Easy access to loans and credit in recent years, followed by the current economic crisis in the UK, has led to a huge increase in the number of people who are facing serious personal loan and credit card debt problems and rising unemployment and the cost of living are only likely to make the situation worse for many individuals.

A new report published by the debt trade body R3 has estimated that somewhere in the region of 18 million people, equivalent to 39 per cent of the population, across the country are now affected by personal loan and credit card debt problems.

The report has also highlighted, however, that only around 1.4 million people, or 3 per cent of those affected, have any intentions of seeking professional loan debt help or advice within the next six months.

The latest personal debt snapshot from R3 has found that only around 6 per cent of people in the UK have ever sought professional loan or card debt help and that around 25 per cent of those who need it, do not know where to go for help and advice on their personal loan and credit card debts.

The survey also found, that of those individuals who have taken loan debt advice, 41 per cent said that it was beneficial and they wished they had taken it sooner.

Last year saw a record number of people becoming insolvent and around a third of the population expect their financial situation to get worse in the next six months.

 Approximately 2 million people across the country now say that they are in some sort of loan debt management plan, which is significantly higher than it has been in previous years, yet with no real records being kept, it is uncertain exactly how many are in such a plan, or how many more would benefit from this type of help.

A new app is launching in the UK which will allow customers to transfer money using their mobile.

The ‘Pingit’, which is a brainchild of the bank Barclays will be free to download to your phone and is designed to allow customers to easily be able to send and receive money almost instantly. Available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry phones, customers will be able to manage their finances on the go.

Initially the app will only be available if you are a Barclays customer, but they are planning to create another version which will be open to all current account customers (over the age of 18).

The idea behind this is for situations like going out for dinner with friends and needing to split the bill or paying back £5 or £10 to someone and not having the cash on you. A spokesman from the bank has said that the app is secure and there are safety procedures in place such as  a five digit code set by the user.

Although this app does sound like a good idea, I think that as a customer I would definitely need to be cautious when transferring the money. Firstl

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If you have been job hunting and have not had any positive results, it could be because your targeted employers are not hiring when you applied. Unbeknownst to most job applicants, some companies limit their hiring process to certain times of the year. Some companies hire during seasons when they experience high volumes of customer contact, and others schedule their hiring process to coincide with company timelines, such as at the end or beginning of their fiscal year. If you are in the market for a job, consider the following.

Most retailers actively hire seasonal employees during major holidays so that they are adequately staffed to service shoppers. For example, department stores may need additional staff during Christmas, Easter and other holidays during which the shopping volumes are high. If you are looking for a full-time job, these may not seem appealing to you. However, if you impress your supervisors, they could lead to full-time positions.

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How to turn the tables on a Nigerian scammer in one easy lesson Nigerian email scams are as commonplace as the Internet itself. If you have an email account you receive scam mail from a Nigerian sender. I sometimes read these letters and fantasize about turning the tables and making money out of them. So far, I have no ideas. One Australian woman did, but wound up in jail herself after turning the tables on a group of con artists to the tune of $30,000.   The agent The Brisbane, Australia newspaper ‘Courier-Mail’ reports that Sarah Jane Cochrane-Ramsey, 23, was employed as an “agent” in March 2010 by the Nigerians. She says she didnt know they were scam artists. Her “job” was to provide access to an Australian bank account opened in her name where the Nigerians could then transfer money they had received from a phony car sales website. Coch Read more…