Consumers try to avoid High Street debt

In the current difficult climate there are many people that are looking for ways to cut back on their outgoings. For many this has meant cutting back on their spending and reducing their debt levels. His desperation to avoid debt was reflected in recent figures that showed there had been a drop in High Street store card borrowing and High Street finance for the month of November.

November is normally a busy time when it comes to spending on store cards and store finance, as many people are purchasing gifts for their loved ones for Christmas. Whilst in the past people may have signed up for store cards or taken out store finance to purchases these goods, a shift in attitude brought about by the challenging financial climate has resulted in fewer people spending on store cards or taking out store finance to make purchases.

Figures have shown that during the month of November last year the level of lending on store cards plummeted by 25 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. Just £202 was advanced on store cards during the month. Instore instalment finance levels also fell, with an 11 percent drop in the level of store finance compared to the same period a year earlier.

However, whilst store borrowing definitely took a big hit in the month of November there was an increase in the number of personal loans that were taken out by consumers. The figures were released by the Finance and Leasing Association, and showed that borrowing through personal loans increased by around 34 percent over the course of the month.

The report also showed that the largest source of advances was credit cards, which came as no surprise to most people. Whilst credit card lending for November remained was flat in November year in year it was still the source of £2.71 billion worth of lending.

Tags: drop, consumers, financial climate, shift, Unsecured debt, card