8% increase in the number of consumers who have a credit card

22nd April 2025 Consumer Lending | #credit cards

New research by TransUnion has revealed that over the last 12 months, there has been an 8% increase in the proportion of UK consumers who said they have a credit card, yet a third say they don’t know their credit score. The report also found that inflation remains above the Bank of England’s 2% target,…

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Two in five use tax year to reassess their finances

17th April 2025 Consumer Lending | #savings

New research from Chase has found that two in five adults (39%) use the new tax year as an opportunity to reset and reassess their finances. The data showed that over half (52%) actively use this time to think about where they’re putting their money as their ISA allowance resets. Nearly half (44%) reset their…

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Consumer car finance falls by 2%

15th April 2025 Consumer Lending | #car finance

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer car finance new business volumes fell in February 2025 by 2% compared with the same month in 2024. The corresponding value of new business grew by 5% over the same period. In the first two months of 2025, new business was 3%…

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Consumer finance new business grew by 3% in February

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew in February 2025 by 3% compared with the same month in 2024.  In the first two months of 2025, new business in this market was 2% higher than in the same period in 2024. The credit card and…

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Government invests £121m for quantum technology to tackle fraud

The Government has announced that it is investing £121 million in quantum technology to tackle crime, fraud, and money laundering. The technology will be used to tackle the first signs of fraud and halting money laundering which could save billions for the economy. The funding is being made available over the next year to expand…

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Bank of England warns of market challenges

The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) has published a report on the health of the UK economy and financial system. The FPC said that the probability of adverse events had risen, and the UK’s open economy was particularly exposed to the market turmoil. The report also noted that UK banks remained well-capitalised and…

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Rathi reappointed as FCA Chief Executive

10th April 2025 Appointments |

The HM Treasury has announced the reappointment of Nikhil Rathi as Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for a second term.   Since Nikhil joined in October 2020, the FCA has undertaken reforms to strengthen the UK’s position in wholesale markets, including the biggest changes to the listing regime in over three decades.  The…

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FOS expects to resolve 20% more cases this year

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has announced that it expects to resolve 270,000 cases in 2025/26, a 20% increase from the previous year. The FOS’ commitment comes despite recent surges in complaints, most notably the influx of cases related to motor finance commission. These account for nearly half of the current stock of around 190,000…

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Reported fraud hits record levels

Fraud prevention service, Cifas has published its annual Fraudscape report which reveals a staggering 421,000 cases were filed to the National Fraud Database (NFD) in 2024 – a 13% increase and the highest number on record. The sharp rise is one of the largest annual increases ever observed by Cifas, underscoring the growing scale and…

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Aryza acquires RiskLogix Solutions

4th April 2025 Consumer Lending | #merger

Financial software solutions specialist, Aryza has announced the acquisition of RiskLogix Solutions, a provider of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) solutions. Aryza says that the integration of RiskLogix Solutions will enable significant synergies through an overlapping customer base. Existing customers of both companies will benefit from an expanded suite of products and services, creating a…

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Mortgage buy to let loans jumped by 47% to £9.6bn in Q4

Latest date from UK Finance has shown that landlord loans came in £9.6 billion over 52,648 cases in the final three months of last year, jumping 47.2% by value and 39.2% by case from a year ago. Average gross buy-to-let rental yields edged up to 7% in the period, compared to 6.74% 12 months ago,…

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More than a third of credit card users don’t understand credit scores

2nd April 2025 Consumer Lending | #credit cards

New research by Compare the Market has found that only 17% of credit card users have a strong grasp of how credit scores are determined, while over a third (36%) admit to having limited or no understanding. More than four in ten credit card users (46%) worry about maintaining a healthy credit score. However, the…

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UK card transactions hit £1 trillion in 2024

2nd April 2025 Consumer Lending | #payments

UK Finance data has shown that the total value of transactions on these cards was just over £1 trillion during 2024. The figures were in line with 2023 and split betwee debit card spend of £797 billion (down 0.8 per cent compared) to 2023 and credit card transactions worth £249 billion (up 5.3 per cent compared…

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