Mr N has asked: On checking my credit score I have two defaults on my account both with the same creditor. First default was on 11/14 and the second 08/16 for a total of £1,750. I am now able to get back on track and get a loan to pay this in full. If I write to the debt collector and say I can pay this off and they give me their guarantee to put fully settled on my credit record, is this the … [Read more...]
How to make New Year resolutions you will keep
Happy New Year, everyone! Are you excited to have a blank piece of paper in front of you for your 2018 resolutions? Or is it a bit depressing as your list is much the same as last year... And last year half of them didn't make it to mid-January and you didn't stick to any of them for three months... This year, go for SMART resolutions. SMART is a term from professional project … [Read more...]
“Is “settled” better than “satisfied” on my credit record?”
A reader asked: My Credit Karma report shows some settled debts but one is shown as satisfied. I am sure I paid them all off in full. Does it make a difference and should I ask for this to be changed? … [Read more...]
What to do if your mobile or landline bill looks wrong
Mobile phone companies have a bad reputation for complaint handling, from shockingly high bills, incorrect charges and billing errors to poor debt collection practices. For example, Vodafone was fined £4.6million in 2016 for "serious and sustained breaches of consumer protection rules." Hopefully this fine will make Vodafone and the other mobile companies improve their complaints … [Read more...]
Debt Clever – trying to profit from closing down?
The FCA says that over a hundred debt management firms who applied for authorisation have been refused or have withdrawn their application. In September 2016, Debt Clever became one of these firms. Some firms that are closing are looking for ways to continue to make money from their clients. My previous article, Why the FCA should ban the Compass debt advice model, has some examples. This … [Read more...]
What to do if you can’t pay a water bill
If you have just received a water bill you can't afford, what can you do? If you ignore it, can they cut off your water? This article looks at the questions people often ask about paying water bills in England and Wales. But first, have you looked at how you reduce your next bill? This may not seem like a priority at the moment, but if you can pay less next year you can afford to repay your … [Read more...]
How to cut your water bills
Water bills keep on increasing. You can't change Water Companies but there are still a lot of ways you can cut your water charges. This article is looking at ways to cut your future bills. If you already have a bill that is too high for you to manage, don't ignore it, read What to do if you can't afford to pay a water bill. See if you would pay less with a meter 60% of people don't have a … [Read more...]
Pensions safe in bankruptcy after Appeal Court decision
Following an Appeal Court ruling on Horton vs Henry, published in October 2016, pensions are once again safe if you go bankrupt. The full judgment is here. The background to this case was: before 2000, pensions formed part of a bankrupt's estate and would be taken once the bankrupt reached pension age; the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act changed this. For people going bankrupt after … [Read more...]
Is my house safe if my new partner goes bankrupt
Ms P asked "I want my partner to move in with me but he may have to go bankrupt so we need advice on the timing. He has got a lot of debt trying to keep his business going but it doesn't seem to be working. I have a house with a lot of equity and we don't want this to be at risk at all. The question is if he moves in now and goes bankrupt in a few months, will that cause a problem? Or is it … [Read more...]
IVA lead generators – the case for regulation
IVAs are now the most common form of personal insolvency in England. Clear Debt has recently stated: Individual Voluntary Arrangements) (IVAs) have become the procedure of choice for those people who have debts they can’t pay and a regular income to enable them to make contributions to their debts. But how often is the choice of an IVA based on accurate information about the alternatives and … [Read more...]
Can you have too little income to go bankrupt?
A reader asked: I was told bankruptcy is not recommended to me as I do not have an income. Not sure what that means really as that is why I have debt problems as I have no income :( Any possible future employment is not near enough to pay the monthly payments told to me of a debt management plan. So confused I need to get richer to be bankrupt or get even richer to pay debt management or get … [Read more...]
IVA early exit loans – Perinta/Creditfix and Sprout/Aperture
Early IVA exit loans from Perinta offered in 2016 to Creditfix customers Some people have been told they can end their IVA by taking an "early exit loan" from Perinta Finance Ltd, via a broker called Just Lending. Creditfix is sending these emails, but the loan may be available to people in IVAs with other firms. Pearse Flynn, the CEO of Creditfix, used to be a director of Perinta, but no longer … [Read more...]
Paying BadDebtor won’t help your credit record
A reader who had gone bankrupt recently was surprised to get a letter from "The Register of Bad Debtors". This offered to remove her name from their records if she pays them £49.95. She asked if BadDebtor can really do this? There are also reports that people with IVAs are receiving similar letters. In 2017 the Bad Debtor website was taken down. Before that, some people I had contacted - none … [Read more...]
Re-thinking Insolvency Practitioner Regulation
This is a guest post by Peter Sargent, an Insolvency Practitioner and Consultant at BHP Clough Corporate Solutions. He is a member of the IPA’s Membership & Authorisation Committee and former president of R3. The failure of Varden Nuttall (and its holding company), a middle ground IVA bulk provider has brought into sharp relief the current system of Insolvency Practitioner (IP) … [Read more...]
“I borrowed 20k in two weeks” – a bipolar spending spree
Manic spending, during a high or period of mania, is one of the six triggers for increased spending identified in the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute's report, In Control: A consultation on regulating spending during periods of poor mental health. I was contacted by a reader who has suffered from bipolar disorder for many years - this is Miss D's story. I was diagnosed with … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- …
- 33
- Next Page »