UK watchdogs say they will take action against ‘threatening’ debt collectors

Joint letter from regulators targets finance and utility sectors for volume and tone of correspondence to vulnerable customers

• Record 6.7m people in UK are in financial difficulty, warns charity

UK regulators are warning they will take “robust action” against firms that are putting consumers’ mental health at risk by using threatening tones and inundating already-vulnerable borrowers with letters, calls and emails, about their debts.

Watchdogs have published a joint letter, calling on companies to improve their debt collection practices, after identifying shortcomings across the financial services industry, as well the communications, water and energy sectors.