Overview
256,436 NEW JUDGMENTS WERE PROCESSED THIS QUARTER WITH A TOTAL VALUE OF £632,559,235.
During the period of 1 st January to 31st March 2021, 97.8% of all Judgments came from courts in England and Wales. The median value of judgments across all jurisdictions was £850, The average was £2,467. Thisrepresents a ‘Q1 2020’ to ‘Q1 2021’ increase of median value by 8% and average value by 18.5%. Year-on-year,the number of judgments decreased by 18%.
England and Wales
County Court Judgments (CCJs) against businesses in England and Wales fell by 55 percent from 33,518 in Q1 2020 to 15,210 in Q1 2021, according to figures released today [16.04.2021] by Registry Trust.
Numbers are up 20% from the recent low seen in Q2 2020 but have ranged around the 15,000 mark for the past three quarters. Businesses in the North West saw the steepest rises, up 23 percent since Q4 2020 and 53 percent from Q2 2020. Although numbers in the North West are still down 42 percent from Q1 2020.
The total value of business CCJ debt fell 27 percent over the year to Q1 2021, from £108 million to £79 million. The average value was up 61 percent from £3,233 to £5,218. The median value rose by 90 percent from £974 to £1,854.
The number of judgments against larger incorporated businesses fell by 61 percent, from 25,957 in Q1 2020 to 10,081 in Q1 2021. The total value of judgments fell by 26 percent, from £87 million to £64 million. The average value rose by 89 percent from £2,790 to £5,844, with the median value up 152 percent from £902 to £2,276.
CCJs against smaller unincorporated businesses fell by 32 percent from 7,561 to 5,129, with the total value down 28 percent from £22 million to £16 million. The average value rose six percent from £2,866 to £3,032, with the median value up 15 percent from £1,138 to £1,309.
The number of High Court Judgments against businesses, at 61, was unchanged over the year, although the value rose from £19 million to £98 million, an increase of 427 percent. The small number of registered High Court Judgments means these figures are subject to large fluctuations.
The number of County Court Judgments (CCJs) issued against consumers in England and Wales in the first quarter of 2021 (Q1 2021) was 234,921, a fall of nearly 13 percent from the 269,023 in the same period last year, according to figures released today (12.04.2021) by Registry Trust.
The total value of CCJs registered fell by 13 percent to £395 million in Q1 2021, down from £454 million in Q1 2020. The average value of judgments was more or less unchanged at £1,681 compared to £1,687 in the same period last year. The median value rose from £750 to £807, an increase of nearly eight percent.
While judgment numbers are down year on year, they continue to rise sharply from the lows seen in Q2 2020 when government and regulator interventions, and forbearance by creditors, in response to the Covd-19 crisis limited the numbers of judgments registered. Q1 2021 numbers are 27% higher than those in Q4 2020, and have increased by 361% compared to Q2 2020.
Looking at the regions, the South West is seeing the biggest increases, up 38% on Q4 2020 and 501% from the lows in Q2 2020.
The number of judgments marked as satisfied fell by three percent, from 49,908 to 48,361. The proportion of judgments satisfied is just 16%.
Scotland
The number of decrees registered against Scottish consumers during the first quarter of 2021 (Q1 2021) fell by over 25 percent, from 5,430 to 4,052, compared to the same period last year, according to figures released today (16.04.2021) by Registry Trust.
The total value fell from £14.2 million to just under £11 million compared to the same period last year. The average value at £2,710 saw a slight rise of three percent from the £2,629 in Q1 2020. The median value rose sharply by 12 percent, from £1,427 to £1,602.
However, although numbers are down over the year, consumer decrees registered are rising sharply again, up 11 percent from Q4 2020 and 186 percent from the lows seen in Q2 2020.
The number of decrees against Scottish businesses also fell, by nearly 40 percent, from 722 to 434. The total value fell by 27 percent from just under £3 million to £2.2 million. The average value rose by 22 percent from £4,151 to £5,047. The median value increased by even more, up nearly 60 percent, from £1,407 to £2,247.
The number of decrees against incorporated businesses fell by 43 percent, from 617 to 353. The total value fell by 33 percent, from £2.6 million to £1.7 million. The average value rose by just over 17 percent from £4,168 to £4,883.
Decrees against smaller businesses also declined, from 105 to 81, a fall of 23 percent. However, the total value rose by nearly 10 percent from £425,101 to £466,759 with the average value increasing by 42 percent, from £4,049 to £5,762.
