All posts by Stacey West

UK cards on books 1-5 years are showing signs of debt stress - here are the facts, as well as recommendations for issuers.

Consumers who are concerned about their level of credit card debt can use a number of options and tactics to keep their credit healthy.

In reviewing our data from the FICO Benchmarking Service, for users of FICO TRIAD Customer Manager, I saw some interesting long-term trends and some signs of potential debt stress, particularly among accounts 1-5 years on book.

The introduction of two initiatives in the UK credit card market may see an increase in the promotion and take-up of Directs Debit, and greater flexibility offered to those paying this way.

Over the past few months, the percentage of new Irish card accounts that are delinquent has climbed to around 10%, more than twice the average for UK cards.

Are Premium cards becoming harder to distinguish from Standard Classic cards? Is there still a place for them in the market? Traditionally, Premium* cards (gold and platinum) were perceived as reserved for the lowest-risk, best-quality accounts, and so had higher limits. Spend was thought to be greater, though a larger proportion of full-balance payers made them less profitable than Classic cards. However, over time the FICO Benchmark Reporting Service data for the UK reveals that the Premium customer is changing and so is the performance, particularly of the more mature accounts. In July 2017 25% of the accounts in the FICO Benchmark Reporting Service were Premium accounts, along with 25% of balances. With the exception of New accounts (<12 months on book), which were 20% of accounts and 20.4% of balances, Established (1-5 years on book) and Veteran (5+ years on book) accounts were about 25% of the relevant vintage population in the service. Common Beliefs... [Read More]

My last two posts in this update on UK cards discussed the growth in unused credit and the rising delinquencies in New cards. Both of these posts discussed credit line increases, but there’s one more factor that could weigh heavily on issuers’ plans. The FCA is preparing to introduce new guidelines for credit cards that will impact line increases. It is anticipated that all new accounts will have to opt in for any offered increases, and this is expected to reduce the number of increases that take place. The approach for existing customers should remain as per today, where customers have to reject the offer. However, customers who display a sustained propensity to pay the minimum payment (on non-promotional balances) will either have to opt in or be excluded from increases. Customers showing signs of persistent debt (based on how much they have paid in fees and interest versus reducing their balance)... [Read More]

As noted in my previous post, over the last five years there has been significant growth in exposure, card balances, sales and, to a lesser extent, cash usage on UK cards. This is despite a decrease in the number of total accounts, as acquisitions have not outpaced attrition. Looking at our March 17 report, less than 1% of total card accounts were booked that month, and just under 8% of accounts had been on the books 12 months or less, showing slow growth rates. Fortunately, payments growth has exceeded these metrics and total 1 to 3 cycle accounts and balances decreased over this period. That reduction in delinquent balances isn’t true across the board, though. If you look at the vintage level, you see a different story. Veteran accounts (5+ years) are responsible for the positive news above, and to a lesser extent Established (on the books 1 to 5... [Read More]

As the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority proposes that issuers reduce or waive interest rate charges for persistent credit card debt, it raises the question: Just how much credit card debt do Britons carry? The answer is: a lot more than they used to. FICO has just done research based on our FICO® Benchmark Reporting Service data, which includes the vast majority of cards issued in the UK. Our analysis shows that: Average credit lines on “Classic” cards (which excludes Premium cards, Student cards and Irish-issued cards) have grown 50% since 2002 to £5,062. The largest growth has been accounts which are 1 to 5 years on book (Established) and this vintage have the highest percentage of inactive accounts, 35%. Veteran (5+ years on book) has the highest % of unused credit on accounts which are spending. In January 2017 the average balance on accounts with limits £5,001 to £10,000, which... [Read More]

FICO’s latest data on the performance of UK credit cards shows a difference between mature and new accounts that card issuers would be well advised to note. In June, the percentage of current (non-delinquent) accounts that have been on the books for 12 or more months reached its highest value over the last two years. In addition, the average current balance among mature accounts was £49 higher than in June 2014, and £106 higher than in June 2013. But there were also warning signs for new accounts, those that are less than a year old: The percentage of new accounts that are two cycles delinquent has risen 14 percent since December 2014. Average delinquent balances have risen 7.5 percent year on year. The average amount overlimit for new accounts reached its highest point in more than two years — this figure has been rising since January 2015. The percentage of... [Read More]