Rising cost of living and Brexit are biggest financial worries

9th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

The increasing cost of living and the impact of Brexit top the Nation’s main financial concerns for 2018, according to new research from GoCompare. The research found that 40% of people think that 2018 will be a financially challenging year, with 12% admitting to being ‘seriously worried about their finances’ in the year ahead. The…

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No festive cheer for retailers as Consumer spending falls for the first time in five years

8th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

There was no festive cheer for retailers as December rounded off as the worst year for consumer spending since 2012 according to new research by Visa. Commenting on the data, Mark Antipof, Chief Commercial Officer at Visa said “Christmas rounded off a lean year for retailers with consumer spending seeing its first consistent 12 month…

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New car sales decrease for first time in 6 years

5th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Car sales in the UK declined in 2017, the first decline in five years. The Motor industry is blaming government for a collapse in consumer confidence in diesel vehicles Total sales for last year were 2.54m new vehicles, a decline of 5.6% on 2016, with diesel sales dropping 17%. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and…

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Consumer credit levels ‘remain a concern’ despite borrowing slowdown

5th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

The rate of UK consumer borrowing continued to slow in November according to the Bank of England as it seeks to slow down the growth of the personal loan market.The report shows a growth in consumer credit of 9.1 percent in the year to November 2017. Outstanding balances for consumer credit now stand at over £205.8 billion. In response…

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October gross mortgage lending estimated to have risen by 9%

4th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

UK Finance has published its latest lending figures. Findings from the figure include: Mortgage activity has been building through the year, helped by increasing numbers of first-time buyers.  We estimate gross mortgage lending in October was £23.1 billion, nine per cent higher than a year earlier, with 60 per cent of all new lending provided by…

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Citizens Advice warns of new year gym membership commitment

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Citizens Advice is urging people to do their homework before signing up to any fitness memberships this new year, to make sure they don’t end up out of pocket. As many people seek to turn over a healthy new leaf in 2018 the charity is sharing its top tips to make sure signing up for…

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Government outlines plans to make the debt rulings process fairer

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Plans to protect people from unresolved debts which can damage credit ratings without them knowing have been outlined by the Government. It has launched a consultation on how County Court Judgments (CCJs) are issued after concerns were raised that some rogue companies were deliberately sending claims to consumers using incorrect addresses. Credit ratings can be…

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Ferrantum and Thomas Cook announce international partnership

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Ferratum has announced that it will be partnering with Thomas Cook Money to introduce its first Banking-as-a-Service (“BaaS”) venture. Ferratum will provide Thomas Cook Money with a fully functional and regulated mobile consumer finance offering powered by Ferratum’s highly successful and innovative mobile banking platform. Customers will experience the world’s first mobile banking app designed…

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Five banks unable to comply with Open Banking launch

21st December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Five banks have announced that they will fail to be able to fully comply with ‘Open Banking’ rules by the CMA’s deadline of 13 January 2018. The five banks are HSBC, Barclays, RBS, Bank of Ireland and Santander’s private banking unit Carter Allen. Under the changes, firms such as challenger or online banks will be granted…

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A third of consumers do not check their bank balance before Christmas shopping

20th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

One in three consumers shopped ‘blindly’ this Christmas – by not checking their bank balance before, during or after hitting stores and retail websites according to latest research by Asda Money Despite 77 percent setting a typical budget of £539 the study of 2,000 adults found overall one fifth spent more than they intended to.…

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LendingMetrics to launch Open Banking service

20th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Decisioning software specialist LendingMetrics is set to launch a new Open Banking service in 2018. The  “Open Bank Vision” campaign will launch in early 2018 as a free service. There will be zero setup fees, transaction fees, account fees, or indeed fees of any nature. The company has also emphasised that this is not an introductory offer,…

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2018 economic conditions could lead to flexible motor finance proposition

19th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Increasingly tough economic conditions in 2018 could lead to a boost for flexible motor finance, which is designed to sit alongside traditional prime lenders on dealer panels. Startline Motor Finance says that, as the effects of a slowing economy start to be felt by individuals, fewer people will tend to be able to meet the…

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Credit check knowledge costing consumers

18th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

New research by TSB has revealed that 70 percent of consumers do not know the difference between a soft and hard credit check.  This is potentially costing borrowers around £418 each in extra interest on a typical loan. The majority (61%) of providers perform unnecessary hard credit checks when a consumer looking for a personal…

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