UPDATE Advancis was dissolved in December 2023 Advancis Ltd, trading as Buddy Loans, went into administration on 7 September 2021. Buddy Loans was a small guarantor lender. Its loans were typical of the UK guarantor market - between £1,000 and £10,000 lent on a 1-5 year term at a 49.9% APR. The FCA describes these loans as "high cost". Buddy's slogan was: If you've got a good BUDDY, you … [Read more...]
Complaints about guarantor loans
These articles look at what can go wrong with guarantor loans and how to complain about them, if you are the borrower or if you are the guarantor. It is simple to complain and 90% of these complaints are being won at the Ombudsman.
They apply to all guarantor loan lenders. They do not apply to guarantor mortgages, or if you are the guarantor for a business loan or someone's tenancy.
Amigo is much the biggest so many of the examples are about Amigo but the same rules apply to all lenders.
For articles that look at Amigo's own finances, see Amigo Company Archives.
Guarantor lender TFS Loans goes into administration
UPDATE: FCA fines TFS £880,000. On 10 June 2022, the FCA announced: TFS Loans Ltd (in administration) has been fined £811,900 by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in relation to deficient affordability checks on 3,150 guarantors in its consumer credit business. The FCA has also imposed a requirement on TFS to redress the guarantors that were harmed by the firm not conducting appropriate … [Read more...]
How the borrower of a guarantor loan can complain
UPDATES: Do not use the template on this page for Amigo, Buddy, George Banco, Trust Two, Glo. It is now too late to complain about them. For TFS see TFS Loans goes into administration. Guarantor loans are very expensive. Often the lender didn’t check properly that you will be able to manage the loan repayments without having to borrow more. If proper checks would have shown that you … [Read more...]
Can guarantor loans be included in DRO / IVA / bankruptcy ?
A reader asked: I have 5k debts and I’m now on ESA. I'm also a guarantor for my mum's Amigo loan - could that be included in a Debt Relief Order (DRO)? There are three types of personal insolvency in England: bankruptcy, IVAs and DROs. Normally if a debt can be included in one form of insolvency, the same applies to the other two. But for guarantor loans, it's more complicated. So this … [Read more...]
How to complain when you are the guarantor for a loan
UPDATE: Do not use the template on this page for Amigo, Buddy, George Banco, Trust Two, Glo. It is now too late to complain about them. For TFS see TFS Loans goes into administration. If you are a guarantor for a loan you can ask to be removed as the guarantor: if you couldn't afford to repay the loan without difficulty; or you were pressured into becoming the guarantor; or … [Read more...]
Why the Ombudsman released a guarantor from a loan
The Financial Ombudsman (FOS) has recently published two important decisions about guarantor loans, one where a borrower complained and one where the guarantor complained. I have covered the borrower case here: Ombudsman – Amigo did not check properly that a borrower could afford the loan. This article looks at the FOS decision about the guarantor for a loan. I have selected points from the … [Read more...]
Ombudsman – Amigo did not check properly that a borrower could afford the loan
The Financial Ombudsman (FOS) has recently published its decision on Miss G's complaint against Amigo. This FOS decision criticised Amigo's inadequate assessment of Miss G's income and expenses. It said her poor credit record meant Amigo should have verified the figures, for example by looking at bank statements. So FOS ordered Amigo to refund all the interest and charges she paid, plus 8% … [Read more...]
Guarantor loans – why guarantors & borrowers need extra protection
Guarantor loans are coming into the regulatory spotlight. The FCA wrote to CEOs in March 2019 saying it will be looking at affordability and whether potential guarantors have enough information to understand how likely it is that they may have to make the loan payments. In a speech, Jonathan Davis said: Recent work we have done in this area showed that many guarantors are making at least 1 … [Read more...]
Bad credit loans to avoid
Logbook loans, guarantor loans, "pay weekly" shops such as BrightHouse - these may sound attractive if you are short on cash but have a poor credit rating or have been refused a payday loan. But this sort of debt can end in disaster if you have money problems. This article looks at bad credit loans, how they create a lot more problems than they solve and what alternatives might work better for … [Read more...]