Overview

DEMSA was established in December 2000 in order to promote good practice in the debt management industry and to protect the interests of the public and the lenders to whom they owe money. The pandemic and considerable regulatory change since the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) took over as regulator of consumer credit in 2014 has meant that debt advice and debt solution providers now have a much wider commitment to financial wellbeing, especially those with problem debt or who may be vulnerable. COVID-19 financially impacted many households and micro businesses (e.g. self-employed, sole traders). There is now a much wider cross-section of creditors, including those in the public sector (e.g. Local authorities, HMRC, DWP) and utilities. Debt solution providers act on behalf of borrowers to help them to regain control of their finances (transitional goal) or to clear their debts (long-term outlook). They do this by entering into direct negotiations with creditors in order to facilitate the repayment of debts. In return for their services some debt management companies are paid an ongoing management fee by their customers. No charges are made for initial debt advice and customers are always made aware of free-to-consumer providers and the likes of MoneyHelper, part of the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). DEMSA continues to facilitate engagement between creditors and members, including regular Compliance Forums and weekly bulletins. Training services are delivered face-to-face and virtually (e.g. Webinars, Teams calls). DEMSA has regular engagement with the FCA and MaPS as a representative of the Debt Advice Operational Steering Group. DEMSA also sits on the MaPS Standard Financial Statement governance group. As part of our commitment to improve the quality of debt advice and the delivery of debt solutions, we also sit on the Steering Group of the Trailblazer Debt Adviser Apprenticeship Scheme. Contact: kevin.still@demsa.co.uk