ENGLAND & WALES CONSUMER CCJs FALL BY 45 PERCENT IN 2020 COMPARED TO LAST YEAR - BUT NUMBERS ARE NOW RISING SHARPLY AGAIN
The number of County Court Judgments (CCJs) issued against consumers in England and Wales in 2020 fell by 45 percent compared to 2019, from 1,146,475 to 626,775, according to figures released today (08.01.2021) by Registry Trust.
The total value of CCJs registered in 2020 fell by 34 percent to £1.1 billion, down from £1.7 billion in 2019. The average value of judgments rose significantly by over 20 percent from £1,508 to £1,813. The median value also rose from £673 to £787, an increase of nearly 17 percent. So, over the year, there were fewer but larger value judgments issued.
But, it is worth noting that the number of CCJs taken out against consumers in the last quarter of 2020 was 73 percent higher than in the third quarter of 2020, suggesting numbers are rising sharply again.
The number of High Court consumer judgments rose 136 percent year on year, from 111 to 262. The total value increased by 49 percent from nearly £75 million to £111 million. As a result, the average value fell by 37 percent from £671,862 to £424,694. In contrast, the median value rose from £25,237 to £70,000, an increase of 177 percent. The smaller number of High Court judgments means that data can be subject to large fluctuations.
The number of judgments marked as ‘satisfied’ in 2020 was 186,223, a fall of over six percent from the 198,958 in 2019. As the number of judgments registered in 2020 was lower than in 2019, the proportion of judgments marked as satisfied has risen. But, it remains very low at 21.7 percent.
Registry Trust Chair, Mick McAteer, said: “Government and regulator interventions, and forbearance by creditors, in response to the Covid-19 crisis clearly protected households during most of 2020. But, as we feared, the numbers of CCJs rose sharply in the last quarter of 2020 as the damage to household finances by the economic crisis worked through the system. The fact that the number of judgments marked as satisfied fell is a real cause for concern as it could adversely affect households’ future access to affordable credit”.
| Half Year 2019 | Half Year 2020 | Change (compared with 2019) | |
| CCJs against consumers | |||
| volume | 1,146,475 | 626,775 | -45.33% |
| total value | £1,728,932,989 | £1,136,380,159 | -34.27% |
| average* value | £1,508 | £1,813 | 20.23% |
| median | £673 | £787 | 16.94% |
| High Court judgments against consumers | |||
| volume | 111 | 262 | 136.04% |
| total value | £74,576,735 | £111,269,728 | 49.20% |
| average* value | £671,862 | £424,694 | -36.79% |
| median | £25,237 | £70,000 | 177.37% |
| Satisfactions registered by consumers | |||
| volume | 198,958 | 186,223 | -6.40% |
| total value | £234,811,834 | £219,432,240 | -6.55% |
| average* value | £1,180 | £1,178 | -0.16% |
| median | £571 | £581 | 1.75% |