Insolvency has been rising for the past few years
People over the age of 55 are having the most difficulty dealing with their debts, a survey from insolvency firm Thomas Charles suggests.
Nearly a quarter of over-55s with debt over £10,000 said that they are "quite likely" or "certain" to go insolvent.
This is compared to the one in 10 of 18 to 24-year-olds, with more than £10,000 debt, who say they will be insolvent.
On Friday, the government will reveal how many people went insolvent during the first three months of 2007.
The survey's findings, that older people are struggling more with debt than younger people, echo earlier research from the Consumer Credit Counselling Services (CCCS).
The CCCS, a debt charity, said there had been a rise in the number of elderly people asking for help, with men over 60 owing the most.
Insolvency rise
Over the past two years the number of people going insolvent has risen sharply.
There are two types of insolvency; bankruptcy and individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs).
The number of people going bankrupt has steadily increased but this rise has been dwarfed by growth in IVAs.
But debt analysts suggest that the rate of increase in insolvency, which will be revealed on Friday, is slowing.
"The official insolvency figures should be fairly flat," Pat Boyden, an insolvency specialist at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said.
"This is because some creditors are taking a hard line over IVAs and rejecting them.
"As for insolvency as a whole, borrowing on credit cards and loans has been fairly flat over the past year. Borrowing at Christmas was not as big," Mr Boyden added.
Source: bbc.co.uk
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