Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has promised swift action on making mortgages more accessible, with the regulator set to launch a consultation on simplifying rules, as well as alternative approaches to stress testing. The FCA will look at options for making it easier to access options such as remortgaging with a new lender and reducing…
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The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have appointed Martyn Beauchamp as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Beauchamp has been Interim CEO of the FSCS since October 2023, and during this time he has successfully overseen the FSCS’s transition to a new operating model. Prior to…
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The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has reported a record 18,658 new complaints regarding car loans in the last quarter of 2024, surpassing credit cards as the most complained-about financial product. Motor hire purchase deal complaints jumped almost three times to 15,956 cases, followed by disputes about credit cards, current accounts, car/motorcycle insurance and motor conditional…
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Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS data has shown that inflation rose faster than expected in January, up from 2.5 per cent in December to 3 per cent. This is the highest annual rate of inflation since March last year. The increase was driven primarily by increases in the cost of transport, food, and non-alcoholic…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned of a growing number of misleading and illegal financial promotions, with the regulator saying that almost 20,000 financial promotions were withdrawn or amended after intervention in 2024. This is almost double the number of cases recorded in 2023, when more than 10,000 were flagged. The report also shows…
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The Bank of England has cut interest rates from 4.75% to 4.5%, taking the base rate to the lowest level for more than 18 months. The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to cut interest rates by 0.25% to 4.5%. The MPC voted 7 to 2 in favour of the cut, with two dissenting…
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The average cost of car insurance has declined by £221 (23%) year-on-year, according to new research from Compare the Market. The average premium fell to £729 in December 2024, compared to £950 in December 2023. It is the cheapest monthly average premium since May 2023 when the average was £718. The drop in average premiums may…
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The Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) has responded to the call for input on modernising the redress system, highlighting concerns about the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FLA says that FOS has evolved away from the type of alternative dispute resolution body that Parliament originally intended it to be. While it still has a remit…
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Latest data from the Equity Release Council’s quarterly market report for Q4 2024 shows that more than 15,000 customers were active in the equity release market for the first time in over a year since Q3 2023, either agreeing on new plans, taking drawdowns from existing plans or agreeing on further advances (extensions) to existing…
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced new measures which could see welfare fraudsters, who cheated the taxpayer out of £7 billion last year, banned from driving if they repeatedly fail to reimburse the public and repay their debt. As part of new legislation set to be introduced in Parliament to deliver the biggest…
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Latest data from UK Finance has found that in Quarter 3 (Q3) in 2024 there were 48,862 new buy-to-let loans advanced in the UK, worth £8.6 billion. This was up 6.5 per cent by number (8.9 per cent by value) compared with the same quarter in the previous year. The average gross buy-to-let rental yield…
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Consumers lack awareness of the true costs of Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) products, underscoring the need for more awareness of these products, alongside proactive outreach from lenders to those who may be struggling financially according to new research by the or the LSB (Lending Standards Board). BNPL use increased around the Christmas, Black Friday, and Cyber…
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Latest ONS data has shown that inflation dropped slightly to 2.5% in December, up from 2.3% in October, down from 2.6% in November. Commenting on the inflation figures, Paul Noble, CEO of Chetwood Bank, said “Some good news to start the year for Britons. Many will have approached today’s result with some apprehension, but 2025…
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