RateSetter appoints new Chair

15th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Peer-to-peer lending platform RateSetter has announced that Paul Manduca has been appointed as Non-Executive Chairman. Manduca will join the Board on 1st June ahead of becoming and will become Chair on 17th July, when current Chairman Alan Hughes’ three-year term expires. Manduca is Chairman of the global FTSE 100 insurer Prudential. His distinguished career in asset…

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Irish debit card spending increases by 14%

15th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Central Bank of Ireland has released its latest Credit and Debit Card Statistics from Quarter 1 in 2017. Here is an overview of the key statistics in the report Debit card point of sale spending in March increased 14 per cent on the same month in 2016.  In March 2017over €2.7 billion of debit card…

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CCJ numbers rise to the highest level in over a decade

15th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The number of county court judgments (CCJs) against consumers in England and Wales rose to the highest level in over a decade during the first quarter of the year, according to figures released today by Registry Trust. In Quarter 1 (Q1) 2017, there were 298,901 debt judgments registered against consumers in England and Wales. Rising…

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Second charge mortgage new business volumes rise by 15%

15th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Latest figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business grew 8% by value and 15% by volume in March, compared with the same month in 2016. Fiona Hoyle, Head of Consumer and Mortgage Finance at the FLA, said: “The second charge mortgage market has faced significant change…

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ICO statistics reveal record number of data protection incidents

15th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has dealt with record numbers of data protection incidents, nuisance marketing cases and individual complaints. Releasing the ICO’s annual performance statistics for 2016/17, Deputy Commissioner Simon Entwisle revealed that the regulator had received more reported data protection breaches and fined more companies for unlawful activities than ever before. The ICO’s free…

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Consumer finance growth continues

15th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show growth of 10% in consumer finance new business in March, compared with the same month last year, and 6% growth in Q1 2017 as a whole. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew in March by 7%, compared with the same month…

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Consumer car finance volumes increase by 3%

15th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that new business in the point of sale (POS) consumer new car finance market grew 13% by value and 5% by volume in March, compared with the same month in 2016. In Q1 2017, new business was up 10% by value and 3% by volume,…

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Zopa granted full authorisation by FCA

12th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Zopa has been granted full authorisation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for peer-to-peer lending. Giles Andrews, co-founder and Chairman of Zopa said “Zopa, both individually and as a founder member of the Peer-to-Peer Finance Association (P2PFA), has campaigned for peer-to-peer lending to be a regulated activity for a number of years. We are delighted to…

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Central Bank of Ireland releases consultation on Credit Union investment framework

12th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Central Bank of Ireland has published a consultation paper on the investment framework for credit unions. Under existing regulations, credit unions can invest in a range of specified investment classes. These include government securities, bank deposits, bank bonds and collective investment schemes made up of these instruments. These are subject to specified maturity and…

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Second-charge mortgage repossessions falls by 50%

11th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that the number of second-charge mortgage repossessions in Quarter 1 2017 was 17 – down by 50% compared with the same quarter in 2016. Commenting on the figures, Fiona Hoyle, Head of Consumer and Mortgage Finance at the FLA, said: “The number of second-charge…

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Mortgage arrears falls in first quarter

11th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

The number of mortgages in arrears fell slightly in the first quarter of 2017, and is down on both the previous quarter and a year ago, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). There were 92,600 mortgages in arrears, representing 0.84% of all mortgages, the lowest quarterly rate on record.   Within the total…

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RateSetter extends lending distribution network

10th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

RateSetter has announced a strategic partnership with personal loans provider George Banco and the acquisition of two specialist motor finance businesses as the platform widens its direct lending distribution network. Peter Behrens, RateSetter’s Chief Operating Officer said “Our focus on direct lending supports our goal of delivering excellent risk-adjusted returns for investors and attractive finance…

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New broker portal launched aimed at reducing loan processing time

10th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Target Group, Twenty7Tec and Smart Money have launched a new broker portal aimed at reducing processing times. Smartmoneysourcing.co.uk aims to deliver end-to-end secured loan origination and packaging solution. Smart Money commissioned Target Group to deliver a new web portal solution for its introducing partners to provide access to a wide range of loan products. Target’s…

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