Posts Tagged ‘cost’


Stagnant wages making debt problems worse

Monday, October 31st, 2011

A recent report has highlighted how stagnating wages in the UK are making debt problems for consumers even worse, with many people struggling to make debt repayments due to their income levels compared to soaring inflation and living costs. There are many people who have seen their wages frozen or even dropped over the past couple of years, putting intense pressure on them with regards to their finances.

As most people are aware, the cost of everything from petrol and food to energy usage has soared over the past year or two. However, at the same time the wages that people are earning have increased only marginally or not at all, leaving consumers facing the difficult task of making their income stretch much further than it did in the past. For those that have debt this has made it difficult to make anything more than the minimum repayment on their debt. In addition to this many people may have been forced to get even deeper into debt by borrowing money to make ends meet.

There are now concerns that this difficult situation could result in the already worrying personal debt problem in the UK becoming even worse, and household debt is expected to soar to £2 trillion by 2015, which many believe could be a real threat to the nation’s economic future. Some believe that economic growth will be severely hindered as a result of this situation and more and more people may end up having to turn to solutions such as insolvency to try and solve their debt problems.

One union official said: “As wages have stagnated, debt has soared. As incomes are squeezed further, the Office for Budget Responsibility expects household debt in this country to reach over £2 trillion by 2015 – an albatross around the neck of our economic future.”

Tags: result, cost, report, everything, Responsibility, albatross, living costs

Government cutbacks result in more debt

Monday, August 29th, 2011

A recent report has indicated that many people are being forced into so much debt as a result of the government cutbacks that they are being steered towards getting money from legal loan sharks, putting them in an even worse financial situation that it even more likely to spiral out of control. The left wing pressure group Compass has released the report, claiming that the widespread cutbacks have had a profound negative effect on the financial situations of many people.

The report claims that many people are now being forced to turn to legal loan sharks in order to get the money that they need to keep their heads above water financially, which means that they are getting deeper and deeper into debt and financial trouble. The group carried out interviews with over 250 social housing tenants in the West Midlands and 28 percent said that they now found that their debt levels were unmanageable.

Of those that were polled the average income was less than £8000 per annum yet the average amount of debt that was being paid out was £1200, which meant that around a quarter of income was being eaten up by debt. With many of these households on such a low income anyway this impact of paying out a quarter on debt is financially crippling, particularly given the soaring cost of living.

One official involved in the research said: “What makes this particularly alarming is that the Government is banking on personal debt increasing as a way to reduce the deficit but 28 per cent of those we surveyed are finding debts increasingly unmanageable. The Government’s economic plan could be driving borrowers into the arms of legal loan sharks which is a particularly unpleasant experience.”

Tags: impact, cost, group, control, order, polled, way

Many consumers destined for soaring debt

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

It has been claimed in a recent report that many workers in the low and middle classes in the UK may be destined to struggle with debt for the next few years. The report claims that many low and middle class workers will not see any sign of a pay rise until at least 2015, which means that they will be stuck on the salary that they are currently on – or may even have their salary reduced – for at least the next three years or so.

In the meantime, the cost of living continues to soar, which means that whilst these workers have to cope with the same level of pay they are having to pay more for everything from the cost of energy usage to the cost of running a car, putting food on the table, and paying their bills. In addition to this, when the base interest rate increases from its all time low of 0.5 percent, many will be tipped over the financial edge, as their mortgage repayments rocket.

The report was released by the think tank Resolution Foundation, with officials from the group stating that it would be around 2015 before people in these classes saw any improvement with their pay scales. The report said that this was down to the effects of the recession and government cutbacks and could cause serious problems for those that see their outgoings steadily increasing whilst their income remains static.

James Plunkett, who authored the report, said: “We all know that the recession has hit living standards hard. But something deeper has changed in our economy — even during the so-called boom years, ordinary workers weren’t seeing their living standards rise. The big question now is what will happen when growth resumes — will ordinary workers reap any of the benefits? This report suggests that is far from certain.”

Tags: outgoings, food, cost, Resolution Foundation, recent report, something, level

Repossession numbers could increase

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Over the past year or so repossession numbers have been declining, which has come as good news for homeowners and for the property industry as a whole. However, according to recent reports repossession numbers are on the rise again after it was revealed that 9,100 properties had been taken back by lenders in the three months leading to the end of March.

