My pick of last week’s new are the articles on changing the DRO criteria.
Tweet of the week
“To recommend thrift to the poor is both grotesque and insulting. It is like advising a man who is starving to eat less.” – Oscar Wilde –
— 🅼🅰🆁🅸🅰 🅼. (@mariabowiemuser) February 13, 2021
Debt news
FCA finds the Covid-19 pandemic leaves over a quarter of UK adults with low financial resilience FCA: Over the course of 2020, the number of UK adults with low financial resilience increased from 10.7 million to 14.2 million.
Payment holidays: one-third of consumers not aware that interest would still be applied Resolver: just over one third that had taken a payment holiday (38%) told us that they felt they didn’t have all their options explained to them on how to proceed once the payment holiday had ended – including reduced payments or alternative plans.
Guidance on monitoring insolvency practitioners: Advertisements, marketing and debt advice Insolvency Service: It’s good news – if it is enforced…
Responses around the Insolvency Service’s DRO consultation on new DRO criteria:
- Simplify the solution CAP: Debt relief must be effective, accessible and affordable.
- Proposed DRO changes – a good start! my article.
- Have your say! Consultation on personal debt Jubilee Debt Campaign
The single parent debt trap Gingerbread & StepChange: 49% of single parents reported taking on more debt since the start of the pandemic.
High-cost lenders exploiting NHS workers Debt Hacker: The data indicates that many NHS workers are struggling to pay back unaffordable loans which they may have been mis-sold.
The parking baron who’ll never let you off a ticket Times (paywall): A former bricklayer’s crusade to ‘educate’ bad drivers puts him on a collision course with campaigners.
Renting:
- What are the loopholes in the government’s eviction ban? Independent: The government appears to have broken its promise that no one would be made homeless as a result of the pandemic.
- Ban on bailiff-enforced evictions in England extended to end of March Guardian: The National Residential Landlords Association … said 800,000 private renters have built up arrears since the ban came into force, which they would struggle to ever pay off.
Benefits & other news
Cold Weather Payment DWP: enter your postcode and see if it has been cold enough in your area. It also has a link to the benefit rules.
O2 fined £10m for overcharging customers BBC: For eight years, some customers who were leaving the network were double-charged some fees on their final bills, Ofcom said.
Family who were left penniless by Universal Credit error told to ‘try foodbank instead’ Mirror: Matt Smith and his four children were told to visit their local foodbank after falling victim to a Universal Credit payments flaw that the DWP vowed to fix months ago.
Richard says
When taking a payment break can the lender report you for default on payments even if they agreed to them?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Was this a payment deferral because of Covid-19?
Richard says
Yes it was, whilst I was unfortunate enough to be on furlough for three months
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then this should not have shown missed payments or a default. Talk to the lender and ask them to correct this.
Vicky says
Just wanted to know if you write to your creditors and offer token £1 payments should you with the letter send the payment across or wait till they contact you if they accept the offer
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Most creditors would prefer to be paid by bank transfer not sent a cheque every month!