Response to Bank of England’s Money and Credit statistics - February 2016

February 1st, 2016

In response to November’s Money and Credit figures from the Bank of England, Peter Tutton, Head of Policy at StepChange Debt Charity, said:

"The latest figures show that the rapid rise in consumer credit continues. This could reflect Christmas shopping or increasing consumer confidence. It will be important to monitor if these trends carry on through the first few months of 2016.

"In the ten years leading up to the financial crisis, we saw how a combination of consumer confidence and rising credit masked the underlying financial vulnerability of many households, resulting in an explosion of problem debt and insolvencies.

"It is vital that creditors lend responsibly and that we have adequate safety nets for those who are struggling, otherwise a whole new group of people could be dragged into problem debt."

Notes to editors:

1.Statistics from Bank of England Money and Credit statistics, available here.