Between the last quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of this year repossession numbers had been falling each quarter according to figures, but the first quarter of this year saw an increase of 15 percent in repossession numbers. The Council of Mortgage Lenders has predicted that repossession numbers will continue to rise this year, adding that the figure could go as high as 40,000 repossessions or more over the course of the year.

The low base interest rate is, at present, helping some families to cope with repayments on their mortgages, as it has resulted in their repayments being lower. However, if the base rate increases this could results in an even higher number of repossessions this year, with more people unable to keep up with their mortgage repayments. Officials have put the financial difficulties that consumers are facing down to a range of different factors, such as the government’s austerity drive, the soaring cost of living, a freeze on wages, and higher taxes.

A CML official said: ‘Looking ahead, the financial position of many households is likely to be stretched for some while, and some will inevitably find themselves in difficulty. Lenders have a range of options to nurse borrowers through temporary problems, but will clearly need to be mindful of the regulator’s concern that too much forbearance may be as bad as too little.’

Tags: cost, higher number, recent, regulator, rate, loan, austerity drive

Debt advice system needs to be streamlined

Monday, January 31st, 2011

It has been suggested in a recent report that the debt advice system in the UK needs to be streamlined or order to make it more effective for those in need of such services. The suggestion comes as consumers gear themselves up for another financially challenging year, with the soaring cost of living, the VAT hike, government cuts, and potential job losses leaving many households in the financial edge.

If the year turns out to be as challenging as many have predicted it will be there could be further sharp increases in demand for debt related advice, as more and more people realise that they cannot keep up with their financial commitments in the difficult climate. The suggestion has come from the British Banker’s Association, which said that streamlining this sector could provide consumers with greater benefits.

The BBA said that consumers need to be given a better understanding of the system, and debt advice firms should be able to offer assistance to those struggling with debt at an earlier stage. Struggling consumers should also be given a wider range of options according to the BBA, as well as being offered clearer advice on what is available to them and how it can help. Officials from the BBA expressed concern over the confusion in the sector at present, with both formal and informal solutions being offered to consumers, and with some firms charging for advice and others offering it for free.

One of the people involved in the report said: “Our vision is to provide a clear and coherent process to help people facing debt difficulties, to intervene early where possible and to provide a simple debt resolution solution if those early attempts do not succeed. We want to unravel the red tape to bring about a more financially responsible solution for customers.”

Tags: red tape, debt resolution, VAT hike, realise, better understanding, cost, job losses

Should those in debt protect their income?

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Most people hate the uncertainty that they feel about their futures, and there are many things that we simply cannot take for granted, such as our health, our relationships, and our jobs. Uncertainty about the latter has been particularly affected in the last few years due to the financial climate, and many people would seriously struggle if they were unable to work due to sickness, injury, or redundancy.

When you think about how much you rely on your income to pay bills, settle debts, put food on the table, and put a roof over your head, you realise just how difficult things would be if you suddenly lost that income. Every year many people find themselves suddenly unable to work due to sickness, injury, or redundancy, and the loss of that income can cause serious problems.

In today’s climate in particular losing an income can be very difficult because not only do people have bills and mortgage or rent to deal with but also debts that they might have accrued over recent years. This would put those losing their income in a particularly difficult position, as it means that they would not be able to deal with their debts as well as not being able to deal with their living costs.

One thing that workers can do protect themselves and ensure that they can continue to meet their financial commitments and pay their living costs is to take out income protection insurance, and this is available from a number of providers. With income protection cover you can protect yourself against losing your income through sickness, injury, or redundancy, and for a specified period you will continue to receive the sum of money that you have covered yourself for if you lose your job or you are unable to work.

You will generally find that with income protection cover you can cover up to 75 percent of your monthly income, although this does vary from one provider to another. The time over which you can receive benefits will also vary, and choices often include six months, a year, two years, and five years. Again, the choices will vary based on the provider.

The cost of cover will vary based on the provider you go through, the level of cover that you choose, and the period over which you want to receive the benefit if you have to make a claim.

Tags: relationships, debt, cost, level, insurance

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