Equity release lending on track for record £1.049bn quarter

The equity release market is on course for a record year after customers took out £1.049 billion in property wealth in the three months to the end of September according to data from the UK’s equity release adviser Key. The total value of equity released rose by 18.8% from nearly £884 million in the third…

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Consumer finance new business grows by 1%

8th November 2021 Consumer Lending | #consumer finance

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 1% in September 2021 compared with the same month in 2020. In the nine months to September 2021, new business was 13% higher than in the same period in 2020. The credit card and personal loan sectors…

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Credit & Collections Technology Awards announces 2021 winners

5th November 2021 Arrears and Recoveries | #innovation

The winners of the 2021 Credit & Collection Technology Awards have been announced following a live in-person event yesterday (Thursday 4th November) at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The awards are the flagship event for innovational technological professionals working in credit and collections and the fifth annual event honoured the UK’s technological innovators, celebrating outstanding…

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One in four consumers borrow to fund insurance credit

4th November 2021 Consumer Lending | #insurance credit

Consumers using credit to buy their insurance cover are increasing the amount they borrow in response to rising premiums and a growing squeeze on household finances, new research from Premium Credit has shown. The study found that over the past year, nearly seven out of 10 (69%) people used some form of credit to pay…

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FOS agrees to review firms’ early settlement offers

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is to review offers made by firms to their clients in early settlement cases. FOS that in light of concerns that taking a more neutral stance could jeopardise fairness and consistent outcomes it had proposed to present proactive offers from businesses ‘neutrally’ to customers, essentially making clear that in putting…

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Mortgage borrowing increased to £9.5bn in September

1st November 2021 Banking and Loans | #mortgages

Latest Bank of England data has shown that individuals borrowed £9.5 billion of mortgage debt on net in September, the highest since June 2021. This was a rise from £4.4bn in August, and the highest figure since June 2021, when net borrowing reached a record of £17.1bn. Consumers borrowed an additional £0.2 billion in consumer…

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Buy now pay later debt surpasses £4bn

27th October 2021 Alternative Consumer Lending | #BNPL

An estimated 7.7 million consumers have significant outstanding balances with buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) companies, as consumers continue to be drawn in by unregulated, interest-free borrowing according to research by Credit Karma. The research has indicated that BNPL has continued growing, despite concern amongst industry experts and government, with research indicating providers have acquired another 1.6…

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Homeowners set to access more than £4bn of property wealth this year

Homeowners are set to access more than £4 billion of property wealth this year via equity release for the first time on record according to latest figures from the Equity Release Council. Latest analysis from the Council found that over-55 homeowners unlocked £1.15 billion of property wealth via equity release during Q3 2021, down 2%…

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Credit & Collections Technology Awards announces line up

Credit Connect has confirmed the line-up for next week’s Credit & Collections Technology Awards which takes place at the Midland Hotel in Manchester next Thursday (4th November). The awards are judged by a panel of industry experts who have reviewed technological excellence in four different categories sections: creditor and lender, collections and recoveries, applied technology, and…

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BNPL consultation launched by HM Treasury

22nd October 2021 Alternative Consumer Lending | #BNPL

HM Treasury has launched a consultation on possible Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) regulation. The consultation is seeking views to inform the scope and nature of the regulation, but the document suggests that some existing regulation can be applied to BNPL. and picks up on all the most important elements that can cause consumer detriment. The…

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Online Lending Technology Think Tank Review

21st October 2021 Alternative Consumer Lending |

Credit Connect’s hosted its second Online Lending Technology Think Tank last week which saw lending strategies and the future of the sector discussed by thirteen leading professionals from a variety of lending sectors. The themes of business transformation,  credit risk, affordability and open banking were discussed by panellists and Chair Chris Warburton from ROStrategy The…

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Warning that households will be £1,000 worse off next year

19th October 2021 Consumer Collections | #economy

UK  households will be over £1,000 worse off next year new research from the Resolution Foundation has found. The research found that household incomes are set to fall by about 2% amid the cost of living squeeze. The UK is set for its biggest ever current-year economic growth upgrade next week as a result of a…

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Fair Finance and 4most agree credit decision partnership

19th October 2021 Company News |

Risk analytics consultancy, 4most, has announced that it has partnered with financial services provider, Fair Finance, to deliver a more automated approach to decisioning and improve decision quality by expanding its lending activity. 4most has been working closely with the risk team at Fair Finance to create a series of initiatives designed to improve the…

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