Repossession Orders Shoot Up By 24%

[IVA News]

The number of people in England Wales facing repossession after falling behind on their mortgage payments has risen dramatically in the past year.

The Ministry of Justice said 28,658 orders were made by courts in the second quarter of 2008, these figures come a week after data for actual repossessions also showed a leap.

The credit crunch is said to be the cause and has led to more expensive mortgages, which people have been struggling to pay as other household costs rise.

Housing charity Shelter accuses lenders of "still using repossession as the first rather than last resort", the charity has reported a 55% in the number of people coming to them for advice in the last 6 months.

A repossession order is an early stage in the process and doesn’t always result in the borrower loosing their home, as they can be abandoned at any point if the payment plan between the lender and the borrower is agreed.

Of the regions the midlands saw the highest rise in repossession orders, rising 43%, where as London only had an increase of 12% on the same period in 2007.

Source: Ministry of Justice, BBC