Court Judgement Figures Show Modest Decrease in first 6 months of 2011

Figures released by the Registry Trust show modest decreases in the numbers and value of Court Judgements registered in the first six months (H1) of 2011.

In England and Wales there were 270,919 judgements registered between January and June 2011, compared to 276,888 for the same period in 2010, with the average value of judgements also falling slightly from £3765 to £3244.

The picture in Scotland followed a similar pattern, with the number of Court Decrees, (the Scottish equivalent to County Court Judgements in England and Wales) decreasing from 14,213 in H1 2010 to 13,223 in H1 2011. However, the average value rose from £3457 in H1 2010 to £3766 in H1 2011.

Northern Ireland also saw a decrease from 5654 judgements in H1 2010 to 4713 in H1 2011.

One reason for the decrease in judgement numbers could be that lenders, under pressure from the government, are increasing their forbearance efforts working with their customers in difficulty much more than previously to find a solution other than requesting a judgement. However, excessive use of forbearance strategies could actually just be delaying court action which would lead to rising numbers of judgements going forward.

An employee’s financial situation can contribute towards the temptation to commit fraud in the work place; therefore it makes sense for employers to include financial checks as standard within their employment screening process.  Know Your Candidate’s range of Employee Credit Checks enables employers to see if applicants or employees have public financial data such as County Court Judgements on their credit file. Linked addresses are searched automatically, even if undisclosed by the applicant, to ensure that all judgements registered against an individual are found.