Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Energy regulator Ofgem, has proposed that the energy price cap on bills should be reviewed every three months instead of twice a year to help households. Ofgem says that at a time when consumers are being squeezed financially from all sides, it is looking at how it can use its powers to make the market…
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A rogue volume IVA provider has been wound-up by the Insolvency Service. Vanguard Insolvency Practitioners (along with three connected companies: MDN Consultancy Limited, Newtco Limited and KIS Financial Consultancy Limited) were wound-up in the public interest at the High Court in Manchester before His Honour Judge Hodge. Petitions were submitted to the court by the…
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New findings from quarterly Small Business Index (SBI) has warned that banks ‘are pulling up the drawbridge’ to small firms will further stifle economic growth as its new SBI study shows successful finance applications plunging over the first quarter of this year. Fewer than one in ten (9%) small firms applied for finance in Q1…
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Over a third (37%) of small business owners predict growth for the next three months, the highest figure since the pandemic started more than two-years ago. The new quarterly data from Novuna Business Finance also reveals that the percentage of small businesses predicting contraction has also hit a two-year low (falling to just 7%). Despite…
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The value of UK business loans written off by banks nearly doubled in the last quarter of 2021, rising 87% from £190 million in the third quarter to £356 million in the fourth quarter according to research by debt advisory specialists ACP Altenburg Advisory. Altenburg explains that write-offs of loans have been subdued throughout the…
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The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) has announced a proposal to withdraw its mortgage affordability recommendation. The current requirement requires mortgage lenders to assess affordability by applying an interest rate stress test to determine whether borrowers could still afford their mortgage payments if their mortgage rate were to increase by three per cent. In a statement,…
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The cost-of-living crisis has knocked consumer confidence again, according to the latest analysis from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). As with last month and the month before, there was a modest fall in the overall index (-1.0 ) can be explained by a more severe decline in household finance measures, which…
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As the cost of living crisis bites householders across the UK, water billpayers in England and Wales have reported increased anxiety about affording their bills, with more than 61% stating they are concerned about their finances worsening this year. Research by Ofwat showed a correlation between those struggling to pay and suffering with poor wellbeing…
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Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that GDP fell 0.1% in March and the UK’s trade deficit, at £25.2 billion, is at its greatest since records began. Commenting on the figures, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) National Chair Martin McTague said “Our economic recovery is stumbling when it’s barely had a chance to…
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The rising cost of living will leave 1.5 million households struggling to pay food and energy bills, according to a forecast from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). The think tank has said that the government should offer targeted interventions to support the UK’s poorest. NIESR also said that the Bank of…
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The Credit Services Association (CSA), the voice of the UK debt collection and debt purchase industry, has received the highly sought-after Ofsted good rating for its apprenticeship training provision. The Ofsted report praises the CSA’s delivery to over 200 apprentices across seven apprenticeship programmes covering credit, collections, compliance, risk, counter fraud and debt advice. Ofsted’s verdict…
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The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has taken action against National Westminster Bank Plc, Royal Bank of Scotland Plc, Ulster Bank Ltd and Coutts & Company for overcharging interchange fees on credit cards. The regulator’s action has made sure that those who were overcharged by the banks got their money back. The PSR has also fined…
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New figures from StepChange Debt Charity Scotland have indicated that client average arrears on essential bills have increasing by 29% from £2,302 in 2020 to £2,961 in 2021. The charity says that it helped over 28,600 clients with debt advice, and 8,433 went through a full debt advice process, with a growing proportion of clients…
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