More people in debt, unpaid bills total €5.6bn

Debt collectors are currently charged with collecting €5.6bn in unpaid bills, a 30% increase on a year ago, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday.

The €800m increase in unpaid bills in the previous quarter is ‘exceptional’ according to the national debt collection agency association NVIO.
The NVIO blames the economic crisis for the increase. ‘Companies are more likely to involve a debt collection agency because they have less cash as well,’ spokeswoman Jet Creemers told the paper.
The NVIO represents 70% of the country’s balliffs, meaning the true figure could be 30% higher, she said.
The number of households applying for help in managing their debt rose 11% in the first six months of this year.