The Registry Trust, the agency responsible for recording judgment information, has reported sharp increases in both English business and consumer debt. Indeed, so far as consumer debt is concerned, the amount of consumer debt is the highest since current records, dating back to Q1 2005, began.

Whilst the Scottish figures have yet to be released it is likely that they will reflect the ‘English experience’.

It is difficult to definitively explain these increases. However it is likely that pressure from lenders in their quest to reduce borrowing simply means that money has to be gathered in more quickly than before.  Ultimately this will lead to creditors being more robust in their collection methods with the subsequent rise in court action being obvious.

It will be interesting to see if this is a trend or merely a temporary blip although it will be surprising if a continued increase will be seen in future quarters simply because this will be unsustainable.