JUDGMENTS taken out against consumers in the north rose 16 percent in the final three months of 2019, according to new figures from the by Registry Trust.
Some 1,732 judgments were taken out against consumers compared to 1,494 in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2018,
The average value rose by seven percent pushing up the total value by 24 per cent to £4.5 million, the largest year-on-year rise on record.
Consumer judgments made up 88 percent of all judgments in the north during Q4, accounting for 90 per cent of the total value.
Businesses in the north overall fared better in the final of 2019. The number of judgments rose five per cent, but the total value dropped 21 per cent compared to the same quarter of 2018.
But, small businesses had a different experience. The total value of judgments against small businesses jumped 64 per cent from £40,919 in Q4 2018 to £67,013 in Q4 2019, while the number of judgments rose from 33 to 45, a 36 per cent increase over the period.
Registry Trust is the non-profit organisation which collects judgment information throughout the British Isles and Ireland. In Northern Ireland it collects information on defaults and small claims judgments, and High Court judgments.
Trust chairman Mick McAteer said: “CCJs are a critical indicator of the state of household financial resilience. The sharp rise in the number and value of consumer judgments raises concerns that household finances may be under stress”.
