ROAR Newsletter Summaries

What you need to know this week Bank of England data (published 5/1/2026) showed net consumer credit borrowing rose to £2.1bn in November 2025, including £1.0bn on credit cards.Annual growth in total consumer credit increased to 8.1% in November, with credit card borrowing growth rising to 12.1%.Effective interest rates remained high, including interest-charging overdrafts at 21.57% and credit cards at 21.60%.Mortgage approvals for house purchase fell to 64,500, while remortgaging approvals rose to 36,600.StepChange recorded 3,958 website visitors on Christmas… Read more

What you need to know this week Ofgem raised the energy price cap for Q1 2026, increasing typical annual bills by around £3 for customers on variable tariffs.The FTSE 100 rose above 10,000 for the first time, reflecting continued market optimism linked to AI-driven earnings expectations.FCA opened a public enforcement investigation into The Claims Protection Agency Limited (TCPA) over motor finance-related financial promotions and sales practices.TCPA entered a voluntary requirements restriction effective 12 August 2025, including halting new customer onboarding… Read more

What you need to know this week MaPS SFS governance: implementation remains on track for the first Monday in April 2026, signalling operational change for how Standard Financial Statement inputs may be applied across advice and collections.Government debt strategy: cross-sector work continues into 2026, with implications for public-sector recovery approaches and private-sector collaboration.Bank of England decision: Bank Rate reduced to 3.75% on 18/12/2025 following a 5–4 MPC vote, affecting affordability dynamics, arrears risk, and collections segmentation.Labour market softening: unemployment rose… Read more

What you need to know this week UK economic output contracted by 0.1% in October 2025, with output also down 0.1% over the three months to October, underscoring a fragile growth outlook for 2026.Supply-side disruption continues to affect manufacturing: the Jaguar Land Rover cyber-attack remains a drag on production, with only a modest October recovery.Market expectations remain for a further cut in interest rates, but the narrative of investment-led growth in 2026 is not yet supported by clear confidence indicators… Read more

What you need to know this week Citizens Advice, IPPR and Policy in Practice set out reforms to targeted bill support and social tariffs that could save struggling households up to £950 a year across energy, water, broadband and motor insurance.Regulators, utilities and advice providers are converging on accelerated enrolment to social tariffs and Priority Service Registers, with data sharing, Ability to Pay, Vulnerability Management and Income Optimisation central to strategies going into 2026, including the Ofgem Debt Relief Scheme.Mortgage… Read more

What you need to know this week Income tax thresholds frozen until 2031, pulling 1.7m additional taxpayers into higher bands by 2029/30.Unemployment rises to 5.0%, the highest in four years, indicating labour market weakening.UK household debt reaches £1.93tn, up £55.5bn year-on-year.FCA expands its pre-application support and begins digitising core authorisation forms.FOS proposes increased fees and levies for 2026/27 and expects 188,000 new complaints.StepChange reports 14,050 clients completing debt advice in October, with 87% starting digitally.Ofgem consults on Debt Relief Scheme… Read more