Debt Matters

In this episode of Debt Matters, we look at the growing pressure on UK businesses as weaker growth, rising costs and continued insolvency activity create a tougher environment for getting paid on time. A new UK business update from the Credit Protection Association says firms are dealing with slowing demand, rising wage costs, higher fixed costs and ongoing geopolitical disruption. This is tighten...

Welcome to Debt Matters. Today, we are looking at a major UK government update on late payments and what it could mean for businesses, suppliers, and the wider debt collection landscape. The Department for Business and Trade published its response to the late payment consultation on 24 March 2026. In that response, the government said late payments are estimated to cost the UK economy almost £11 b...

Welcome to Debt Matters. Today, we are looking at a new government announcement that could shape how public sector debt is handled across the UK over the next few years. HM Treasury has launched its 2026 to 2030 Government Debt Management Strategy, setting out plans to give people and businesses clearer, more tailored support when repaying money owed to government. The government wants repayment p...

Welcome to Debt Matters. Today, we’re looking at the latest business insolvency figures in England and Wales, and what they tell us about the trading environment for firms, suppliers, lenders and collections teams. In February 2026, 1,878 companies entered insolvency in England and Wales. That was 7% higher than January’s 1,749. It was also 7% lower than February 2025’s 2,015. Creditors’ voluntary...

Welcome to Debt Matters, the podcast where we break down the latest UK news shaping debt collection, credit control, arrears, recoveries, and the wider payments landscape. Today’s story is a big one. StepChange is warning that arrears on essential bills are no longer a short-term pressure point. They are becoming a long-term feature of household finances across the UK. That matters not just for co...

Welcome to Debt Matters. Today’s story matters for consumer credit in the UK. The Financial Conduct Authority has published its final rules for Deferred Payment Credit, better known as Buy Now, Pay Later. These changes will bring the sector into FCA regulation from 15 July 2026. This matters because Buy Now, Pay Later has grown rapidly. The FCA says the market increased from £0.06bn in 2017 to mor...

Today we are looking at a story on household debt pressure. Lloyds, Halifax and MBNA customers are being warned that credit card interest rates are going up, and for anyone carrying a balance, this is the sort of change that can quietly make debt much harder to clear. What’s Happening? Some customers with credit cards from Lloyds, Halifax and MBNA are being contacted about a rise in their borrowin...

Welcome to Debt Matters, the UK debt collection and credit control podcast that turns the week’s news into practical takeaways for anyone managing receivables, arrears, or recoveries. Today we’re covering the collapse of Market Financial Solutions, known as MFS, and a headline that grabbed attention: US hedge fund Elliott Management has around £200m of exposure tied to the failed lender. What happ...

Welcome to Debt Matters, the UK debt collection and credit control podcast where we turn the biggest stories into practical takeaways for anyone chasing cashflow. Today: Mastercard has hired Sir Jon Thompson to chair Vocalink, right as the Bank of England prepares decisions around the UK’s next-generation payments platform. What happened Mastercard is strengthening its position in the UK payments...

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) set out proposals to improve how credit information is shared and to reduce “gaps” where someone’s credit file is incomplete or inconsistent across credit reference agencies. The FCA is consulting on changes that would push firms to share the same credit information more consistently across designated agencies, aiming to cut unaffordable lending, errors, and f...

What happened Legal and General will commit up to $1bn over 5 years to back debt-for-nature swaps, which refinance expensive government debt into cheaper, guarantee-supported debt to cut interest costs and fund conservation. The market has slowed due to reduced political risk support. L&G has already backed swaps in Ecuador (Galapagos), Belize, and Gabon, and this move would lift its related i...

If you collect debts in the UK, today’s jobs numbers are a warning light: when unemployment rises and wage growth slows, arrears usually follow. And with credit card borrowing costs hitting fresh highs, the “can’t pay” segment can grow fast. What happened 1. UK unemployment rose to 5.2% in Q4 2025, the highest since early 2021. 2. Youth unemployment (18 to 24) reached 14%, a 5-year high and descri...

