Doorstep loans - YES or NO

A doorstep loan or cash loan is usually the loan of last resort which carries a very high rate of interest. Most door to door loans have high interest rates due to the short nature of the loan.

If you find you are borrowing money from companies such as Provident, Shopacheck or Greenwoods, you may wish to contact us for debt advice UK about how to manage repayments.

Call our personal debt helpline today in confidence using 0800 018 6868.

How to clear Personal Debts with the increase of Energy prices

If you are struggling to clear personal debts and are increasingly worried about the prices changes within the energy markets, you need to prepare a budget to get you through the problematic period ahead. The budget can be quite simple, start by listing what you have coming into the household income each month and then prepare another list of what is going out in expenditure.

Once you have this income and expenditure statement you may be worried that you do not have enough coming in to cover what is going out!

That is when an individual needs to take debt advice UK about how to change the costs within the home or increase earnings to cover the extra costs each month, this is not all ways possible in a short space of time. if you have a mortgage, your personal debt problem is more serious regarding your property, that mortgage must be paid at all times, the moment you are falling behind with your mortgage, you must take financial advice!

You could be evicted from your home or place of residence and even if you are renting a property, you must keep up with the payments for the roof over your head as a main priority. Not all cases are so severe!

The following debt solutions can help you clear personal debts, debt management plans, debt consolidation loans, debt management UK, bankruptcy and Insolvency or an IVA.

If you need personal debt help or advice about how better to manage your finances, please call our personal debt helpline in total confidence today, our advisors are straight to the point and also aware you may be finding it difficult to pick up the phone and discuss the issues you are facing, we deal with personal debt problems daily so be strong and call our free phone debt helpline now using 0800 018 6868, your call is FREE from a landline!

Personal Debt Help Enquiries Surge in June

A sudden and great increase in personal debt help enquiries at Lewis Alexander has been reported for the month of June 2008.

We would normally expect by June that the post Christmas rush and need to clear credit cards, coupled with that need for money to clear personal debts to be over, this is not the case. A great number of UK residents seem to have waited to see if things get any better toward the Summer and most felt that by June 2008 enough was enough.

This sudden increase in debt advice UK enquiries, has come from individuals who have failed to enter into an IVA or broken the IVA agreement due to further changes in circumstance and a subsequent inability to maintain regular monthly contributions. Apart from Bankruptcy, in most cases a debt management plan is the best option available.

Clients that are in this position are also struggling, or did struggle with the IVA repayments due to the original payment being set too high at the outset. The high IVA payment ensured that the companies proposing the Iva's, could guarantee a minimum percentage of the total debt to be repaid over the agreed fixed period of 60 months, back to the respective creditors. Therefore, greatly increasing the chance of acceptance of the IVA at the "creditors meeting". We are not suggesting for one moment that these companies have acted fraudulently or illegally, merely pointing out where the machine of big business, can act as nothing more than a conflict of interest to the people with the original problem that created the source of revenue!

Personal debt help is simple when explained in the correct way. We can all dress things up to sound complicated but when it comes to personal debt, the importance of making the right decision of which debt solution to use is imperative, as time that is wasted in pursuing the wrong route can never be recovered!

At Lewis Alexander, we help many people every day to start the process of debt clearance and for those that wish to use our debt services, that have tried to find debt help before, the process is usually very straight forward. We enjoy keeping things as simple as can be for you, this way you will at all times understand what you are entering into!

For a debt advisory call, use our debt helpline today, lines are open 24 hours.

Call 0800 018 6868

Become clear of debt with direct help & advice

If you are struggling with your finances and require personal debt help or advice, try using a company that offers a free helpline as a starting point.

Companies that charge you for advice are not helping you!

IVA companies, that originally set up as sole IVA providers, are now chasing vulnerable debt management clients, as they are unable to sustain the levels of enquiries they had become accustomed to over the last few years whilst solely providing personal insolvency solutions.

This is strange as the models of some of these businesses were originally based on IVA operations but they seem to be operating in all sectors of late. When a personal insolvency company starts to move in a particular direction that it has been known to have portrayed previously as weak or a little none compliant, it can NOT only be based on changing times, they are possibly struggling to maintain existing levels of turnover from sole provision of the original service offered and this some what compromises the high esteem they may have previously been held in by some!

Lewis Alexander Financial Management urges people to seek advice from specialist debt companies and the consumer should ask the company offering the advice if they are privately or publicly owned. This can sometimes be evidence to the consumer of the true intent behind the company ethos, will they at all stages be compliant in their dealings, advice and debt solutions offered, whilst trying on the other hand to obtain income of sales to sustain hungry investor appetites? Or, are they privately owned and investing in their clients future high level of service by concentrating on improving the service experience current clients enjoy?

