Over half of UK repossessions in sub-prime sector

According to a recent report over half of repossession order that are brought in the UK come from sub-prime lenders, who are lenders that specialise in giving credit to those with bad credit or no proof of income.

Sub-prime lenders have come under fire in the past because of the high rates of interest that they charge on loans to consumers that already have financial problems.

A spokesperson from one sub-prime lender said: “It should come as no surprise that those lenders dealing with borrowers with past credit problems are likely to have to deal with more cases of default amongst their borrowers. Comparing lenders like GMAC-RFC with high street lenders is a bit like comparing apples and pears.”

However, the lenders are quick to point out that not all of the orders actually result in repossession, with one sub-prime official stating: “The figures are based on possession claims hearings and are therefore not representative of actual repossessions, which are a lot lower. Of proceedings started, where solicitors become involved, five out of six are resolved without having recourse to repossession.”

In a recent study of twelve hundred recent orders that went through the courts it was found that 10% of these were brought by two sub-prime lenders, GE Money and GMAC-RFC.