Industry Topic - 2012 Q4 Insolvency Service Statistics

R3, the trade body for Insolvency Professionals, recently commented on the above statistics. The statistics provide an interesting insight into the current climate and give us much food for thought. There is clearly still some way to go for the economy to instil confidence........

R3 say, "Total individual insolvencies in 2012 are down 8% from 2011 figures, while bankruptcy orders have fallen 24% year on year which is encouraging, however this should not be taken as an indication that people are prosperous and financially secure. There remains a vast majority of individuals who are still struggling with their personal finances. This is evidenced by consumer spending falling as people continue to prioritize paying down their debt."

"Individuals typically petition for bankruptcy because of credit card and bank debt that they cannot repay however in recent times we have seen more manageable repayment plans put in place by lenders. This has allowed indebted individuals to pay off their debts over a longer period of time instead of entering formal insolvency. If lenders were to become more aggressive in their pursuit of debts owed it is likely that we will see more individuals becoming insolvent."  

The full statement can be read here. 

Postcode Insolvency

R3, the insolvency trade body, has published a ‘bankruptcy map’ revealing the regions and local authorities that have seen the highest proportion of new personal insolvency cases.

The bankruptcy map which looks at the number of new bankruptcies and Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) that occurred in England and Wales shows that the likelihood of becoming insolvent was almost seventy percent (69.5%) higher in the North East than in London. 

There were almost six thousand (5,923) new personal insolvency cases in the North East which means that for every ten thousand people, 29 of them became insolvent.

The figures indicate that people who live in London are least likely to go into a formal insolvency procedure. The average number of new cases in England is 24.3 per ten thousand - in London there were 17.1 new personal insolvency cases for every ten thousand people.

R3’s President, Steven Law commented: “Prior to the recession, the North East had a higher than average unemployment rate and the region’s construction industry was badly hit during the economic downturn so it is understandable that personal insolvencies are more common there.

Londoners are least likely to become insolvent as there are more employment opportunities in the region. Unfortunately, with the announcement of public sector job cuts, it is likely that the figures will worsen, especially in areas such as the North East where public sector employment is high.”

The top ten insolvency hot spots (new personal insolvency cases per 10,000):

• Torbay, South West (45.8)
• Kingston upon Hull and the Humber (40.7)
• Lincoln, East Midlands (39)
• Plymouth, South West (38.8)
• North Tyneside, North East (37.4)
• Gateshead, North East (37.1)
• Corby, East Midlands (37)
• Hastings, South East (36.9)
• West Devon, South West (36.9)
• Thurrock, East Anglia (36.7)