The real intention of any personal debt company should be to help the vulnerable consumer clear personal debts as quickly as possible. This is not all ways the case.

Please note that only an IVA can clear debts in 60 months or 5 years.Conditions do apply.

Debt Management will clear your debts and suits many people but no fixed time period or end date can be promised, any individual or company claiming to be able to offer an exact end date for the debt management plan is lying!

For friendly advice regarding all personal debt solutions, please call FREE using 0800 018 6868

Employment problems whilst struggling with personal debt?

If you fear you are about to be made redundant or have recently lost your job, do not prioritise the repayments of your personal unsecured debts. For example, credit cards, personal loans, catalogues etc. You MUST make sure you pay your priority debts and repayments first, such as, Mortgage, Rent, Council Tax, Electricity, Gas, TV license. If you allow arrears to build up or bills for the home get out of control, you could end up losing your home or dwellings.

We help many people understand which bills need paying first and which should take a back seat for the time being, we are not saying that unsecured debts should be ignored, quite the opposite, however, with a little sound advice it is quite amazing how easily a personal debt problem can sometimes be solved.

If you fear you are about to be made redundant or need help regarding benefits available, their are many organisations that can help and offer UK debt advice.

Personal debt in the workplace can be very difficult to deal with. Others around you are most probably going through the very same feelings of stress and worry. Do not suffer alone, call our debt helpline in confidence and sleep peacefully tonight!

Call 0800 018 6868 FREE from a landline today, it only takes one call to start to clear a debt problem!

In Personal Debt during a "Credit Crunch" House Sale?

Every day, the calls keep coming from people who need to clear their personal debts but who also have their property currently on the open market for sale. Where is the problem you ask?

If Mr & Mrs A own a property, that they believe is worth and currently being marketed for £300,000 and the house has been up for sale for 3 months without any viewings, it is likely they will have to asses what is going to be the reason why a potential buyer would buy their house before the next one available at the same or slightly lower price, it is about knowing the market in which you are selling your home!

This is not the point though, most people think their house is the one that will sell, it is our nature to prefer our own houses, cars, holidays etc....

However, Mr & Mrs A also have unsecured credit card debts and personal loan agreements outstanding that total approximately £35,000. The interest on the personal debt is accruing daily and their ability to repay more than the minimum payments is limited and becoming more so as the months move on. Mr & Mrs A believe that when they sell their house they will pay off their personal debts, it is quite simple!

Or is it?

Mr & Mrs A may not sell their house for another 6 months, it may not sell at all!

In the current climate, the case could be that Mr & Mrs A sell their house for a lot less than they originally thought meaning less equity to pay off the debts after the sale. Whilst waiting to sell the house the interest and charges on the personal debt has increased the total amount now owing to possibly £37,500-40,000. It all depends on the interest accruing on the debt outstanding!

The point is simple, people should not put all their"eggs in one basket".

Mr & Mrs A should make plans to deal with or take advice regarding the unsecured debt level and possibly reduce it whilst trying to sell the house. The concern of keeping the credit score in tact is a little like "shutting the stable door once the horse has bolted".

For more advice regarding personal debt problems and ways around managing your debt through the sale of your home in a volatile market, please call today using 0800 018 6868, our lines are open 24 hours, your call is FREE and dealt with in total confidence.

Alone in Personal Debt, Partner NOT Aware?

Are you living alone and suffering with the stress and worry of personal debt issues or problems.

You may be living with a partner or married and unable to share your concerns due to worry of affecting your relationship. This is very common be you alone or just unable to talk to anyone. Most people that call our debt helpline understand that they are not alone once they speak with a trained advisor.

Credit companies are trying to obtain as much of your disposable income (the money you have spare each month after bills and living costs) as possible, there are rules for lenders on how much they can lend people and the industry term for this is "Responsible Lending".

It basically means that if a lender thinks, that after looking through and investigating your income and expenditure (a financial statement on your self) that you are unable to afford repayments on a new proposed loan, they MUST NOT lend you the money. If you encountered a further change in circumstance for the worse, you may not be able to repay the lender the money you borrowed. Not lending the money in this instance where an individual can not afford to repay is now known as "Responsible Lending" on behalf of the lender which can only be seen as most commendable.

A great number of consumers get frustrated and tempered with loan providers and their loan brokers when unable to get the acceptance for the credit they so need or want. This is not the lenders fault or problem, consumers must take responsibility also for their past and make more responsible decisions by thinking more long term regarding their money and financial status by obtaining debt advice UK.

The finance industry is like most "a double edged sword" on the one side you have the compliant companies who respect people and their personal situations, on the other side are the more unscrupulous companies that prey on the vulnerable consumer.

