Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
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 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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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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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 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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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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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…
Read moreThe 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 (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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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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Over 50s renters are not saving anywhere near enough to cover their rental costs in retirement, leaving a £43 billion shortfall – five times the cost of the London 2012 Olympics – according to research by Scottish Widows. The projections, calculated for Scottish Widows by Development Economics, predict that one in eight retirees, equating to…
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One in ten UK adults (10%) have cancelled their credit or debit card in the last year due to attempted fraud, according to new research by comparethemarket.com. This equates to over five million people becoming the victims of the cybercrime in the last twelve months, highlighting the worrying levels of online fraud in the UK. In…
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“Finance brokerages need better technology to maximise the opportunity afforded by an accelerating bank branch closure programme,” according to Allen Jones, MD at financial technology experts Copernicus. Banks in the UK are set to close a record 762 branches this year, according to a recent Reuters report. It is the latest statistic in what has been…
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