Household finances weaken in August

18th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

Household finances in the UK fell more sharply in August than the previous month after rising levels of unemployment hit average incomes and persuaded millions of families to cut back on spending according to the latest IHS Markit UK household finance index. The finance index was down following steady increases through May, June and July,…

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FCA urged to extend loan repayment freeze until 2021

17th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

Consumer group Which? has urged the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to extend loan repayment holidays and interest-free overdrafts until January 2021, saying demand for support will surge after the job retention scheme winds up on 31st October. The consumer champion’s submission to the FCA’s consultation makes four key recommendations that the regulator should adopt to…

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First-time buyers will struggle to get on property ladder even if prices fall

14th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

House prices are projected to fall in the wake of the coronavirus crisis – but, for many young people looking to buy their first home, this trend won’t make things easier. Instead, falling incomes and the risk of more restrictive lending look set to make buying a home for the first time every bit as…

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Mortgage arrears numbers fall

14th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

Mortgage arrears number fall in second quarter of this year, according to latest figures from UK Finance. The figures showed that there were 73,580 homeowner mortgages in arrears of 2.5 per cent or more of the outstanding balance in the second quarter of 2020, this was 3 per cent fewer than in the same quarter…

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One in three used lockdown savings to pay down their debt

13th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

One in three (31%) consumers used the enforced lockdown to pay down their debt, according to new analysis from Experian. The proportion of Experian’s customers that had high balances across their credit accounts stood at 12.6% around the start of lockdown (23rd March). This dropped to 8.6% at the beginning of June, just before measures…

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Consumer lending expected to decline by 16%

11th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

The stock of consumer credit is forecast to fall by almost 16% this year as net lending for credit cards and personal loans turned negative during the lockdown period according to analysis by EY ITEM Club. The lockdown has caused a significant slowdown in bank lending to household with demand for consumer credit is predicted…

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One in four over 50s have cash worries

10th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

One in four over 50s worry cash will run out but new data reveals they have £127,000 tied up in their homes. New research fromSunLife has revealed that many over 50s are struggling financially and have concerns about the future; one in four say they are worse off than they expected to be at this…

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Consumer finance new business falls by 17%

7th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business fell in June 2020 by 17% compared with the same month in 2019, and contracted by 25% in the first half of 2020. Credit card and personal loan new business together fell in June 2020 by 29% compared with…

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Consumer used car finance market led June recovery

7th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that new business in the consumer used car finance market grew 9% by value and 2% by volume in June 2020 compared with the same month in 2019.  In the first half of 2020, this market reported new business volumes 32% lower than in…

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FCA highlights high-cost credit repeat borrowing concerns

6th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published the findings of a review into re-lending by firms that offer high-cost credit. The review, which was completed prior to the coronavirus pandemic, highlights concerns about poor practices by some firms and notes that nearly half of consumers regretted borrowing more money. As firms in this sector begin…

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Credit Connect launches online events series

4th August 2020 Consumer Collections |

Credit Connect Media is set to launch a series of online digital discussion platforms focusing on technological and innovation developments and strategies within credit and collections Starting in August Credit Connect will launch its new 45 minutes news round-up series discussions with monthly guests analysing the industry developments in an ever-changing world. Titled ‘Connected News‘…

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Metro Bank to acquire Ratesetter

3rd August 2020 Consumer Collections |

Metro Bank has announced that it has agreed to acquire peer-to-peer lender RateSetter. RateSetter was founded in 2010 and is the UK’s most popular peer-to-peer lender with over 750,000 people having invested or borrowed through the platform. In its financial year ending 31st March 2019, the company reported revenue of £33 million, a pre-tax loss…

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New reports call for Credit Union support

3rd August 2020 Consumer Collections |

Two new reports have called for more support to ensure the Credit Union sector can increase its reach. The Carnegie Trust has published its findings into existing affordable credit provision in seven Scottish Council areas, and called for stakeholders to work together to increase affordable credit providers market share to at least 10% of the…

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