en-us http://backend.userland.com/rss Your Friends @ Myvesta.org.uk (stever@myvesta.org) myvestaukblog_archive.html stever@myvesta.org 114546957660537963 One in 11 adults have county court judgments (CCJs) registered against them in England and Wales, according to new research.

The figure highlights the rise of debt problems faced by Britons. UK borrowers now collectively owe more than £1 trillion (£1,000bn) on mortgages, credit cards and loans.

A CCJ is a court order against a debtor to pay money owed. It can be used to force payment through bailiffs and makes it far harder for a borrower to get new credit.

Households in certain parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands are most likely to have CCJs registered against them than anywhere else in England or Wales, according to research by online credit report service MyCallcredit.

'These findings are surprising because the post towns that top the tables for CCJ registrations by household are concentrated around the Midlands and the North,' said Alison Nicholson, MyCallcredit director. 'In the 20 worst post towns for CCJ registrations only Plymouth, South East and East London fall outside this geographical area.'

'The Home Counties and other places within commuting distance of London, have some of the lowest levels of CCJ registrations by household with the residents of Stevenage, Reading, Ipswich and Brighton all falling in the bottom 20 post towns for CCJ registrations.'

The Registry Trust, which records CCJs, last month revealed the number of judgments against consumers in 2005 was 573,000, up 7% on a year earlier and bucking a declining trend since 1991.

www.myvesta.org.uk

This is Money
15 April 2006