Centre for Responsible Credit

How Labour can keep its promise and reduce health inequality once and for all The government has made promising steps to reduce health inequality. Here’s what Impact on Urban Health want to see following summer recess.

Great to see our Financial Shield project highlighted by
@impurbanhealth.bsky.social in @bigissue.com
Community based advice, delivered in partnership with primary care, makes a huge difference to the lives of people with long-term health conditions bit.ly/44ZYnJ6

Crossed wires? Do credit score messages lead to harmful financial behaviours? New CfRC research indicates that some lower-income borrowers are highly sensitive to their credit scores, and this could be negatively impacting their financial behaviours: causing them to prioritise ...

New research: some lower-income borrowers are highly sensitive to their credit scores, and this could be negatively impacting their financial behaviours: causing them to prioritise credit repayments over the payment of household bills and other essentials. bit.ly/4574o85

Regulating for growth, or (de)regulatory sludge? Calls for deregulation are ignoring the lessons of the past. In this blog we draw on our recent response to the FCA and FOS joint call for input concerning 'mass redress' events to highlight how a lac...

Our latest blog highlights how a lack of clear rules and (de)regulatory 'sludge' combine to cause widespread consumer harm. We call for better regulation not deregulation as the means to support 'growth without consumer exploitation'. bit.ly/3ErzJaH

Supporting households in energy debt We commissioned Clear Consultancy Services to analyse the impact of higher energy debts on individuals, households, and the debt advice sector. The resulting executive summary outlines seven key recom...

#Energy is the fastest growing type of debt presenting at #debt advice services in GB, but accessing help from suppliers is difficult.
In their new report, @impurbanhealth.bsky.social and Clear Consultancy Services outline how support can be improved.
urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/rep...

The Fair for You and Iceland Food Club: Impact Evaluation The Food Club is a highly innovative partnership between Fair for You and Iceland Foods, providing small sum, interest-free credit to a demographic that has been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis....

Our evaluation of the Fair for You and Iceland Foods Food Club reveals how it is helping people badly hit by the cost-of-living crisis: reducing the need to use interest bearing credit, helping households keep on top of bills, and improving diets and health. Read more at bit.ly/4gpR1Th

Buy Now Pay Later needs to pay for debt advice The regulation of Buy Now Pay Later is a long time coming. In the meantime, lenders in this sector haven’t been making any contribution to the funding of debt advice. It's time for #BuyNowToPayNow

The delay in regulating Buy Now Pay Later has meant firms haven't contributed to the cost of providing debt advice services for over three years. On government's current timescale it will be a further two before they do.

It's time for #BuyNowToPayNow
bit.ly/4eZjOgs

Illegal lending: new evidence from the Debt Need Survey Our recent analysis of the Debt Need Survey provides important new evidence about the drivers of illegal lending. Contrary to recent reports of a 'credit vacuum' arising from regulatory interventions,...

Our recent analysis of the Debt Need Survey also provides important evidence concerning the drivers of illegal lending.

Contrary to theories of illegal lending being driven by over-zealous regulation, the main problems are over-indebtedness and poverty. bit.ly/3VqEEye

The need for debt advice and the challenges ahead In 2021, the Money and Pensions Service ('MaPS') changed the way it estimated the number of people in need of debt advice. Undertaking secondary analysis of the MaPS 'Debt Need Survey' for 2023 we fin...

@moneypensionsuk.bsky.social has underestimated the true extent of Britain's debt problems. Our new analysis finds one in four adults in clear need of debt advice, equating to 13.5 million people - 5 million more than the MaPS estimate. It's time to #RaiseTheLevy bit.ly/4fTxE57

Risk appetite: the credit industry bares its teeth Following the Chancellor's Mansion House speech there have been calls for the FCA to review its creditworthiness and affordability rules. In this blog, we argue these regulations are not the reason wh...

There have been recent calls for the FCA to review its creditworthiness and affordability rules but these regulations are not the problem. The cost-of-living crisis has made consumer credit unaffordable for many. Our blog bit.ly/3B8ALHk

How severe is the consumer credit debt burden? The stock of outstanding consumer credit is at an all-time high. But relative to gross household incomes the ratio is falling. In this blog we take a deep dive into the data, highlighting why aggregat...

Consumer credit debt is at an all-time high, and its the poorest households who are under the greatest weight.

Our new blog bit.ly/3B10scM