Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Nearly two years on from tough regulations implemented by the Financial Conduct Authority, the payday loan market continues to show signs of irresponsible lending and poor treatment of people in financial difficulty, according to a new report from StepChange Debt Charity. The proportion of people coming to the charity with payday loan debts has fallen from…
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Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for November 2016: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.503 trillion at the end of September 2016. This is up from £1.451 trillion at the end of September 2015 – an extra £1036.58 per UK adult. Per adult in the UK…
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A company that sent out 2.2 million illegal marketing text messages has been fined £70,000 and ordered to stop by the ICO. The penalty was issued to London-based Nouveau Finance Ltd, a company which provides a loan matching service. Although there were only 92 complaints made about the messages, an ICO investigation revealed that Nouveau…
Read moreHousehold debts have risen to £1.5 trillion in the UK for the first time, new statistics from The Money Charity. After a period of flat growth, debt has begun to rise again in recent years. The Money Charity, which compiled the statistics, says UK adults owe an average of nearly £30,000 each – mostly in…
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Aberdeenshire Council is sending messages through Facebook and WhatsApp in a bid to recoup unpaid rent. The Council has been contacting people living in council homes who are in debt using methods other than just post. A total of 35 evictions were carried out by the local authority in 2015/16, with £104,830 owed to the council.…
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Perth and Kinross Council was forced to write-off nearly £300,000 of outstanding debts mainly due to rent arrears. In response to the problem the local authority launched its Rent 1st campaign to highlight the importance of making payments and offering extra support and advice for people who are struggling to pay. Now the housing and health…
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The Financial Ombudsman (FOS) has published it’s latest complaints data for the second quarter of the financial year 2016/17. The complaints data shows a rise in issues with payday loans. Between, April and September 2016, the Ombudsman received over 5,000 payday loan complaints, compared to 3,200 between April 2015 and March 2016. There has also been…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today announced that it will take action to improve competition in the current account market. This follows a series of recommendations which were proposed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as part of its investigation into retail banking. Christopher Woolard, Executive Director of Strategy and Competition at the…
Read moreCentral Trust has announced the appointment of a Regulatory Consultant to its board of directors. Jane McMahon has joined the second charge mortgage lender as a regulatory consultant. As well as Central Trust, McMahon has also been appointed as regulatory consultant for Central Trust Syndicate Number One Limited, Central Loans Limited, Commercial Trust Limited and…
Read moreMotormile Finance UK Limited, a debt purchase and collections firm, has entered into an agreement with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide redress to more than 500,000 customers for historic failures in its due diligence and collections process. The firm had inadequate systems and controls over due diligence. In particular, it failed to conduct sufficient…
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Scottish Councils could be handed more powers to limit the number of controversial pay day loan shops opening on Scotland’s high streets. The Scottish Government has faced calls to introduce legislation even though there is now a cap of 0.8 per cent APR on the amount pay day loan firms can charge, campaigners have expressed concern…
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The growing prevalence of online billing is putting businesses and service providers at risk of losing touch with customers according to new research, which reveals that almost one in three consumers have become distant from their bills as a result. The research of a nationally representative sample of 1,000 UK adults by Echo Managed Services, revealed…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today launched a consultation on its Mission, which is designed to provide a guiding set of principles around the strategic choices the FCA makes. It will inform the FCA’s strategy and day-to-day work over the coming years. The intention of the Mission is to provide clarity over the objectives, the…
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