Unsecured credit to UK households contracted in Q4 2017, the Bank of England’s (BoE) quarterly Credit Conditions Survey has found. Lenders also said they intended to tighten criteria for the unsecured credit sector, after an increase in default rates during Q4. Overall demand for unsecured lending products excluding credit cards fell during the period, for…
Read moreFigures released today show that 2017 was another record-breaking year for Bacs Payment Schemes Limited (Bacs), with over 6.34 billion payments, worth a total in excess of £4.9 Trillion, processed by the company behind Direct Debit in the UK. At the end of June 2017, a huge 111.7 million Direct Debits and Bacs Direct Credits…
Read moreNew figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that new business volumes in the point of sale (POS) consumer new car finance market fell by 8% in November, compared with the same month in 2016, while the value of new business increased by 2% over the same period. The percentage of private…
Read moreNew figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show consumer finance new business grew in November by 5%, compared with the same month in 2016. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 3% compared with November 2016, while retail store and online credit new business increased by 13%. Second charge…
Read moreRapid growth in Britain’s consumer credit has been driven by borrowing by people with good credit scores, not subprime lending, according to research the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Bank of England (BOE). Unsecured consumer lending grew at near double-digit rates in 2016 and 2017, and concern that lenders had overestimated their borrowers’ creditworthiness led…
Read moreThe 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…
Read moreThere 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…
Read moreCar 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…
Read moreThe 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…
Read moreUK 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…
Read moreCitizens 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…
Read morePlans 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…
Read moreFerratum 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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