Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Millions of leaseholders across England and Wales are set to benefit from a major shake-up of the outdated leasehold system – with ground rents set to be capped at £250 a year, changing to a peppercorn cap after 40 years. Ground rents were abolished for most new residential leasehold properties in England and Wales in…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has initiated a review into the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on retail financial services. Sheldon Mills, an outgoing FCA executive, will explore how AI could reshape markets and consumer behaviour. While AI may enhance financial management, Mills warned of potential risks, including biased decision-making and increased fraud. AI is…
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Pubs and music venues in England will be given a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April and will not see increases for two years. It comes after a backlash against November’s Budget, which left many facing major increases in their business rates bills, and led to more than a thousand pubs banning…
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New research by Witan Solicitors, has analysed data from Companies House to determine the number of construction firms incorporated between January 2021 and December 2025 and compared this to the number that have since entered administration, liquidation, or been dissolved. The data found that in the past five years, two in five (41.6%) of newly…
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The number of people living in “very deep poverty” in the UK is at the highest level in more than 30 years, according to new research by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). Very deep poverty is defined by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as earning below 40% of the median household income. According to its latest report,…
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Confidence in the future of the UK economy remains mixed among commercial finance brokers, according to new research from SME funding provider Asset Advantage. The survey of commercial brokers across the UK found that nearly half (49%) remain neutral on the outlook of the economy in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, more than a quarter…
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Azets’ business recovery and insolvency service has announced that it has appointed Dave Riley as a Partner. Riley joins the company from Kroll. and will work with the firm’s wider restructuring and insolvency team, including Leeds-based partners Jonathan Amor and Richard Oddy, who cover Yorkshire and The Humber and the North East. Riley has many…
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Latest data from the Equity Release Council has found that the equity release market grew 11% in 2025, with total annual lending increasing from £2.3 billion in 2024 to £2.57 billion in 2025. More than a quarter of advisers responding to the Council’s latest survey (26 per cent) say customers are now using equity release…
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More than two in five (42%) profit warnings issued by UK-listed companies in 2025 cited policy change and geopolitical uncertainty as leading factors, according to EY-Parthenon’s latest Profit Warnings report. This marked a significant increase from 12% during 2024, and the highest annual proportion recorded for this cause in more than 25 years of EY’s…
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Dubbed ‘divorce month’, January has famously been cited as the time of the year when family lawyers see a surge in those looking to end their marriages. According to current data from Google, searches for ‘divorce’ in the week beginning 11th January are at their highest in 12 months in the UK. Family lawyers also…
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Research by Capital on Tap has compared average wages across major UK cities to track how the cost of everyday goods and services changes over time. The analysis shows where real earnings are falling furthest behind and which regions are under the greatest financial strain. The data showed that Reading tops the list of where…
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A new study by Thinkmoney has found that two in five (39%) people currently using private weight-loss injections are getting themselves into mounting financial difficulty to fund the treatment. According to the survey, the average debt is exactly £1,616, with people’s preferred option to put the cost on a credit card (50%). Almost as many…
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Consumer confidence has been in negative territory for the past ten years, according to a survey produced by GfK. The Consumer Confidence Index was up one point to -16 in January. Three measures were up, and two were down, compared to last month’s announcement. The figures showed a slight increase in sentiment amongst consumers. People…
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