Scottish debt judgements continue to rise

The figures were revealed in statistics issued this week by the Registry Trust, the non-profit organisation which collects judgment information from jurisdictions across the British Isles and Ireland.

In Scotland it collects information on small claims and summary causes, and ordinary cause decrees.

A judgment is incontrovertible proof of unmanaged debt.

There were 10,595 judgments recorded against consumers in the first six months of 2016, a year on year increase of 14 percent. The total value rose 43 per cent to £35 million.

The average value of a consumer judgment was £3,320, 25 per cent higher than the first half of 2015.

While the number and value of both small claims and ordinary cause decrees increased, the latter saw a more significant rises in the first six months of the year.

The number of ordinary decrees increased 40 per cent to 1,034, with the total value shooting up 61 percent to £20.6 million. Meanwhile, the number of small and summary causes increased 12 per cent to 9,561, with the total rising 24 percent to £14.6 million.

Introducing the statistics, Registry Trust chairman Malcolm Hurlston CBE said: “Scottish consumers are faring much worse than consumers elsewhere in Great Britain. Sometimes judgment numbers grow because average values fall but in Scotland both indicators are trending up.”

In the first six months of 2016 Registry Trust received 15,498 requests to search the register for Scotland, the bulk of which were made online at www.trustonline.org.uk.

TrustOnline allows anyone to search for judgments and similar information registered against businesses and consumers in any jurisdiction across the British Isles and Ireland.

“It is a unique benefit for consumers to be able to check the debt record of any person or business with which they may be transacting,” said Mr Hurlston. “Negative information would certainly make me think twice.”