THE number of debt judgments registered against individuals and businesses in Northern Ireland rose again in the July-September quarter.
And though they remain well below the peaks seen before the Covid outbreak, they have begun to creep up again as interventions by government and regulators are gradually phased out.
There were 755 judgments taken against individual consumers over the third quarter - up 24 per cent on the 608 cases in the same period last year, according to new figures from the Registry Trust.
The rise in the total value of judgment debt owed rose 66 per cent from £1.6m in a year ago to £2.7m this time, and the average value of consumer judgments was one third higher at £3,570 compared to £2,674 last year.
Judgments against businesses in the north rose by 60 per cent over the comparable period from 73 to 117, though the total value rose by just 21 per cent, from £457,243 to £554,524.
The average value of business judgments fell by 24 per cent, from £6,264 to £4,740.
The median value fell from £2,708 to £1,430, a drop of 47 per cent, which suggests creditors were taking out more smaller judgments against businesses.
Registry Trust chair Mick McAteer said: “We saw another large rise in the number and value of judgments in this quarter compared to the same period last year.
“At that time, interventions by government and regulators, and forbearance by creditors, in response to the Covid crisis, had kept judgment numbers at historically low levels.
“But, as these measures were wound down, numbers have begun to rise again, though there is still some way to go before they reach pre-Covid peaks.”
