Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Profits at Virgin Money more than halved in the first half of its financial year, with impairment charges in the six months to March tripling to £232 million, from £77 million a year earlier. The firm’s underlying pre-tax profit was down from £280 million to £120 million, with statutory net profit of £22 million higher…
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Families are coming to terms with the fact that their finances could be negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic long after the lockdown lifts. According to the second week of comparethemarket.com’s Financial Confidence Tracker, over two thirds (67%) of households with children at home think the economic impact of the pandemic will have a long-term…
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Age UK has written an open letter to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to help older and vulnerable customers who are struggling to get cash as the lockdown continues, saying that “we are now approaching a critical time in the crisis…for older people.” The letter asks the FCA to consider introducing guidance to force banks…
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The Bank of England had published its latest banking statistics which have indicated that mortgage approvals for house purchase fell to 56,200, their lowest level since March 2013. House purchase decreased by 24 per cent from almost 74,000 in February, hitting their lowest level for seven years. The Bank of England data shows that while…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced it is proposing a series of measures to support both consumers who hold insurance products and who are facing other issues as a result of coronavirus (Covid-19). The package of measures sets out the FCA’s expectations that insurance firms should consider whether their products still offer value to…
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New research from Citizens Advice has revealed that over 13 million people have already been unable to pay, or expect to be unable to pay, at least one bill because of the coronavirus outbreak. Of these, almost 11 million have missed or expect to miss a bill that would leave them vulnerable to severe consequences…
Read moreThe Insolvency Service has published the latest personal insolvency figure for England & Wales which indicates that the total numbers of insolvencies in Q1 2020 decreased when compared with the previous quarter and the same quarter in the previous year (Q1 2019). The figures largely pre-date the Government lockdown and wider impact of the Coronavirus…
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Barclays has issued a warning about the cost of the pandemic in its latest financial results, which saw that pre-tax profits fell to £913 million amid Covid-19 crisis. The company says it could be forced to take a £4.5 billion charge to cover bad debts in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The…
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New research has highlighted the precarious lives of those on chronic low incomes with predictions showing further hardship from the coronavirus pandemic. Debt charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) new report ‘Is Anyone Listening?’ reflects on the statistics for 2019 showing that many walk a financial knife-edge with no safety net from income shocks or unexpected…
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UK Finance has announced that over 1.6 million mortgage payment holidays have been offered to homeowners impacted by Covid-19. This means that one in seven mortgages in the UK are now subject to a payment holiday. For the average mortgage holder, the payment holiday amounts to £755 per month of suspended payments. Lenders continue to…
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New analysis from comparethemarket.com indicates that, despite the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme saving millions of jobs, people who have been furloughed may face an immediate financial shortfall. The scheme will mean that people on an average UK salary will receive just over £500 less than their usual monthly pay cheque under the Coronavirus Job…
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Scottish consumers owed £14.3 million in registered debt in Q1 (January-March) 2020, according to figures released today by Registry Trust. The figures were a rise of 20 percent when compared to Q1 2019. The number of decrees saw a small increase of three percent compared to Q1 2019. The large rise in the value over…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed that it will be introducing the package of measures outlined last week to support consumer credit customers facing payment difficulties due to coronavirus (Covid-19). The targeted temporary measures being implemented are a 3-month payment freeze for motor finance, buy-now pay-later (BNPL), rent-to-own (RTO) and pawnbroking agreements. For high-cost…
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