Bridging the gap: Building confidence and compliance with CCTA Academy

Published 01 August 2025

Look at any Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) review in consumer credit and one message stands out: learning and development are critical. They not only ensure staff have the technical skills needed to deliver good outcomes but also help shape a firm’s culture.

Rapid modernisation: How AI is shaping the future of debt management and recovery

Published 01 August 2025

Debt is a deeply personal issue, and for many, it can be overwhelming and emotionally stressful. As financial pressures grow, the number of people seeking debt support is rising, particularly among younger generations. For debt management organisations, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity. The industry must meet evolving needs with empathy, while also improving efficiency and outcomes for younger, digital-led audiences.

Building a human connection: Using WhatsApp to excel your collections process

Published 01 August 2025

The development of WhatsApp and various other live chat functions presents an opportunity to streamline the collections process while improving customer outcomes and experiences. For many years, collections departments have worked manually to support customers, engaging in emails and phone calls. This method is definitely more hands-on but inefficient and, at times, expensive. The emergence of automated chatbots provides a chance to reduce costs without hurting the customer journey.

Forget-me-not… Outsourcing overseas, SaaS, Skynet and the things people forget

Published 01 August 2025

Recently clients have been talking to us about overseas outsourcing, SaaS and leveraging technology, such as AI Agents. It is a challenging time for firms at the moment, and it is natural to want to seize upon opportunities for efficiency. While they are all different, there are key risk areas common to these scenarios, which businesses need to consider when designing these arrangements, in order to appropriately manage risk and comply with regulatory expectations.

Don’t get left behind.. Borrowers have changed – has your payment strategy?

Published 01 August 2025

Acquired.com’s UK Consumer Lending Payments Trends 2025 Report offers a contemporary lens on the evolving world of consumer lending. In a financial environment where borrowers are increasingly digital, discerning, and adaptive, UK lenders are under pressure to modernise their repayment and collections strategies. Our report is a comprehensive guide to the new realities shaping lender and borrower behaviours, drawing insights directly from interviews with 500 active borrowers.

A risky mix: Influencers, brand mentions and financial promotions

Published 01 August 2025

Influencers are everywhere, and increasingly they’re talking about financial products. Sometimes, they even mention a firm’s name. But what happens when your brand is featured in a video you didn’t approve? It might seem like free publicity, but it could also be a regulatory headache.

A measured approach: Navigating the financed emissions challenge in lending

Published 01 August 2025

Commercial lending is rapidly evolving, driven by the pressing need for financial institutions to address climate change and account for their environmental impact. A key element of this shift is “financed emissions” – the greenhouse gas emissions tied to loans and investments. While the concept is clear, accurately calculating and managing these emissions poses significant hurdles, particularly concerning data availability, standardisation, and attributing responsibility.

Preparation time: DCA’s and data – why motor lenders must act now

Published 01 August 2025

The UK motor finance industry is facing a reckoning. With the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigating historic selling practices, lenders could be on the hook for billions in redress claims linked to Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCAs). DCAs were widely used between 2007 and 2021, allowing brokers to adjust customer interest rates to boost their own commissions, but without disclosing this to the borrower. The FCA banned the practice in 2021, but recent court rulings have reignited scrutiny as to whether lenders breached fiduciary duties by failing to disclose commission structures, denying customers the chance to give “fully informed consent.”

Putting your best foot forward: Sustainable lending in the consumer credit market

Published 01 August 2025

In today’s dynamic economic landscape, the importance of sustainable and affordable credit has never been more critical. The FCA expects firms to place good customer outcomes at the heart of their business models and help consumers to navigate their financial lives.

In debt? The doctor (might) see you soon…

Published 01 August 2025

Weighing in at 168 pages, the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England is a somewhat intimidating document. But among its 71,000 words, are a couple of sentences which will interest anyone in the consumer credit industry. The plan proposes the establishment of a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community. The first will be established “in the places where healthy life expectancy is lowest” – these are of course most likely to be poorer communities – and will be a “one stop shop”, open at least twelve hours a day and six days a week, offering a range of co-located NHS, local authority and voluntary sector services.

Human conversations, digital scale: The role of conversational AI in consumer credit

Published 01 August 2025

Now more than ever, there is an increase in regulatory scrutiny and a shift in consumer expectations, leading to a transformation in communication within the credit and collections sector. Central to this is conversational AI, which is transforming the way creditors interact with customers, particularly those experiencing financial difficulties.

Supporting people with every step: StepChange – more than debt advice

Published 01 August 2025

We’re excited to join this year’s CCTA conference, offering us the opportunity to share more about how StepChange helps members and customers through financial challenges. While over 171,000 people received debt advice from us in 2024, that’s only one part of our broader, more comprehensive support system. We’re not just about one-time fixes, our focus is long-term help, built on meaningful relationships and sustained outcomes.