Debt

Debt management firms have been ordered to stop offering staff incentives to mis-sell and to stop bombarding consumers with spam calls and texts.

Every taxpayer is to receive a personal statement spelling out what the Government is spending their tax on.

Squeezed consumers searching for the best deals face a "major risk" of being sold financial products they do not need, the finance watchdog warned today.

Tougher action is needed to clampdown on "opaque and poorly regulated" commercial debt management companies and payday lenders, a report from MPs urged today.

The controversial payday lending market is to be investigated by the Office of Fair Trading, the watchdog said this morning.

Vulnerable people in England and Wales could get better protection from bailiffs after the Government revealed plans to change the way they are regulated. However, critics say the measures don't go far enough and could even cost debtors more.

Low to middle income earners will not see their disposable income approach pre-recession levels until 2020 at best, a report from think-tank the Resolution Foundation warned today.

The number of people seeking help from free debt advice agencies has risen in the last year, a new survey shows.

Low income consumers are typically paying £174 a year on extra credit costs from high street lenders by building up charges as they juggle their finances, a report warns today.

The "bleak" financial situation faced by the younger generation was laid bare today, as official figures showed that more people aged 25 to 34 are turning to a type of insolvency known as a debt relief order (DRO) than any other age group.