UK Personal Insolvencies Reach A New Record High

The number of people entering into an insolvency procedure in order to restructure their debts has reached a new all time record of more than 30,000 during the first quarter of 2007. Some 330 people either went bankrupt or entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement every single day between January and end of March 2007 according to the latest figures from the governments own Insolvency Service.

Although economic growth continues to remain high in the UK, a combination of increased bank lending in prior years together with current utility and council tax cost growth being higher than wage inflation, has pushed more and more people over the financial edge. Further base rate increases expected during 2007 by the Bank of England will only serve to further squeeze family disposable incomes and continue the growing insolvency trend. Moreover the UK remains a highly credit geared nation. More than 1.3 Trillion debt is now owed by UK consumers and credit lending has increased by more than 5% during 2006. Despite the banks trying to tighten their lending criteria we still borrow more than 1 million every 3 minutes.

In recent years Individual Voluntary Arrangements, offered as an alternative to bankruptcy, have been increasingly used by debtors as a means of restructuring their debts short of a complete bankruptcy. However as the creditors are now becoming increasingly stringent in which cases they accept; the rate of growth in IVAs is likely to be far less in future years than over the last 5 years phenomenal growth. An IVA increase of only 4.7% was recorded against the last quarter of 2006 approximately half the previous quarter on quarter growth.

Recent statistics have shown more than 4 million debt consolidation loans approved over the last 2 years, mainly by homeowners re mortgaging. With mortgage repossessions now also at a record high any major fall in property prices brought about as a consequence of increasing interest rates to combat inflation will close yet another avenue of debt escape and leave even more people close to personal financial meltdown.

Mark Hollinshead is a director of the Financial Guardian group of debt counsellors who provide http://www.financialguardian.co.uk The Financial Guardian group offer IVA debt consolidation services and specialist debt reduction advice to individuals, the self employed and small businesses.

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