Finance & Leasing Association14 January 2022
New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 33% in November 2021 compared with the same month in 2020. In the eleven months to November 2021, new business was 14% higher than in the same period in 2020.
The credit card and personal loan sectors together reported new business up by 34% in November compared with the same month in 2020, and 15% growth in the eleven months to November 2021. The retail store and online credit sector reported new business up by 2% in November compared with the same month in 2020, and 7% growth in the eleven months to November 2021.
Commenting on the figures, Geraldine Kilkelly, Director of Research and Chief Economist at the FLA, said:
“In the run up to Christmas the consumer finance market reported growth across the board, in part reflecting low new business levels a year earlier as the UK entered another lockdown to deal with rising Covid-19 cases. Consumer demand also remained robust with the retail store and online credit sector reporting its strongest November on record.
“Consumer finance new business provided by FLA members in 2021 as a whole is likely to be around 7% lower than its pre-pandemic peak and the rate of recovery is expected to slow in the near term as household disposable incomes are squeezed by higher inflation, taxes and interest rates.”
Table 1: New consumer credit lending
|
|
Nov 2021 |
% change on prev. year |
3 months to Nov 2021 |
% change on prev. year |
12 months to Nov 2021 |
% change on prev. year |
| Total FLA consumer finance (£m) |
9,535 |
33 |
27,614 |
13 |
96,908 |
11 |
| Data extracts: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Retail store and online credit (£m) |
1,083 |
2 |
2,631 |
0 |
8,973 |
5 |
| Credit cards & personal loans (£m) |
4,893 |
34 |
13,588 |
28 |
46,664 |
11 |
| Second charge mortgages (£m) |
114 |
48 |
326 |
59 |
1,076 |
36 |
| Car finance (£m) |
3,126 |
47 |
10,062 |
2 |
36,318 |
14 |
Note to editors:
- FLA members in the consumer finance sector include banks, credit card providers, store card providers, second-charge mortgage lenders, motor finance providers, personal loan and instalment credit providers.
- In 2020, FLA members provided £113 billion of new finance to UK businesses and households. £86 billion of this was in the form of consumer credit representing over a third of total new consumer credit written in the UK in 2020.
- Consumer motor finance reported in these figures refers to finance obtained through the point of sale.
- For media enquiries, please contact the FLA press office on 020 7420 9656.
