The UK in recent years has seen a massive growth in the levels of personal
debt and thanks to increases in secured loans corresponding to a strengthening
of the housing market; it does not appear to be slowing down. Recent
figures from Creditaction show that since the end of 1993, when debt levels were
around the ?00bn level, they have now risen to an astounding ?148bn, and it is
growing at a rate of 10.2% per annum, or ?00bn over the last year alone.
Mortgage loans currently make up about 83% of the total personal debt level
following a 10.3% (?56.3bn) increase over the past year. Both the Bank of
England and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have reported a
pick up in the property market compared with the previous 12 months. The
RICS have seen increases in mortgage approval figures, as well as the number of
prospective buyers making enquiries. A spokesman for RICS, commenting on
the housing market, stated they believed, ?006 will see the first annual rise in
activity since 2002, after three consecutive years of decline?
International property consultant, KingSturge (http://www.kingsturge.co.uk/)
is more cautious however, predicting a modest 3% UK residential growth in 2006,
while chief economist for the Halifax, Martin Ellis, stated, "Another year
of below trend economic growth and the continuing high level of house prices in
relation to earnings... should curb housing demand and prevent a renewed bout of
high house price increases in 2006". This will come as good news for
the many first time buyers who are struggling to get onto the first rung of the
property ladder.
Consumer unsecured lending over the past 12 months has risen by 9.8%, which
is less than the rate of secured loans. According to Bank of England
figures, this represents a slight drop in monthly credit card spending levels
from October to November. Growing fears about abilities to repay the debts
are seen to have been a major contributing factor in the slowdown.
According to Experian three in four Britons worry about financial pressures
during the festive season with 20% still paying off the debts accrued over
Christmas six months later.
The Creditaction report has however indicated that overall average consumer
borrowing through credit cards, motor and retail finance deals, overdrafts and
unsecured personal loans, rose to ?,121 per UK adult by the end of November
2005. The average UK household debt was approximately ?,776 (excluding
mortgages) and ?6,491 including mortgages, with the average sum owed by each UK
adult at approximately ?4,636 each (including secured loans).
The means of making payments in shops has also seen changes, with debit cards
now overtaking credit cards as the most favored card method to account for two
thirds of all plastic payments. The switch to debit cards means that
shoppers gain tighter control of their spending without wracking up greater
debts. There is still more that can be done to reduce unnecessary expenses
however, with the average credit card APR at 15.75%. This is about 11%
higher than the base rate, and much higher than many widely available cards as
shown on the financial comparison site Moneynet (http://www.moneynet.co.uk/credit-card/index.shtml
).
Following on from a history of increasing personal insolvency rates in the
UK, with the period from July to September being the worst on record, the recent
figures make for welcome reading. However whilst the current trend seems to be
progressing towards a more responsible attitude to personal debt from both
lenders and borrowers, there is still much work and education that needs to be
done.
Disclaimer:
All information contained in this article, is for general information purposes
only and should not be construed as advice under the Financial Services Act
1986.
You are strongly advised to take appropriate professional and legal advice
before entering into any binding contracts.
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