Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
New research by OpenMoney has found that almost three fifths (57%) of adults aged 18 to 50 have now used Buy Now, Pay Later schemes (BNPL), up from half (49%) last year. The largest rise in usage has been among 45 to 50-year-olds, where 16% growth in the last year makes it the age group…
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The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the first time in three years amid growing concerns over inflation. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of eight to one to raise rates from the historic low of 0.1%. With inflation at a ten year high, the Bank said this was…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined HSBC Bank £63,946,800 for failings in its anti-money laundering (AML) processes. HSBC used automated processes to monitor hundreds of millions of transactions a month to identify possible financial crime. However, the FCA found that three key parts of HSBC’s transaction monitoring systems showed serious weaknesses over a period…
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New FICO data has suggested that the tide might be turning on consumer finances with average card spend falling and early missed payment rates rising as furloughs finish FICO says that though its, analysis of UK card trends for October 2021, says that it appears that with the first signs that lockdown savings — which…
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Major banks have signed a new voluntary agreement that could see more shared banking hubs open in UK towns and villages. The agreement will see an independent assessment carried out by Link each time a branch is shut. These reviews could recommend a shared branch is opened, an ATM installed or a Post Office upgraded.…
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A new report by The Bank of England (BoE) says that Britain’s financial system is healthy enough to withstand a deep recession. The report found that major UK banks are strong enough to keep supporting households and businesses, even in severe scenarios. The Bank’s annual stress test found that the country’s eight biggest lenders would…
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Net lending via credit cards and personal loans is also set to end the year in negative territory, falling 0.7% on top of 2020’s 9.8% decline according to the latest EY ITEM Club for Financial Services Forecast. The lrnfingfigures equates to a £1.4bn fall in the stock of consumer credit, as households have made more repayments…
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Latest UK Finance data has indicated that 2021 is set to be a record year for mortgage lending. Publishing its housing and mortgage market forecasts for 2022 and 2023 together with projections for 2021 full year numbers UK finance has estimated that gross lending overall will peak this year at £316bn, up 31 per cent…
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According to new research from Lloyds Banking Group, consumers across the country are concerned about the current challenges the UK housing market is facing, with only one in five believing there are enough affordable homes in their area. This news comes as house prices reach record highs and activity levels remain robust. Despite more than…
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New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that the consumer car finance market reported a fall in new business of only 1% by value, but 11% by volume in October 2021 compared with the same month in 2020. In the ten months to October 2021, new business volumes were 7%…
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New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 11% in October 2021 compared with the same month in 2020. In the ten months to October 2021, new business was 13% higher than in the same period in 2020. The credit card and personal loan sectors…
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New research has found that just over half (51%) of consumers are not aware of their credit score. The research by NerdWallet has found that18% want to improve their credit score but don’t know how to, whilst 17% of UK adults feel anxious about the state of their credit score. 12% of respondents believe have…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said there should be no increase in the amount of money that customers can get back if their bank, building society or other investment company collapses. It said the £85,000 limit is enough to cover most cases. However, it suggested the level be reviewed every three years to ensure it…
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