Welcome to Debt Matters, the podcast where we turn the latest UK headlines into practical insights on arrears, recovery, and cashflow. Today we’re looking at a fresh consumer confidence survey that suggests UK households are feeling bleak about their finances, with debts rising and savings under pressure and what that means for collections and repayment behaviour. What happened A new S and P Globa...

Welcome to Debt Matters, the UK podcast where we turn the latest headlines into practical insights on arrears, recovery, and cashflow. Today we’re looking at fresh signals that the UK housing market may be stabilising, and what that could mean for debt, repayments, and collections. What happened A new survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors suggests the housing downturn eased in J...

If your household budget is already tight, a bigger council tax bill can be the push that turns “behind this month” into a backlog. For businesses, it can be another pressure point that changes how quickly customers pay. What happened Worcestershire County Council, led by Reform, was given government permission to raise council tax by up to 9% from April 2026, the largest increase in England. It i...

Welcome to Debt Matters, the UK podcast where we turn the week’s biggest economic headlines into practical moves for credit control and debt recovery. The Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates on hold, and that “wait and see” stance matters more for late payments than most people realise. What happened The Bank of England is expected to keep the Bank Rate at 3.75% at its February meet...

UK manufacturing is expanding again. That sounds positive, but for anyone dealing with late payments, the detail matters: more orders can also mean more working-capital strain and more invoice disputes. What happened S&P Global’s UK Manufacturing PMI rose to 51.8 in January 2026 (up from 50.6 in December) — the strongest reading since August 2024. New orders improved, export demand picked up,...

The Treasury has announced a business rates support package worth more than £80m a year for pubs and live music venues in England and Wales, after industry backlash to planned reforms. The Exchequer Secretary said every pub will get 15% off its new business rates bill from 1 April, worth about £1,650 for the average pub next year. Bills are then expected to be frozen in real terms for a further 2...

Today we’re unpacking a big UK credit headline: the Government says the UK’s major banks have agreed a £11 billion lending push aimed at small and mid-sized businesses, with UK Export Finance (UKEF) guaranteeing up to 80% of eligible loans. If you collect B2B debt, manage credit control, or run a business that lives and dies by cashflow, this matters. When fresh credit enters the system, it change...

Welcome to Debt Matters, the UK debt collection podcast where we turn the news into practical takeaways for creditors, collectors, and credit teams. The government has shelved the long-promised audit reform package and that can ripple through credit risk, recoveries, and late-payment behaviour. What happened The Department for Business and Trade has decided not to consult on the planned audit refo...

Welcome to Debt Matters. If you collect consumer debt in the UK, this story matters: more credit union lending and saving could mean fewer people falling into high-cost borrowing, but it could also change who gets paid first when budgets tighten. What happened Labour MPs have written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves urging a major expansion of UK credit unions to widen access to cheaper, community-base...

Rate Cuts and the New Landscape of Debt Recovery Welcome to Debt Matters, the UK podcast where we break down the news that shapes collections, credit control, and cashflow. Today we are looking at comments from Bank of England policymaker Alan Taylor, who says rates are set to fall further as inflation drops. What happened Taylor said the Bank of England should be able to keep cutting interest rat...

Rights to £20m of debt switches hands after a collections firm fell into administration If you outsource collections, you are not just outsourcing phone calls and letters. You are outsourcing a critical part of your cashflow engine. This week’s story is a perfect case study: a collections firm entered administration, and the rights to collect more than £20m of debt have now been sold to another ag...

Phoenix recruitment firms and unpaid tax bills: what “phoenixism” means for creditors and collections Welcome to Debt Matters, the UK podcast for credit control, collections, and cashflow risk. Today we’re unpacking “phoenixism” in recruitment: when a firm goes into insolvency, leaves debts behind, and a new company continues the trade under connected parties. What happened Multiple recruitment bu...

UK credit card borrowing rises at fastest annual rate in almost 2 years Welcome to Debt Matters, the podcast where we turn UK headlines into practical takeaways for credit, collections, and recoveries teams. Today we are looking at fresh Bank of England data showing a sharp jump in consumer borrowing, with credit cards leading the way. We will break down what happened, why it matters for arrears r...