ECB launches new vulnerability standards for the enforcement sector

The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has announced new vulnerability standards for enforcement firms and agents. The Standards provide stronger protections for people in vulnerable situations.

Over 7 million cases of unpaid debts are sent out for enforcement each year, with the industry recovering over a billion pounds, much of which is for the public purse. The ECB ensures that enforcement is done fairly, and these new Standards set out the practical steps that firms and agents need to take when they come into contact with vulnerable people.

The ECB says that new standards will set a new, higher bar for how enforcement firms and agents identify and respond to vulnerability, encourage greater use of sustainable repayment plans when people cannot repay in full, make it easier for people subject to enforcement to get debt advice where appropriate, require firms to provide training and guidance so that all staff know how to support vulnerable customers and ensure that agent remuneration does not incentivise breaches of the standards.

The Standards take effect in January 2027. Enforcement firms must produce implementation plans by June 2026 to show how they, and the agents they employ, will prepare. Over the summer, the ECB will work with stakeholders to produce supporting guidance to accompany the Standards.

The ECB is the independent oversight body for the enforcement industry. It was set up with agreement between the enforcement profession and leading debt advice charities including Money Advice Trust, Christians Against Poverty and Step Change.

Chris Nichols, CEO of the Enforcement Conduct Board said “Enforcement can be a challenging experience for vulnerable people. These new Standards provide crucial additional protections for those who need them most.

“With their launch, we now have a comprehensive set of requirements covering every aspect of enforcement work, ensuring fairness for everybody who experiences enforcement action. I am encouraged by the constructive way the industry has engaged with and supported the development of these new Standards, which set a significantly higher bar for how enforcement firms and agents must identify and respond to vulnerability. Continuing this engagement will be essential as our focus turns to implementation.

“Through our oversight, the ECB will ensure that the Standards are properly embedded and the outcomes they are designed to deliver are consistently achieved across the sector.”

Russell Hamblin-Boone, CIVEA CEO, said “The new Standards are the latest step in a programme of reform that has been driven by the industry. It is important that we have a set of dedicated industry standards that recognise the distinct nature of enforcement work, which is unlike any other form of debt collection.
“As the ECB makes clear, indicators of vulnerability do not mean that someone is permanently unable to repay their debt or that an enforcement action cannot proceed.

“We are, therefore, supportive of the new Standards that codify and build on the best practices of our sector with the additional level of independent scrutiny of the ECB.”

Alan J. Smith, Chair of HCEOA, said:“We welcome the publication of these new Vulnerability Standards from the ECB. A critical point that is really important for everyone involved in the sector to understand is that, under these new standards, identifying someone as vulnerable does not mean that enforcement activity has to automatically stop.

He added: “The Standards state that agents and firms must respond to identifying someone as vulnerable in a way that ‘sufficiently mitigates the risk of that person experiencing foreseeable harm and avoids exacerbating their vulnerability.’ We think that is a key point and we will be working with our members and the ECB over the coming months to help the ECB produce the guidance that will accompany these Standards before they take effect in January 2027.”