Northern Ireland
The number of debt judgments registered against Northern Ireland consumers in the first quarter of 2021 (Q1 2021) fell from 1,476 to 972, a fall of just over one third compared to the same period last year, according to figures released today 16.04.2021 by Registry Trust.
The total value of judgment debt saw a smaller fall, down 6.3 percent from £3.2 million to just under £3 million. The average value of consumer judgments rose by 42 percent, from £2,159 last year to £3,071. The median value rose by more than 14 percent from £814 to £930. This suggests creditors took out fewer, larger judgments against consumers in the quarter.
But, numbers are rising sharply again up 39 percent compared to the previous quarter (Q4 2020) and 129 percent from the lows seen in Q2 2020.
The period also saw large falls in the number and value of judgments against businesses in Northern Ireland. The number of judgments registered in Q1 2021 was just 152, compared to 261 in Q2 last year, a fall of 42 percent. The total value of judgments against Northern Ireland businesses fell from £982,467 to £691,881 a fall of 30 percent. The average value of business judgments rose steeply, from £3,764 to £4,552, up 21 percent. The story is one of fewer, but larger, business judgments in the quarter.
Republic of Ireland
The number and of judgments registered against Irish consumers and businesses saw huge falls in the first quarter of 2021(Q1 2020) compared to the same quarter last year, figures released today by registrar Irish Judgments show.
The number of judgments against consumers fell by 73 percent, from 565 to just 155. The total value fell by 71 percent, from nearly €26 million in Q1 2020 to €7.6 million in Q1 2021.
But, the average value of consumer judgments rose by over seven percent, from €45,924 to €49,223 and the median value by nearly 20 percent, from €7,827 to €9,387. Fewer but larger judgments on average were taken out against consumers.
Judgments against Irish businesses also saw sharp falls from 252 to 89, down 65 percent. However, the total value registered against businesses rose by 31 percent, from €3.8 million to just over €5 million. This meant that the average value saw a huge rise, up 270 percent from €15,184 to €56,183.
Jersey
The number and value of judgments issued in the Jersey Petty and Royal Courts against consumers and businesses in the first quarter of 2021 (Q1 2021) fell sharply compared to the same period in 2020, according to data published today [16.04.2021] by Registry Trust. But, numbers are well up from the lows seen in Q2 2020.
The total number of judgments issued against consumers in Q1 2020 fell from 464 to 223, down 52 percent compared to the same period in 2020.
The total value of judgments issued against Jersey consumers fell by 33 percent from £578,127 to just £387,495. The average value rose by 39 percent from £1,246 to £1,738, although the median fell by 10 percent from £204 to £183. This suggests that, overall, fewer and smaller judgments were taken out but the average is skewed by a small number of larger value judgments.
Judgments against Jersey businesses also saw sharp falls. The numbers of judgments against businesses in Q1 2021 fell to just 16, a fall of 41 percent from the 27 issued in the same period of 2020.
The value of business judgments registered in the quarter was just £48,622, a drop of 52 percent compared to the £100,440 in the same period of 2020. The average value of business judgments fell 18 percent from £3,720 to £3,039, while the median value almost halved, down 46 percent, from £2,072 to £1,112.
Isle of Man
The number and value of judgments issued in the Isle of Man Courts of Justice against consumers fell sharply in the first quarter of 2020 (Q1 2021) compared to the same period last year, according to data published today [16.04.2021] by Registry Trust.
The total number of judgments issued against consumers in Q1 2021 was 55, a fall of 35 percent compared to the 85 in the same period in 2020. The value of judgments issued against consumers fell by two-thirds from nearly £719,671 to just £240,795. The average value fell by nearly half from £8,467 to £4,378. The median also fell, but by less, from £718 to £620, a fall of 14percent.
Judgments against Isle of Man businesses also saw steep falls. The numbers of judgments against businesses fell from 19 in Q1 2020 to just three in Q1 2021, a fall of 82 percent.
Judgment activity against businesses in the Isle of Man was almost non-existent in the quarter. The value of business judgments registered in Q1 2021 was just £5,333, down 99 percent from the £372,411 in Q1 2020. The average value of business judgments fell by 91 percent, from £19,601 to £1,778, with the median dropping by 35 percent from £1,864 to £1,200.