borrowing costs rise

New research by Credit Karma has found that near-prime consumers have been hit hardest as borrowing costs rise. The research findings show that near-prime borrowers pay £39,000 more interest over a lifetime than prime with the gap increasing by 10% (£3,400) over the last 12 months. Credit Karma’s report annually quantifies the lifetime cost of borrowing…

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High cost credit options creating increase in debt levels in run up to Christmas

New research has found that the number of people with debt has increased by ten percentage points in just six months (64% to 74%), with variable workers, which includes gig workers and freelancers likely to be acutely impacted, alongside young people aged between 18 and 34, according to the latest findings from Credit Kudos’ Borrowing…

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Use of BNPL hits all-time high, as shoppers look to spread the cost of festive period

25th November 2021 Alternative Consumer Lending | #BNPL

More than a quarter (28%) of UK shoppers are now regularly using Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services to spread the cost of purchases, and thousands more will be doing so for the first time as the festive season approaches according to new data from Equifax. The research has revealed just how much of consumers…

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BNPL has led to 18% decline in credit card transactions

New research by Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platform, Butter, has revealed how the emergence of the BNPL sector has already led to a decline in credit card transactions, as more and more consumers opt for this modern method of payment. The research shows that the BNPL space has expanded dramatically in a very short…

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Finance leaders focus on cloud computing and SaaS

16th November 2021 Consumer Lending | #technology

Almost half (41%) of finance leaders say they are focusing on cloud computing and Software as-a-Service (SaaS) in 2022, as many are still working towards supporting remote teams, a new survey has found. Cybersecurity (31%) was second on the tech wish-list, followed by Big Data analytics (22%) and Artificial Intelligence (13%). The research, commissioned by…

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