At Lewis Alexander we offer financial advice regarding all personal debt issues, do not suffer alone and do not be afraid of talking with us if you fear your partner and their reaction.

Did you know, more people are more likely to speak and be open with their partner about an extra marital affair or relationship they have had than the problems they have gotten into regarding personal debt and finances?

Call today to clear debt using 0800 018 6868, your call is FREE from a land line and dealt with in the strictest confidence!

IVA take up rate 12% of Debt Consolidation enquiries!

The take up rate for the personal IVA at Lewis Alexander is 12%.

The company specialises in the Personal Debt Management sector and has done so successfully since February 2003. The information released is based upon enquiries that are generated from the initial enquiry to a live conversion into a Lewis Alexander client. The IVA work is outsourced to preselected Insolvency Practitioners.

The remaining 88% splits down into 63% opting for a Lewis Alexander Debt Management Plan and the final remainder choose options such as bankruptcy and loan options where available.

The figure is surprising as the general market place of personal debt advice and help services seems to be direct selling the IVA! Lewis Alexander are proud to offer the client a full explanation where necessary so as to enable the consumer to make an informed decision. This could be adopted as best practice amongst all companies and implemented on a compliance basis by a regulator.

The industry could then adopt an accepted standard conversion rate for a compliant fee charging advisory service.

The main problem Lewis Alexander has encountered with the funding and floatation's of IVA PLC companies, dating back to 2004, is that the individual choosing to enter into an IVA over a Debt Management Plan or Voluntary Petition for Bankruptcy is no different in there make up, they are still only human! The point being is that the individual is open to exactly the same changes in circumstances over the next 5 years that has created the need for action in the first place. The Debt Management Plan may not be as rewarding in fees as an IVA to the operating company but is sometimes a preferred approach for advice when the advisor has the experience the client does not!

Yes, companies are in business to make money but at this end of the financial sector there should be an element of caution as the detriment to the consumer can be catastrophic if the consumers IVA fails due to their lack of continuity of payment etc,,

The Debt Management Plan is not a legally binding agreement and is informal between client and creditor. Therefore, the "City of London" or financial institutions raising funds for floatation's have avoided Debt Management Companies in the main. This is why some of the IVA companies or IVA factories have scurried around making acquisitions that seem still to be proven on a profitability basis. These companies surely could not have floated as Debt Management operations but did create great projections and share rushes, then proceeded to buy Debt Management companies in a bid to keep their bottom line positive and reduce the cost per client acquisitions.

Lewis Alexander has previously rejected take over bids from a certain IVA company due to this mind set as described above. The take over would have affected the success enjoyed by both client and employee when clearing debts, coupled with the excellent balance of impeccable client retention rates with outstanding abilities to generate new enquiries that convert into acquisitions.

The cost to an IVA company to generate an acquisition had reached £1000 over the last 2 years and in some cases more. These companies business models are costly and when compared to the Lewis Alexander CPA of an IVA at £150, it seems outrageous. Is the sector finished as a direct sell arena and where will the money makers move next?

We can confirm that the only PLC involvement at Lewis Alexander is Profitability, Liquidity & Capital.

IVA or Debt Management? - Get a FREE Credit Check from Experian before you decide

Before you decide on either a Debt Management Plan or an IVA / Individual Voluntary Arrangement, make sure you have checked your current credit status!

This is important as it will show you what is on record about your financial history. You do not want to carry on as though this information does not exist and once you read it, things on the report seem less frightening than you thought. If anything, it is a good starting point for any debt advisor to help you from, as it is easily read by people who are reading them daily.

You can get a free credit report online from Experian in the UK.

IVA Companies Failing to Maximise! warns Uk Debt Management Specialist

IVA companies are finding it increasingly difficult to convince consumers to enter into an IVA.

Some companies push the IVA over other options available such as Debt Management or Bankruptcy. The consumer does not get a fair explanation and then the end result can be quite a shock for the person who has entered into the IVA.

Ability to borrow can be delayed for many years after the IVA has ended and certain restrictions can be very tiresome.

Debt management plans have been given a hard time with bad press over the years but it is quite amazing how many people prefer to take them and when operated by a good company those clients also complete the plans!

Lewis Alexander advise many people every day, help is available 24 hours, call free 0800 018 6868

FISA registration APPROVED for Lewis Alexander Limited

FISA (Financial Industry Standards Association) have approved the Lewis Alexander Limited application for registered membership.

The membership is based on a one year probationary period as set out by FISA.

The Lewis Alexander team are elated by the news of successful membership and look forward to the compliant benefit of such accreditation. Lewis Alexander do hope that the news will entice other finance companies of all sizes to aspire to such industry standards to remain compliant and consumer friendly.

