TSB appoints new General Counsel

7th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

TSB has announced he appointment of Lorna Curry as General Counsel of TSB Bank. Curry’s appointment follows the announcement by Susan Crichton, TSB’s current General Counsel, that she intends to retire at the end of January 2018. Paul Pester, Chief Executive Officer at TSB, says: “Susan has been with TSB for four years and has made…

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Financial fraud cost rises to £10bn

6th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Latest figures released by The Public Accounts Committee show that online fraud most is now the most prevalent crime in England and Wales.  The Public Accounts Committee report said the Home Office cannot solve the issue, which has an estimated cost of £10bn, on its own. It is thought that only 20% of online fraud is…

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Average Funeral shortfall rises by 11%

6th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

The number of people dying without making any specific provision to pay for their funeral has risen by 11%1according to SunLife’s Cost of Dying report. The average cost of the cremation or burial, including the fees for the funeral director, the doctor, and the minister or celebrant is now £4,078. The send-off costs (order sheets,…

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Provident car loan unit to face FCA investigation

6th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Moneybarn (owned by Provident Financial) has been informed that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has commenced an investigation in relation to the processes applied to customer affordability assessments for vehicle finance and the treatment of customers in financial difficulties. It is thought that Moneybarn has around 50,000 customers. In a statement, Provident Financial Group said “it…

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UK households to spend over £20bn celebrating Christmas

6th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

UK households are set to spend around £20 billion celebrating Christmas. According to new research commissioned by GoCompare Money, this Christmas the average British household expects to spend £726 on presents, parties, feasting, gifts and decorations. For UK households as a whole – that equates to £20.3bn. Gifts for loved ones represent just over half of…

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Aire announces partnership with N Brown

6th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Credit reference specialist, Aire has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with online retailer N Brown. The new agreement will see Aire provide its augmented credit assessment technology to support N Brown, which operates online stores such as JD Williams, in analysing the full picture of online customers and the true benefits and risks that come with…

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Two million stuck in permanent overdraft debt

6th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Over two million people in the UK are stuck in a constant cycle of persistent overdraft debt, according to a new report – ‘Stuck in the Red’ – by StepChange Debt Charity. The report also highlights evidence of unaffordable lending in the overdraft market and cases where banks have failed to offer their customers a…

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Startline Motor Finance secures new £250 million credit facility

6th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Startline Motor Finance has secured a new £250 million credit facility from J.P. Morgan. The Glasgow-based company is known for its flexible approach to motor finance. CEO Paul Burgess said “We have been talking to several major financial institutions for some time to secure our next funding facility. Interest was widespread but we are very…

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Jaywing launches new AI risk technology product

6th December 2017 Consumer Collections |

Risk and data science specialist Jaywing, has launched Archetype, a new risk technology product that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning and deep neural nets to help lenders generate transparent statistical models and predict almost any outcome on almost any data set. Archetype uses true AI to generate more powerful models, significantly reducing the time…

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Consumer credit growth falls to 18-month low

30th November 2017 Consumer Collections |

Latest figures from the Bank of England have shown lending on credit cards and loans have fallen to an 18-month low. The Bank of England figures showed that unsecured consumer credit grew by 9.6% year on year in October, down from 9.8% in September. Consumers added £1.5bn to the pile of consumer debt, which rose to…

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FCA releases illegal money lending report

29th November 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority has released a new report on illegal money lenders. The report titled “Shining a light on illegal money lending: consumer experiences of unauthorised lending in the UK” highlights the real-life consequences of reducing access to responsible, regulated, short-term credit. In a statement, the FCA said  “Last year we conducted research with our…

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Credit reference agencies launch GDPR information notice

29th November 2017 Consumer Collections |

Credit reference agencies (CRAs), Callcredit, Equifax and Experian are launching an industry-wide Credit Reference Agency Information Notice (CRAIN) in readiness for the implementation of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on 25 May 2018. The notice will ensure that the financial industry delivers standardised, clear and consistent information to consumers to explain how credit…

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Hard Brexit will affect innovation capacity and competitiveness of motor industry

29th November 2017 Consumer Collections |

The effects of a ‘hard’ Brexit will be decisive for the innovation capacity and competitiveness of the British automotive industry according to new research by Coface. After an exceptional peak in production of vehicles recorded in mid-2016 (1.02 million unit sales, up 8.5% for the January-August period compared to the same period in 2015), 2017…

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