Debt help for West Midlands Police employees
Take control of unmanageable debts with PayPlan’s support. Offering a range of tailored affordable debt solutions, PayPlan’s free confidential service is available to all West Midlands Police employees.
Gary Cann, Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police talks about the options
PayPlan can help you
PayPlan is a debt management company with an excellent reputation for free debt advice and support. They listen to you with sympathy and impartiality, and then provide appropriate debt solutions that really are an affordable and sustainable way out of debt.
Talking to a reputable debt management company like PayPlan demonstrates that you’re serious about addressing your debts, and this alone can result in a more positive relationship with your creditors. In fact by maintaining a PayPlan debt solution, you could find that you won’t be contacted by your creditors at all with any demands for payment!
So once you begin a debt solution with PayPlan, for as long as you keep to your new affordable repayments, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that you’re paying into a debt plan that really can help you achieve freedom from debt.
Helping consumers move from a fee charging DMP to free DMP
Many of you will be aware that the FCA are currently making decisions about which Debt Management firms should receive full authorisation. It is estimated that there are over 400K consumers in a Debt Management Plan (DMP) and these decisions could leave many without a DMP provider going forward.
The largest firm to exit the market to date has been PDHL where 13,000 clients were impacted, all having to find a new provider or try and deal with multiple creditors independently, a very scary proposition through no fault of their own. Feedback that we have received from creditors suggests that even now, several months after closure, 50% of PDHL clients are yet to resume payments or positively engage.
It is clear from the PDHL fallout that consumers need to be engaged earlier in the exit process and given swift direct access to free debt advice. By working with exiting firms PayPlan have devised a pro-active ‘rescue service’ that prevents clients ever becoming orphaned and in many cases delivers a smooth transition from a fee charging plan to free PayPlan DMP.
How does it work?
- The exiting firm works with PayPlan for an agreed period of time (typically 3 months) BEFORE their permissions lapse
- During that period the firm calls all of their clients informing them that they can no longer represent them and offer a hotkey referral over to PayPlan
- PayPlan receive the referral and the client progresses through our advice process arriving at the appropriate solution
- This gives the client ample time to set up a new arrangement prior to the firm closing which means no payments are missed to creditors
What do the results look like?
We have recently completed a rescue of Ashley Park and Express Debt (circa 2,300 clients).
- 83% of clients agreed to be referred to PayPlan
- 90% of those agreed to complete a full assessment
- 73% of those assessments resulted in a DMP outcome (client moving from fee to free)
- On average we achieved a 45% surplus uplift in DMP payments meaning the client will now become debt free quicker
We are delighted to be able to rescue these clients and hope to complete more rescue exercises in the coming months.
PayPlan’s wide range of solutions
PayPlan’s support includes free advice, debt management plans, Individual Voluntary Arrangements and your own personal case officer, as well as complementary support such as whole of market remortgaging, and exclusive member services that can reduce the amount you currently pay for insuring your home, car, house contents, and much more besides.
Our debt solutions
An Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) is a formal agreement between you and your creditors – the people you owe money to.
You make monthly repayments, based on what you can afford, to your creditors for a given time (typically around five years), and at the end of your IVA they will write off the remainder of your debt. If you have an unsecured debt of £7,000 or more, an IVA could be the right choice for you.
As an IVA is a legally binding agreement between you and your creditors, interest and charges will be frozen so you won’t have to worry about the your debt level increasing. If your IVA was to fail however your creditors are free to pursue you for the remainder of your debt, and they could apply for your bankruptcy.
By entering into an IVA you will be added to the public Insolvency Register and your credit rating will be adversely affected – although if you have been struggling with your finances for a while chances are your credit score has already been impacted.
When you enter an IVA your assets, including your home, will be protected – although you may be required to release equity if possible.
An IVA can only be offered to English, Welsh and Northern Irish residents. Scottish residents should look at the alternative solution: trust deeds.
One of the most unsettling aspects of being in debt is dealing with the demands and threats from your creditors – the people you owe money to. By taking advantage of a Debt Management Plan (DMP) from PayPlan, we can help reduce the worry by dealing with your creditors on your behalf.
A DMP is an agreement between you and your creditors whereby you agree to repay your debt in reduced payments that are more affordable for you. A PayPlan DMP is completely free of charge so every penny you pay to us will go to your creditors. It could be the right solution for you if you have more than £7,000 in unsecured debts and are struggling to make the repayments.
A DMP is an informal debt solution so while we will request creditors freeze interest and charges during your plan this is not always guaranteed. This means your creditors could take further action to pursue you for your debts – this may include applying for your bankruptcy. Like all debt solutions, being in a DMP will also have an effect on your credit rating.
Running your own business can be hard work and you can do without the added struggle of managing debt. That’s why PayPlan has a debt management solution tailored especially for the self-employed. It’s called a Self-Employed Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA).
A self-employed IVA involves paying one affordable monthly payment to your creditors for a set period of time (usually five years) and at the end of that period, they will write off the rest of your debt. It helps you to avoid bankruptcy or liquidation and helps you to continue trading.
To qualify for a Self-Employed IVA, you must have a viable business with a debt of £10,000 or more. As a self-employed IVA is a formal solution, it allows you to manage your debt without worry or despair.
Starting on a Self-Employed IVA means you will be entered into a public register and your credit rating, and as a consequence your business, could be adversely affected. Failure to keep to your IVA agreement means you also risk it failing and your creditors could apply for your bankruptcy.
Similar to an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) that’s available to all other UK residents, a Trust Deed is an agreement between you and your creditors – the people you owe money to.
It works by you agreeing to repay monthly payments, based on what you can afford, over a given time – usually around four or five years. And upon successful completion, your creditors agree to WRITE OFF any outstanding debt at the end of your Trust Deed.
If you live in Scotland and have an unsecured debt of £5,000 or more, a Trust Deed could be the right solution for you. It’s the preferred solution for many people as it enables them to avoid Sequestration (bankruptcy), and all the unsettling consequences that come with it. By embarking on a Trust Deed, you will be entered into a public register and your credit rating could be adversely affected. If you’re a homeowner you may also be asked to release equity from your property. If this isn’t possible your trust deed could be extended by a further 12 months.
Simply put, bankruptcy can occur when an individual’s debts are greater than his or her assets. Declaring bankruptcy means an individual is financially insolvent and can be relieved of outstanding debts.
You will need to apply online for your bankruptcy and pay a fee with the application. Creditors can also apply for your bankruptcy on your behalf. Once a bankruptcy order has been made, the official receiver will give written notice of the order to a number of organisations; this will include the order being advertised in the London Gazette (an official publication containing legal notices).
There are certainly disadvantages to bankruptcy that you must be aware of. Once you are made bankrupt, you will no longer be in control of your assets. The only things you may keep are items or equipment needed for work or items needed for household purposes, i.e. bedding, furniture, clothing and other basic household necessities. However bankruptcy can be quicker than other debt solutions – you could be discharged within just a year, although if you can afford to make income payments you will be required to do so for 3 years.
For immediate and free debt advice please call Payplan free on 0800 316 1833 or use our Debt Help Form to submit your debt problem online.
Please note that not all of these debt solutions may be right for you, so to have a full assessment please call us or complete the debt help form.