Misleading DMP advice Mrs B was advised to go into a Debt Management Plan (DMP) by an IVA firm. They referred her to a firm that charges fees for running a DMP. I suggested that she should talk to StepChange or another provider that doesn't charge any fees for a DMP. Mrs B went back and queried the advice with the IVA firm. This is the WhatsApp conversation: I explained to Mrs B that … [Read more...]
General debt news & policy
Here are my articles on news and policy except for high cost credit and Insolvency, which are separate as there as so many of them.
Barclaycard cuts minimum payments – this may cost you a lot
In April 2024, Barclaycard has told many customers that it will be setting lower minimum payments on their accounts from July. From a poll I ran on Instagram, Barclaycard has informed about 90% of cardholders. It looks as though this change is going to be across the board, affecting everyone. The messages are going out by email, letter or text. Look out for the communication if you haven't yet … [Read more...]
The new DRO hubs – what happened in 2023
In January the Insolvency Service published data showing how the volumes of Debt Relief Orders (DROs) done by advice agencies changed in 2023, see Monthly IS statistics Jan-Dec 23, Table 3.2. In February 2023, the two new MaPS-funded DRO hubs began operating. These are run by Citizens Advice and Money Wellness (called Benesse Advice in the IS statistics, also known to debt advisers as Gregory … [Read more...]
27% of adults use Klarna or other BNPL – regulation is needed
The FCA has published new research on Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) usage which shows that BNPL was used by 27% of UK adults in the last 6 months of 2022. That is a large increase - only 17% of UK adults had used BNPL in the 12 months ending May 22. But if this is interest-free credit, does this matter? Other statistics from this research suggest that it does. What is BNPL? In this article, … [Read more...]
The FCA’s Consumer Duty – a new overarching principle
On 31 July, the FCA's new Consumer Duty came into force, bringing in higher standards of consumer protection. You may not have heard of it, but financial services firms have been working for a couple of years to be ready for this. Delivering good outcomes for retail customers is the new 12th principle in the FCA's handbook and is described as the overarching principle. That sounds very … [Read more...]
Big hikes in Paypal interest rate & minimum payments
Paypal's interest rate increases Readers have reported getting an email from Paypal in June or July saying their interest rate will be going up a lot. In the email, Paypal warns: You will pay more each month and take longer to repay any outstanding balance on your account. Not good! A poll I ran on Instagram suggested more than half the Paypal accounts in the UK may be seeing an interest … [Read more...]
Are you still paying fees on an old Gregory Pennington DMP?
For many years Gregory Pennington (GP), part of the Financial Wellness Group (FWG), has charged its clients monthly fees for running Debt Management Plans (DMPs) But MaPS awarded Gregory Pennington a contract that began on 1 February 2023. And it can't charge fees for DMPs under this contract. StepChange, Payplan and CAP have always provided "fee-free" DMPs, where all a client's payments go … [Read more...]
BNPL is now often on credit records, but it’s ignored in credit scores
Klarna details will start to be added to TransUnion and Experian records from June 2022. TransUnion says: Incorporating this data into credit reports will support consumers that are using this type of point-of-sale finance, whilst also ensuring lenders have a comprehensive picture of a borrower’s financial position. But this year TransUnion will not be using the BNPL information when it … [Read more...]
ClearScore adopts the new Equifax credit scoring out of 1000
In mid November 2021, ClearScore has finally adopted the new 1000 Equifax credit scores. Equifax credit scoring changed in April 2021, when it switched to calculating scores out of 1000 - they used to be calculated out of 700. It also changed the bands used to describe your credit rating. Equifax didn't make an announcement about these changes. The Equifax Credit Report & Score was … [Read more...]
3 month car finance payment breaks because of Coronavirus
In April 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA ) set out new rules for car finance lenders on how they should respond to customers who are affected by coronavirus. It followed the general "three-month payment breaks" approach used for other credit from mortgages to credit cards. In July, the FCA these rules were extended to allow for a first or second payment break to be taken up until … [Read more...]