Enforcement Restriction Orders for 2010, will it affect the IVA & Debt Management

The Press Association have reported that the Government plans to introduce an initiative called the Enforcement Restriction Order. This is designed to assist people who have been subjected to a change in personal circumstances who have personal debts outstanding that can't be immediately repaid.

In essence it is a facility for consumers to approach a county court and ask for an order to be placed which allows them a PAYMENT HOLIDAY suspending due payments for up to one year. Interest would still accrue on accounts but late payment charges would be waived during the payment holiday.

Courts would be expected to make the Enforcement Restriction Order difficult to obtain if the consumer is not struggling with a catalogue of low value debts. Mortgages, Student Loans & Child Maintenance would be excluded from any Enforcement Restriction Order

24Hr IVA & Debt Management helpline is LIVE!

Lewis Alexander are proud to anounce that since 1st January 2008 they have conducted a 24 hour advice solution for Uk consumers troubled by personal debt problems.

The main difference between this helpline and the other free charitable ones available is simple, the advors are funded by Lewis Alexander Limited therefore the advice is impartial of the credit companies most consumers owe.

The free charites are in the main funded by well known creditors.

Lewis Alexander operate this only with the absolute dedication of a committed team and are certain that after the initial trial period the helpline should remain open until further notice.

Call free using 0800 018 6868, your call will be dealt with in total confidence!

Beware of the Charging Order! Get Free help

The Charging Order is seeing a surge in demand from credtors rushing to turn unsecured debts into county court judgements (CCJ's) then allowing for the Charging Order process to begin.

Lewis Alexander are offering help to their clients with Charging Order proceedings as in most cases there is evidence of unfair collection procedures by creditors.

All personal debt must be collected compliantly by the respective collection company or creditor. There are guidelines in place to protect consumers from unlawful collection procedures and we advise any individual being bullied by their creditors to cotact our free debt helpline for further advice and information.

Visit http://www.lewisalexander.com/Lines are open 24 hours 0800 018 6868

Free Financial health Check, All year round! (by Debt Management & IVA experts)

Lewis Alexander Ltd offers an all year round "Financial HealthCheck". If you call the freephone helpline they can check within the first 3 minutes of your advisor call to see if you are financially sound or heading for the cycle of personal debt!

The NHS may offer a free health check in January but Lewis Alexander beleive this should be available for finances all year round whilst remaining free to the client. So they have set this up at their own cost and have reported that 75% of callers have really appreciated the advice so far.

Dial Uk +44 (0) 800 018 6868 further information on the Lewis Alexander FREE FINANCIAL HEALTH CHECK

UK National Debt Charities warn on Dangerous Levels of Personal Debt

Secured loans and mortgages are set to take British consumers over the edge warns the FT website. Most of us have debts but how many have them secured against homes?

Please take advice before securing debts against your home, we can help!

Lewis Alexander

"Not a Surprise" states Uk Debt Management Company Director

Richard Johnson, Managing Director of Lewis Alexander Financial Management stated earlier today that it was "Not a Surprise" that the British consumer is so heavily troubled with personal financial problems.

For the last 5 years, Mr Johnson has personally advised clients NOT to secure their current unsecured debts against their homes. "All it takes is a rise in interest rates as we have all seen to make sharp rises in monthly mortgage repayments. People just look for the easy option when in fact the most economical ways of clearing personal debts are usually the most severe.

We are not suggesting that all people consider Bankruptcy or IVA arrangements or even Debt Management Plans. We simply feel that secured loans are only right for certain situations and the evaluations of these over the last few years could have been stronger!

The help is on hand for those serious about sorting their finances for good! The hardest part for people is making the first call for help. We understand that and are very sympathetic to the needs of our clients"

30,000 Brits head for Bankruptcy by End of March 08

The BBC reports that 30,000 plus UK residents are facing Bankruptcy in the first 3 months of this year. Lewis Alexander believe that the figures are lower than the reality will be!

Debt help and advice needs taking early to stop debt collectors in their tracks.

US Economy close to Recession

The U.S. economy is ``very close'' to recession, ``if not there already,'' was said in an interview on Bloomberg Television by Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund acting as Pacific Investment Management Co.'s chief investment officer.

CAB reports increase again in Personal Debt Helpline requests

People seeking financial advice from Ipswich Citizens Advice Bureau. has increased drastically compared with the same period of the previous year.

4,200 plus people sought debt help from the bureau in six months Debts of between £10,000 and £30,000 are most common. Some cases are between £50,000 and £60,000 without incorporating mortgages. Secured Loans are also becoming a problem for a lot of home owners.