My picks of last week's news are the Ombudsman Newsletter and Is this the worst loan in Britain? Tweet of the week CIVEA calls for less bailiff bashing. @CitizensAdvice saw 94,000 issues with council tax arrears last year, and a third of those were involved with bailiffs. “People wouldn’t be coming to us if they weren’t having problems with their enforcement” — Rose Derricourt … [Read more...]

My pick of last week's news is the MAT blog on the Breathing Space consultation. Video of the week Debt news 'I ended up with a £620 charge': Virgin Money customers complain after applying for replacement credit card that defaulted to minimum payments Mail: "Rae applied for the card again as a new customer, and found there was no option to pay anything else other than the minimum … [Read more...]

My picks of the week are the Bank of England speech on Debt Dynamics, if you like economics, and China trials 'Deadbeat Map' for a glimpse into a future you may not want to live in. Tweet of the week A long thread: How expensive it is. You can't buy groceries in bulk & often have to buy from corner shops with big markups. You probably have to use local cash machines that charge for … [Read more...]

My pick of last week's news is Mastercard to block sneaky subscriptions - let's hope it happens! Tweet of the week The govt is simply bringing in Welfare Reform Act 2012 Schedule 2 para 64 passed when you were Pensions Minister voted for by you “1A) A claimant is not entitled to state pension credit if he is a member of a couple the other member of which has not attained the qualifying … [Read more...]

My pick of last week's news is the CPAG blog: Universal credit - a new era? Also a large number of gambling stories this week. Tweet of the week Imagine needing a Minister for Hunger in one of the richest nations on earth. https://t.co/WVPkxRyYvz — Frances Ryan (@DrFrancesRyan) January 10, 2019 Debt news Bailiffs - The Rules of Enforcement Citizens Advice The lack of an … [Read more...]

This is a bumper two-week round up as last week I published my review of 2018 instead. And it's a great start to 2019, with the news that the DWP is postponing the "managed migration" of 3 million people onto Universal Credit that was due to start this year. Tweet of the week Happy New Year debt advisory friends! We think we’ve found Britain’s worst debt advice … [Read more...]

The week before Xmas was not peaceful and quiet... My top pick is one you may not have spotted: Is Lithuania another Iceland banking crisis in the making? Next week's round up post will be replaced by my Review of 2018. Statistic of the week From the Financial Ombudsman's Strategic Plans and budgets for 2019/20:   Debt news Banking; Is Lithuania another Iceland … [Read more...]

My pick of last week's news is the FCA Insight Blog: Don’t look here: do risk warnings really work? On my list for future reading - what else is there to do over Christmas? - is the book Automating Inequality by Victoria Eubanks which is discussed in Algorithms and their unintended consequences for the poor. Tweet of the week A payday loan refund of over £9,000 from Myjar for a Debt … [Read more...]

My pick of last week's news is DWP forces carer to sell home or face jail to repay benefits. Tweet of the week Don’t swim with the sharks this Christmas, a small loan can lead to massive repayments in the New Year! Report illegal money lenders to @Loansharknews on 0300 555 2222 #SLSWeek18 #BrumTS @BhamCityCouncil @AgainstScams @CTSI_UK pic.twitter.com/1SslnVGvcM — Trading Standards … [Read more...]

My pick of last week's news is Yes we can by Fair for You. Tweet of the week The UK’s #welfare system is currently undergoing fundamental reform in the transition to #UniversalCredit alongside other major & largely untested reforms like #benefitsanctions & #benefitcap. Give us YOUR views on the #social #safetynet here by Dec 14: https://t.co/nT6u7kTx3d — Work & Pensions … [Read more...]