An increasing proportion of consumers across the country are turning to doorstep loans as their money problems worsen, it has been suggested.

Credit has become more difficult to access in recent months and as a result the offers made by short-term loans are gaining in popularity, according to a report from Equifax on behalf of ITV.

Many people with debt problems view such credit deals as the only way to get by but the interest rates are such that a difficult financial situation could very quickly become much worse.

The research found that almost one in three people who are concerned about their ability to gain credit had used doorstep loans.

Neil Munroe, external affairs director for Equifax, said: "We urge people to talk to their lender if they are struggling with repayments in order to avoid trouble further down the line."

Richard Brown, chief executive of moneynet.co.uk, suggested recently that when it comes to being accepted or refused for a loan deal, lenders look solely at the evidence contained in a person’s credit history file.

The asking prices offered by Britons looking to sell their properties have been falling in recent weeks, according to the latest figures.

Data corroborated by Rightmove has shown that with more and more households facing money problems, the typical price at which sellers are putting their property up for sale has fallen 1.2 per cent during June.

In May, the figure rose by the same margin and the average asking price is currently believed to by just under £240,000, according to Rightmove’s assessment of statistics from Nationwide and Halifax.

"New sellers are now taking some proactive steps to price more realistically from the outset to attract increasingly hard-pressed buyers," said Miles Shipside, commercial director of the property portal behind the recent research.

According to Credit Action, the typical British household has a debt management burden worth close to £57,700, including their mortgage arrears.

A new report has highlighted the extent to which British consumers tend to overspend when they go away on holiday.

According to figures compiled by National Savings & Investments (NS&I), almost two-thirds of people overspend to some degree while on holiday and for many this can result in debt problems back in the UK.

In fact, one-fifth of the respondents to NS&I’s recent survey said they do not check their financial situation before setting off on holiday and almost one-quarter admitted they are often alarmed at the money problems they have on their return.

A statement from the firm behind the research read: "This tendency for Brits to bury their heads in the financial sand is concerning, especially given the importance people put on their foreign breaks."

Last week, the Axa insurance firm reported that an increasing number of families from "middle Britain" are facing debt management and money problems as 2008 goes on.

Small businesses around the UK are losing faith that the current government will act in a manner that promotes their interests.

Many small firms are facing serious money problems and almost 96 per cent now feel to some extent "dissatisfied" with policy makers in London, according to a recent poll by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

In response to its own findings, the FSB has suggested that its members feel that their money problems and operating difficulties are not being taken seriously enough by the state.

"All we see is government consulting big business, with small businesses being left out of the loop," said John Wright, the FSB’s national chairman.

"But small businesses produce over half of UK gross domestic product (GDP) and it is important that their needs are addressed if we are to get through the current economic difficulties."

In August of last year, the accountancy firm Grant Thornton revealed that for the first time the UK’s consumer debt mountain had become larger in scale than its annual GDP.

The UK’s housing sector keeps slowing as fewer and fewer people are approved for home loan deals, it has been revealed.

According to the latest data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), the loans handed out in May were worth a total of £25.5 billion, which is considerably less than the £31.5 billion lent during the same month in 2007.

Many homeowners are finding themselves with a serious debt management headache but in general the performance of the remortgaging sector has been the biggest cause for optimism for the CML.

A statement from the council read: "The remortgage market remains on track to meet our forecast for growth this year, demonstrating the resilience of the market despite recent bad news."

However, when it comes to house purchase activity, the CML expects to see "very weak" markets over the coming months.

Last week, the CML suggested that fixed-rate mortgage deals are becoming increasingly popular across the country as Britons aim to avoid money problems if the base rate of interest rises.

Rises in the living costs faced by British families in recent years has left many on the edge when it comes to their finances, it has been claimed.

While millions of consumers have been struggling with debt problems in recent years, the typical cost of living has increased by more than one-quarter, according to a report from Combined Insurance.

Indeed, since June 2006, the typical monthly outgoing of an average UK consumer has risen from around £945 to £1,281, the insurance firm maintains.

For many people, money problems have been made worse by sharp increases in the costs associated with child care, while household bills have also risen considerably in recent months.

Nigel Brittle, director at Combined Insurance, said: "The many cost of living hikes are taking their toll on the monthly budget and many Brits are living on the edge with their finances."

A recent report from uSwitch.com claimed that household energy bills will be hundreds of pounds more expensive for British families this winter than was the case in late 2007.

Credit scores are "everything" that matters for people who are trying to secure a personal loan, it has been suggested.

Richard Brown, chief executive of moneynet.co.uk, is convince that money lenders are currently only concerned with a person’s credit history when they assess them for a new arrangement.

By demonstrating an ability to pay money back regularly, would-be borrowers can help themselves, but lenders are currently "very nervous" and reluctant to lend to anyone who presents a risk.

The reason for this is that both borrowers and lenders have been experiencing serious debt problems in recent months, Mr Brown explains.

He said: “At the moment, lenders are only really lending money to people who are demonstrating that they can repay it.

"You need to really address your credit score because everything is governed by the credit score."

According to Credit Action, the typical British household pays out almost £3,790 annually to service the interest on their debt management burden.

The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) considered whether to hike the base rate of interest when they met earlier this month.

According to the minutes from the committee’s most recent meeting, the threat from inflation was deemed to be such that an immediate base rate increase needed to be assessed.

A rise in the base rate would have been bad news for borrowers around the country and particularly for anyone with debt problems.

Ultimately, however, eight of the nine MPC members took the view that the cost of borrowing should remain at five per cent at least until July.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at Global Insight, said: "The overall impression is that the Bank of England is in no hurry to move interest rates, given the current major uncertainties surrounding both the medium-term inflation and growth outlook."

Figures from the Office of National Statistics recently showed the money problems British consumers are facing as inflation was revealed to have hit 3.3 per cent in May.

Personal loan deals are getting more expensive as far as British borrowers are concerned, it has been claimed.

According to a report from research firm Defaqto, the typical cost of taking on a personal loan in the UK is higher now than it was when the base rate of interest was last set at five per cent in December 2006.

In fact, a loan of £2,000 is now on average 3.3 per cent more expensive over the course of 24 months than it would have been 18 months ago.

Many of the UK’s biggest lenders are thought to be tightening their criteria and looking for what Defaqto describes as "better quality business".

"The rejection rate for unsecured loan applicants is higher than it has been in previous years with Nationwide reporting that they’re now declining about 60 per cent of applications," noted the research firm’s principal banking consultant David Black.

A report from the Council of Mortgage Lenders last week suggested that an increasing number of homeowners are opting for fixed-rate mortgage deals in an effort to avoid money problems in years to come.

The charges being levied by household energy prices will continue to increase dramatically over the course of this year, it has been claimed.

A report from the price comparison firm uSwitch.com, suggests that by the winter of this year, British families could be paying an extra 40 per cent to heat and fuel their homes.

More than 1.5 million people are now thought to be living in fuel poverty and the rises in energy prices look certain to make their money problems worse.

The average energy bill was worth around £912 in January of this year but by winter this figure could be as high as £1,467, uSwitch.com has predicted.

"The days of cheap energy are over," said the comparison firm’s director of consumer policy Ann Robinson.

"If average energy bills do hit £1,467 by the end of 2008, spending on energy will account for five per cent of the average household’s net income."

Last month, Citizens Advice launched a fuel poverty action programme with the aim of helping families with energy-related debt management or money problems.