Mortgage arrears and repossessions in England
An overview of current and past approaches to helping homeowners with mortgage debt, including information on trends in arrears and repossessions.

An overview of policy relating to the closure of bank and building society branches and to efforts to protect access to cash.
The future of local banking services and access to cash (951 KB , PDF)
People are relying less on both physical cash and traditional bank branches:
While such changes reflect wider economic trends, the independent Access to Cash Review highlighted the risks to millions of people of “sleepwalking” into a cashless society. Research by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2022 found that the digitally excluded, older people, people in poor health, those with lower financial resilience and those with lower financial capability depend more on cash.
In 2019, the FCA identified similar groups as being most likely to be affected by bank branch closures. Many small businesses also depend on physical branches, according to a report from the Federation of Small Businesses in 2016. The Scottish Affairs Select Committee reported in 2019 that whole communities – especially in rural areas – are affected when the last branch in a community disappears.
In 2022, automated teller machines (ATMs) provided about 90% of the cash withdrawn in the UK. But the number of free-to-use ATMs has fallen over recent years, partly because fees payable to machine operators have reduced. Those operators have often responded by introducing pay-to-use ATMs.
Although there have been attempts to remedy that trend, the National Audit Office warned in 2020 that providing ATMs could become uneconomical, leading providers to withdraw. But the number of pay-to-use ATMs has also fallen since 2019.
Many businesses and traders have also moved towards non-cash payments. This could also threaten the future of the cash distribution industry (pdf).
There has been widespread public and political concern about the closure of bank branches and the subsequent effects on communities. Successive governments have acknowledged the concerns but maintained that these are commercial decisions that it would not intervene in.
From 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published guidance setting out expectations for banking providers that intend closing or reducing branches, services or free ATMs. It expects the provider to analyse the effect, communicate with customers, and support them to find alternative provision.
In recent years, wider policy and political discussion has focused more generally on the future of access to cash than on branch closures.
In 2019 the Access to Cash Review called on Government, regulators, financial services and others to work together to “keep cash viable for the foreseeable future”. Government and regulatory responses have since referred to and build on the review’s recommendations:
The future of local banking services and access to cash (951 KB , PDF)
An overview of current and past approaches to helping homeowners with mortgage debt, including information on trends in arrears and repossessions.
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Western allies and other partners across the globe have imposed an unprecedented package of coordinated sanctions against Russia.
A debate is scheduled to be held on Tuesday 19 September 2023 at 2.30pm in Westminster Hall on the Proposed merger between Three UK and Vodafone. The debate will be opened by Navendu Mishra MP.