More councils are using bankruptcy and charging orders as a method for collecting council tax arrears according to research by accountancy firm Moore Stephens. In 2013/14, 32% of councils used bankruptcy for some council tax debts - a sharp increase from 20% in 2009/10. It is estimated that councils petitioned to make 1,100 people bankrupt in 2013/14 because of council tax debts. But is … [Read more...]
Debt news and policy
Debt Camel articles on what's changing - and what ought to change - in the world of personal debt in Britain.
If you are interested in a specific area, look at: High cost credit news & policy and Insolvency news & policy.
Creditfix’s proposed PJG IVA variation (2014)
In October 2014, some people who had IVAs with PJG Recovery had their cases transferred to Creditfix. The people who have been transferred were told that nothing else would change in their IVA. Two months on in December 2014 however, they are being asked to agree to a variation in the terms of their IVA, including increasing the fees that Creditfix charge. Some people have expressed unhappiness … [Read more...]
New Insolvency Service guidelines on pensions
On 26 March 2015, the Insolvency Service published Undrawn pension entitlements: Summary of guidance for insolvency practitioners and debt advisors. With "pensions freedom" coming into force on 6th April 2015, the Insolvency Service's aim was to clarify the murky situation around bankruptcy and pensions. Further clarification then came with the Guidance Issued to Receivers and Guidance Issued to … [Read more...]
Pension changes – the challenge for debt advice
This is a guest post by Nick Lord. It argues that the new pension rules are a game-changer for debt advisers and that debt advice agencies need to put measures in place to ensure that their advisers can provide best advice post April 2015. Nick is a consultant on money advice and personal finance issues working with Government departments, regulators and firms. Debt Advice and the Proposed … [Read more...]
Do a million need payday loan compensation?
On 2nd October 2014 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that Wonga had agreed to compensate an estimated 375,000 customers where Wonga's "affordability" checks are likely to have been inadequate. The common reactions were first that Wonga was being made an example of to warn other payday lenders and second that this was a huge number of refunds... But should many more people get … [Read more...]
Wonga write-offs for 375,000 people in 2014
Wonga is offering write-offs to 375,000 of its current customers because its affordability assessments have been inadequate. This was agreed with its regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and announced on 2nd October 2014. Wonga has agreed to make significant changes to its business immediately to try to prevent these problems happening in future. Who is being compensated? The … [Read more...]
Debt Camel is One – and it’s been a busy year!
On 12th September 2013, Debt Camel went live. This seems like a good time to reflect on how the first year has gone and look forward to the next year. Most read pages Apart from the Home page, the most read page was the main one explaining Bankruptcy – the big questions. I think I would have guessed that correctly if I had been asked on launch day! What I wouldn't have predicted were the next … [Read more...]
DRO consultation – what changes are needed?
In August 2014, the Insolvency Service issued a Consultation on Debt Relief Orders (DROs) and Bankruptcy petition limits. I think there are a lot of problems with the personal insolvency regime in England and Wales (see my article last week about the recent insolvency statistics) and so this consultation provides a welcome opportunity for the Insolvency Service to get industry responses on many … [Read more...]
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