Money Statistics: November 2017

8th November 2017 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for November 2017: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.557 trillion at the end of September 2017. This is up from £1.505 trillion at the end of September 2016 – an extra £1,030.47 per UK adult. Per adult in the UK…

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FCA publishes TCF mission consultation

6th November 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its ‘FCA Mission – Our Future Approach to Consumers’. When the FCA launched its mission, it committed to publishing a series of documents that would explain its approach to regulation in more depth. The FCA’s Approach to Consumers is the first in this series, and explores the approach…

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High levels of consumer credit will ‘increase scrutiny’ on household debt

30th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

Latest figures released by the Bank of England suggest that high levels of consumer credit will ‘increase scrutiny’ on household debt. The Bank of England has published its latest monthly Money and Credit report showing continued growth in consumer credit of 9.9 percent in the year to September. Outstanding balances for consumer credit now stand at…

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FOS publishes latest complaints data

25th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

The  Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has published its latest quarterly complaints figures. The data includes the number of enquiries and complaints passed to an ombudsman for a final decision, and the proportion of complaints resolved in favour of consumers. The data for the second quarter showed that new complaints received during July, August and September 2017.…

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BrightHouse to provide £14.8m redress to customers following FCA review

24th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

Following engagement with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), BrightHouse has committed to pay over £14.8 million (in the form of cash payments and balance adjustments) to 249,000 customers in respect of 384,000 agreements for lending which may not have been affordable and payments which should have been refunded. BrightHouse (a trading name of Caversham Finance)…

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CFA appoints new President

23rd October 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Consumer Finance Association (CFA), bringing together CFA and the BCCA, has announced the election of Julian Graham-Rack to the position of President of the newly merged association. He was elected by the new Board of directors. Caroline Walton (former President) and Richard Fuller (Chairman of the BCCA) have stepped down from their roles. Graham-Rack,…

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Money Statistics: October 2017

18th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for October 2017: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.554 trillion at the end of August 2017. This is up from £1.5 trillion at the end of July 2016 – an extra £1029.82 per UK adult. Per adult in the UK that’s an average debt…

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Unsecured debt reaches £300bn

17th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

Over the past year, UK consumers’ unsecured debt, amassed primarily on credit cards, student loans, car financing and overdrafts, has reached an all-time high of close to £300bn, or £11,000 per household, growing at a faster rate than at any time in the past 15 years, According a new PwC analysis report. As evidence of…

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‘Growing debt burden’ on young people – FCA Chief

16th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) has warned of a pronounced build-up of debt among young people. In an interview with the BBC, FCA Chief Andrew Bailey has highlighted the ‘growing debt burden’ on young people. The warning, which follows a tour of visits by Andrew Bailey to debt charities including National Debtline, coincides with new…

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Provident announces recovery plan

13th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

Provident Financial has confirmed its loss of up to £120m for the year and announced a recovery plan which includes the search for a new Chief Executive. Provident Financial said it’s expecting a pre-exceptional loss for its consumer credit division of £80m-£120m for 2017, and won’t be paying a dividend this year. The loss remains…

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FEATURE: A customer-centric approach to collections

13th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

How cloud technology can improve collections performance In today’s world, few consumers are immune to the risk of personal debt. The uncertain nature of the global economy is creating a new breed of debtor, in the form of a consumer who has temporarily fallen on hard times, after living their whole lives as reliable bill-payers.…

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Half a million people will enter poverty if benefits freeze

10th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

Latest research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has highlighted how a benefits freeze will affect families- the majority of which are in work. The freeze is the single biggest policy driver behind the expected rise in poverty by the end of the Parliament. JRF is calling for the Government to target its resources better…

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Consumer finance increases by 4% in August

6th October 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business in August grew by 4% compared with the same month last year. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 4% compared with August 2016, while retail store and online credit new business increased by 7%. Second…

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