What we do
We're Europe's leading credit management services business, operating in different legal and regulatory frameworks across nine countries and three regions.
Our core business
We buy portfolios of debt from clients and then use our skills, resources, and experience to engage customers, agree payment plans with them, and create long-term, predictable revenue streams.
We supply specialist collections services for other businesses, so they don’t have to build their own collections ability. By taking an ethical approach to supporting their customers, we help our clients focus on what they do best while we keep the cash flowing.
A responsible business like ours, is a sustainable business.
The sectors we work with
Across UK, Nordics and DACH:
- Retail: online and high street stores, catalogue companies.
- Financial services: banks, building societies, and lenders.
- Insurance: home, car, and property insurance providers.
- Telecommunications: mobile and landline providers.
- Utilities: gas, electric and water companies.
Across Nordics and DACH only:
- Memberships: gyms and subscription-based businesses.
- Public sector: local and central government agencies.
Other business services
We also offer a range of other business services for clients to help them work better, including:
Legal collections
- We offer pre-litigation collections support, extended - in Germany and the Nordics - through and beyond the litigation process.
- Overdales is Lowell’s specialist law firm that provides debt recovery and litigation services to clients across the UK. We’re authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in respect of our litigation work and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to our Debt Collection Agency (DCA) activity.
Payment and invoice services
- We supply invoice services for clients, including managing payments and sending reminders.
Business Process Outsourcing
- We support outsourcing processes covering the end-to-end workflow and including responsibility for employees.
Self-funded growth
Our growth strategy is unique in the debt management sector.
Traditionally, debt businesses effectively put themselves in debt by borrowing to fund their portfolio acquisition. Markets are cautious about this approach given that the cost of borrowing is rising.
That’s why we have adopted a radically different approach to renewal funding: self-funded growth through our Off-Balance Sheet Securitisation programme.
What do we mean by Off-Balance Sheet Securitisation?
Briefly, we take non-performing loans (NPL) and turn them into performing loans. We then sell them on, retaining the servicing activity in return for fees, generating the funds we need to invest in the next portfolio of NPL debt or to reduce our own borrowings.
This unique approach accelerates value and cashflows earlier in the lifecycle of the accounts, monetising our work in transforming lifeless accounts into performing, investment-graded assets.
Find out more about our trading performance
Consumer collections excellence
This is our core competence. Continuous improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of our collections activities is at the heart of our business and we are tireless in driving it for the mutual benefit of our customers’ experience and our performance.
As a result, our business results have proven to be resilient to macro-economic conditions.
Customer focus
We are an ethical business that treats customers with respect and dignity.
We’ve got an amazing team, delivering superb customer service over the phone at our Customer Engagement Centres (CEC) and through our market-leading digital experiences.
We listen compassionately to people in debt to understand their stories. We give extra support to customers in vulnerable situations. And we’re acutely aware that we don’t want to make life even more difficult for our financially strapped customers, so we offer affordable payment plans that reflect their individual circumstances.
Regional differences
Our business model is slightly different in the DACH and Nordic regions, respecting local views of debt and the responsibility for it.
Sector-leading digital experiences
Our extensive UK investment in digital capabilities continues to pay off with intuitive tools that help customers understand their finances so they can return to sustainable financial wellbeing.
Omnichannel experience
When customers are reluctant to pick up the phone and talk about their debt situation, we’ve made it easy for them to engage with us without having to speak to an agent. They can move seamlessly between whichever channel they choose: our sector-leading app, online portal, or Customer Engagement Centre (CEC). No other debt company has this capability.
An array of free digital services
We give our customers access to various digital services that help them understand their financial situation and enable them to set up a sustainable payment plan:
- Consumer website with intuitive online payment portal
- The Lowell App
- Free access to their TransUnion credit score
- Budget and debt repayment calculators
- Every year in the UK, people are missing out on around £19 billion of benefits. Our Benefits Calculator shows our customers what benefits they could be eligible for.
Unparalleled data resources
We are experts in the art of nudging reluctant, anxious, and embarrassed customers to get in touch and set up an affordable payment plan. And because we have a vast data bank, we understand how they think, what motivates them, and how to dampen their fears and win their trust. For example, we have, or have had, a relationship with one in five of the UK adult population.
As market-leaders, many of our customers have multiple accounts with us, sometimes current, sometimes historic. This gives us a wealth of information about the customer’s geography, spending habits, and financial health. We use this data to help transform non-performing debt into reliable revenue streams whilst also helping policymakers better understand factors affecting society.
Leaders with purpose and influence
To help people better understand their personal finances, we’re continually campaigning to improve financial education.
As leaders within the debt sector, we feel a responsibility to shift the national view of debt.
We use our considerable data, operational insights, and customer research to help inform government policy and shape the national debt agenda. We’re leading the conversation about problem debt in society, promoting the crucial impact of early engagement on customer outcomes.
We support initiatives and charities that advocate for financial inclusion
Turning Lives Around and MyBnk
These charities support people in vulnerable situations and help improve financial education. We're all aiming to create stronger, more financially educated future generations.
Centre for Social Justice (CSJ)
We've teamed up with the CSJ to support them in their mission to become a leading voice for financial inclusion, shine a light on victims of illegal money lending, promote affordable credit options, and improve government debt collection.
Find out more about how Lowell is better for society.