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Showing posts with label Office of Fair Trading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Office of Fair Trading. Show all posts

Saturday 19 May 2012

Consumers' Debt trap of payday loans in UK

 
A third of people experienced greater financial problems as a result of taking out a payday loan, according to Which?

Payday loans are trapping increasing numbers of consumers in a downward spiral of debt caused by exorbitant penalty charges, a consumer group has warned.

More than 60pc of people who take out payday loans are using the money for household bills or buying other essentials like food, nappies and petrol, a survey by Which? found.

The figures show an "alarming" picture of people trapped in debt caused by penalty charges because they cannot afford to pay back the loan on time, the watchdog said.

A quarter (25pc) of those who had taken out loans said they had been hit with hidden charges such as high fees for reminder letters, and one in five (18pc) were not able to pay back their loan on time.

A third of people (33pc) experienced greater financial problems as a result of taking out a payday loan, and 45pc of them were hit with unexpected charges.
Which? said the debt trap was compounded with 57pc being encouraged to take out further loans and 45pc rolling over their loans at least once.

A third of people (33pc) were bombarded with unsolicited calls, texts and emails before they had even signed an agreement.

The investigation of 34 payday loans companies' websites also found that customers could face a £150 charge by one company, Quid24.com, if they repaid their loan 10 days late. Most of the companies failed to show clearly their charges or charged excessive amounts for defaulting.

Consumers were also potentially being allowed to take on credit they could not afford, with eight out of 34 companies failing to carry out any credit checks as part of their approval procedure and nearly two-thirds of those surveyed not asked about any aspect of their financial situation apart from their salary.

Some websites failed to provide any terms and conditions and many of those that did had little or no information about a borrower's rights and obligations or references to free debt advice.

Which? is calling on the Office of Fair Trading to enforce existing consumer credit and lending rules that already apply to payday loans firms and to restrict the default charges that payday loans companies can charge.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "With 1.2 million people taking out a payday loan last year, it is unacceptable for this rapidly growing number of people to be inadequately protected from extortionate charges and dodgy marketing techniques.

"At its worst, this booming £2bn industry can be seriously bad news for borrowers who are struggling to afford food or pay their bills. People are getting caught up in a debt trap, whacked with high penalty charges, or encouraged to roll over payments and take out more loans at inflated rates.

"The regulator should properly enforce the existing rules that apply to this industry, but they must go further and impose a cap on the amount that lenders can charge for defaulting.

The Government should also now explore other ways to protect hard-pressed borrowers, including Australian-style measures to cap costs and promote affordable alternatives."

Consumer Focus director of financial services Sarah Brooks said: "This research throws up some extremely troubling findings and poses many uncomfortable questions about the growing payday loan sector.

We have long held concerns about the behaviour of some payday lenders and whether consumers are losing out because this industry is not regulated strongly enough.

"Our research in 2010 showed problems with inadequate affordability checks and borrowers being offered multiple new loans or roll-overs on existing loans. Which?'s findings suggest that problems have worsened in this industry and that more borrowers are finding themselves caught in debt traps. Millions are turning to these loans in the current economic climate and it is usually those on lower incomes that suffer most.

"This work is timely given the OFT's compliance review of payday lenders. There is clearly a continuing problem with payday loans and this should give further incentive, if any is needed, for the OFT to act quickly to protect consumers from spiralling debt." Telegrah

Friday 5 August 2011

British loan sharks up 40% !





Number using loan sharks in Wales up 40% in four years

Loan sharks often target vulnerable people such as single parents on low incomes, according to the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit
Continue reading the main story

The number of people in Wales turning to loan sharks has risen by 40% in the last four years.
The Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit (IMLU) said the figure has jumped from 15,000 to 25,000 since 2007.

The most vulnerable areas include Swansea, Newport, Cardiff, south Wales valleys and the north Wales coast.

Steven Hay, head of the unit, said victims were usually debt-ridden individuals trying to provide for their families.

He said loan sharks targeted vulnerable people like those on low incomes.

Funded by the UK government, but acting on behalf of Wales' 22 councils, the Cardiff-based IMLU has a mix of trading standards officers and former police detectives for its investigations.

Gambling debts 

Mr Hay told BBC Wales: "In other parts of the UK, it can exist around drugs, gambling debts or alcohol but we found that more than anything the people in Wales want to provide for their families and sometimes that drives them to go to a loan shark for money."



Case Study

"Katie" is a single mother with two small children who got into trouble after borrowing £3,000 from a loan shark.

She had to pay back £5,500 - an interest rate of more than 100%.

"He was a very big man and I had heard what he had done to other people and what he was capable of," she said.

"I wasn't sleeping, I was suicidal and I was always worried that my kids would be better off with somebody else and that I should end it all for them to have a better life.

"It really was horrendous."

The loan shark lending money to Katie was eventually arrested and jailed.
He said that since its inception in 2007, the unit had identified loan books held by illegal money lenders totalling around £2.5m, and had managed to eradicate around £1m of illegal debt in Wales.
The team has also worked with 1,700 victims and brought 32 people to trial, but the figures are "just the tip of the iceberg", according to Mr Hay and his team.

Claire Smith of Swansea's LASA Credit Union, one of the areas identified as vulnerable by the team, advised people to use their services instead of turning to loan sharks.

She told BBC Wales: "If an illegal money lender is taken out of an area, the issue you have is if somebody has been using that as a source of credit and that credit is taken away, no matter how bad it is, and they think that there is nowhere else to go, another illegal money lender will just come in and take over the patch."

Steven Hay of the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit  
Steven Hay said the figures were just the "tip of the iceberg" and more victims are out there
Mr Hay added that loan sharks targeted communities with vulnerable people, such as families or single people on a low income, often reliant on welfare benefits.

Unlawful imprisonment 

Anyone who makes money from lending must have a consumer credit licence from the Office of Fair Trading.

The unit has uncovered many cases of people charged extortionate rates of interest, often with no paperwork.

As well as the threat and use of violence, loan shark criminality can extend to blackmail, money laundering, fraud and unlawful imprisonment or kidnap.

Mr Hay urged those experiencing problems with loan sharks to contact the team's 24- hour hotline on 0300 123 3311.

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