Rising cost of living and Brexit are biggest financial worries

9th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

The 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…

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H&T looking at profit rise

9th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Pawnbroker, H&T has announced a strong quarter four performance for pawnbroking and retail, and expects the full year profit before tax to be above current market expectations. The Group has delivered another good performance in its lending operations.  The pledge book increased 11.6% to £46.1m (31 December 2016: £41.3m) as a result of the higher gold…

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Universal Credit leads to council tenant rent arrears

9th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Universal Credit has already left more than 100 council tenants across Nuneaton and Bedworth owing almost £120,000 in rent. According to borough council figures,  there were 156 Local Authority (LA) tenants claiming Universal Credit (UC) and, of these, 126 were in arrears with their rent. The total amount of money owed was £118,000 and 60 per cent…

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No festive cheer for retailers as Consumer spending falls for the first time in five years

8th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

There 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…

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Octane Capital appoints new Credit Manager

5th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Bridging lender Octane Capital has announced that Graham Macaulay has been appointed as Senior Credit Manager. Macaulay will report to Matt Smith, Octane Capital’s Director of Credit. Matt Smith commented on the appointment “Graham’s understanding of risk is superb and to have him on board is a significant coup, not to mention a great start…

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New car sales decrease for first time in 6 years

5th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Car 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…

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Consumer credit levels ‘remain a concern’ despite borrowing slowdown

5th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

The 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…

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October gross mortgage lending estimated to have risen by 9%

4th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

UK 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…

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Mortgage possession orders rise by 26%

4th January 2018 Consumer Collections |

New data released by the Ministry of Justice indicates that the number of mortgage possession claims and orders made in county courts has increased in the last 6 months. Sellhousefast.uk, who help homeowners with the prospect of repossession, decided to investigate this issue, to determine which local authorities in England and Wales are most at…

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Hyundai appoints new Fleet Head

3rd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Hyundai has appointed Michael Stewart as fleet director. Stewart, who replaced Guy Pigounakis. Tony Whitehorn, President and Chief Executive Officer for Hyundai Motor UK, said: “Michael Stewart’s appointment is an important one for Hyundai UK as we work on growing our market share, building on the reputation we’ve earned from fleet operators large and small.”…

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Citizens Advice warns of new year gym membership commitment

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Citizens 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…

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Government outlines plans to make the debt rulings process fairer

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

Plans 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…

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Borrowers added £452 on credit cards at Christmas

2nd January 2018 Consumer Collections |

New research from uSwitch.com has indicated that one in four consumers will carry an average credit card debt of £452 into this year. Despite the cost of living reaching a five year high in 2017, the British public has not held back on their Christmas spending, with almost £8.5 billion being spent on plastic this…

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