ENGLAND & WALES CONSUMER CCJs FELL BY FORTY FIVE PERCENT IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2020 BUT THE RESPITE COULD BE SHORT LIVED

The number of County Court Judgments (CCJs) issued against consumers in the first half of 2020 (HY1 2020) was 320,494 compared to 587,433, a fall of 45 percent compared to the same period last year according to figures released by Registry Trust. This is the lowest number of records registered in the first half of a year since 2013.

The total value of judgments registered fell by one-third to £567 million, down from £850 million in HY1 2019. But, the average value of judgments rose by over one fifth (22 percent) from £1,447 to £1,768. The median value also rose from £600 to £749, an increase of 25 percent. Significantly fewer judgments are being issued, but for higher values.

A different picture emerges with High Court consumer judgments. The number rose from 59 to 160, an increase of over 170 percent over the period. The total value also rose significantly from £26 million to £49 million, an increase of 85 percent. The median value of High Court judgments increased by 138 percent from £29,143 to £69,500. But, the average value fell by 32 percent from £448,913 to £305,846. The smaller number of High Court judgments means that data can be subject to large fluctuations.

Registry Trust is the Registrar of Judgments, Orders and Fines in England and Wales (on behalf of the Ministry of Justice). This excludes claimant data which is public and available from the courts but not centrally registered.

On behalf of Registry Trust, Mick McAteer, chairman said: “Government and regulator interventions, and forbearance by creditors, in response to the Covd19 crisis are clearly having a huge effect on the numbers of judgments registered. But, the respite may be short lived as damage to household finances will show up later”.