Over two-thirds (70%) of consumers think the use of bots programmed to respond like agents is acceptable in customer service, according to a new report titled ‘Customer engagement – the road to 2020’, commissioned by West’s Unified Communications Services. This shows that consumers are happy to move to digital from voice if it is convenient,…
Read more1st Stop Group announces its loan book has passed the £150 million mark on its second anniversary since equity investment from Pollen Street Capital. 1st Stop Group said it has seen growth across its secured lending, car finance and personal loan products, lending £100m in the last twelve months. This growth has been driven by…
Read moreVisa has announced that it has resolved the technical payment issues experienced by customers last week. In a statement, the company said Our network is working normally. If you attempted a Visa transaction that did not complete as a result of this issue, you should not be charged. A small number of cardholders may have…
Read moreFollowing the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announcement on reform rent to own and overdraft reforms, industry figures have reacted on the news. Eric Leenders, Managing Director, Personal Finance at UK Finance said “People up and down the country use credit as a helpful means of managing their everyday spending, so we have been working closely…
Read moreThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced new proposals designed to protect millions of people who use overdrafts and high-cost credit. The changes the FCA are consulting on follow an in-depth review into the high-cost credit market and are expected to reduce the costs for consumers and give them greater control over their finances. These…
Read moreLatest figures from the Financial Ombudsman (FOS) show that complaints about borrowing – ranging from store cards to payday loans – have risen by 40% in the past year. Concerns have been raised about lenders’ treatment of customers with high-cost loans. Excluding complaints about payment protection insurance, almost one in four complaints to the ombudsman…
Read moreComputershare Loan Services has announced that it will continue to administer 45,000 Bradford & Bingley mortgages transferring from UK Asset Resolution (UKAR) to an investor group led by Barclays Bank. UKAR recently announced the sale of two portfolios of buy-to-let and residential owner-occupied mortgages to the investment group. Computershare Loan Services was appointed by UKAR…
Read moreThe Bank of Mum and Dad (BoMaD) will be the equivalent of a £5.7bn mortgage lender in 2018, according to new research and forecasts from FTSE100 financial services group Legal & General and Cebr. ‘BoMaD’ remains a major force in the UK housing market in 2018. 27% of buyers will receive help from friends or…
Read moreLatest statistics from the UK Finance’s household finance for April 2018 has revealed that card spending was 9.8 percent higher than a year earlier. Outstanding levels of credit card borrowing grew by 5.2 percent over the year, down from an annual growth rate of 5.7 percent in March. Other key statistics showed that: Gross mortgage lending in April…
Read moreCitizens Advice research reveals limited, inconsistent and patchy support for people with mental health problems. Energy and telecoms were rated the worst sectors for customer service and additional support, while water companies were seen most favourably. The number of people with mental health problems seeking advice from Citizens Advice on utilities and communications issues has…
Read moreThe latest credit and debit and credit card statistics have been released by Ireland’s Central Bank. The statistics indicate that debit card Point of Sale (PoS) transactions in March 2018 were €2.9 billion, 5percentt higher than the same month in 2017. Debit card PoS transactions accounted for 55 per cent of gross new transactions on…
Read moreNew analysis by StepChange Debt Charity has reveals that two in five clients who received advice in 2017 were behind on at least one of their essential household bills (such as energy bills, council tax, mortgage or rent). Across Great Britain, the charity estimates the number of people behind on priority bills was over three…
Read moreFraud prevention service Cifas has announced its conference line up for this year’s annual conference. Senior figures from leading fraud prevention organisations across the globe will come together in London to discuss international approaches to tackling fraud and financial crime. CEOs from South Africa, the US, Australia and the Netherlands will come together on stage…
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