Debt boom to follow credit crunch as banks have no choice but to lend
Britain's 'debt boom' is set to follow the credit crisis after banks began to offer families heavily in debt with cheaper and cheaper credit a survey has suggested. The news emerged after Britain's two price comparison websites foresaw a rise in easing consumer credit in order to 'boost' the recovery particularly as the Government's spending cuts are about to take effect.
Moneysupermarket.com and Martin Lewis' moneysavingexpert.com found that the average introductory offers were now 12.2 months interest free - longer than the previous credit boom.
The new offers whilst good for consumers in the short term are better for banks who can make profit in the longer term by incentivising people to switch credit between cards and spend more now, to make debts for later. The result is a banking profits which recently exceeded £16 billion after the recent recession driven spending.
"The worst thing to do with a credit card is to use it to fill the gaps your income does not meet each month, that will see borrowings constantly grow and can leave you in a debt spiral." said Martin Lewis, "Debt is like fire, used well it is a great tool, used badly you'll get burned."
Kevin Mountford, head of banking at moneysupermarket.com, added: "While interest-free periods may be getting longer, the sting in the tail is that the rates of interest charged once they end are also increasing."
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