U.K. consumers maintained their appetite for debt in June as the Bank of England considers whether to raise interest rates for only the second time since 2007, Bloomberg News reported. Unsecured lending rose 8.8 percent from a year earlier, the same rate as in the previous two months, the U.K. central bank said on Monday. Consumers added 1.6 billion pounds ($2.1 billion) to their debts in June -- above the average of the previous six months. Credit cards are accounting for an increasing share of consumer credit, outpacing personal loans, overdrafts and car finance, the BOE said.

The number of people in England and Wales filing for insolvency hit a more than six-year high in the second quarter, adding to conflicting economic signals for Bank of England officials as they consider whether to raise interest rates next week, Reuters reported. Seasonally adjusted data from the Insolvency Service showed 28,951 people registered as insolvent between April and June — up 27 percent on a year ago and the largest total since early 2012 when Britain last flirted with recession.

The UK financial regulator is planning to crack down on peer-to-peer lenders and crowdfunding platforms, following concerns that investors could be taking on more risk than they realise, the Finacnial Times reported. In a long-awaited review of the sector published on Friday, the Financial Conduct Authority proposed tougher rules for the peer-to-peer industry, which has grown dramatically in the last decade as banks have retreated from high-risk lending and interest rates have fallen.

Johnston Press is exploring options to restructure or refinance its debt, the British regional newspaper publisher said on Thursday in a statement issued after its shares more than doubled, the International New York Times reported on a Reuters story. Top investor activist Custos Group is not in discussions with the company, however, after offering to help refinance it on Tuesday, CEO Christen Ager-Hanssen told Reuters. "I'm not in discussions with them -- not for the moment," Ager-Hanssen said.

Intu Properties' chief executive officer is stepping down as the British shopping centre operator swung to a loss and warned of lower rental income growth for the full year, sending its shares down 9 percent to a record low. Intu's update follows a failed 3.4 billion-pound takeover bid by rival Hammerson in April and a string of bankruptcies of retailers that has hit the company hard, the International New York Times reported on a Reuters story.

Banks from Britain must draw up plans showing how they will staff and operate their new bases in the European Union after Brexit to avoid ending up with "empty shells,” the International New York Times reported on a Reuters story. It is the clearest sign yet that the shift in banking jobs from Britain may rise significantly from the modest 3,500 to 12,000 forecast in the short term by the City of London financial district. About 20 banks have applied so far for licences to open bases or expand existing ones in the eurozone by March 2019.

Hammerson plans to sell £1.1bn of properties by the end of 2019 and buy back up to £300m of shares as the shopping centre landlord tries to appease unhappy shareholders and the activist investors Elliott, the Financial Times reported. Setting out a new strategy after a turbulent period of failed takeovers earlier this year, the FTSE 250 group said it would increase non-UK exposure above half of its portfolio for the first time in its recent history.

McColl’s Retail Group Plc expects full-year core earnings to be flat and posted a drop in first-half like-for-like sales, as supplies were hit after last year’s collapse of cigarette wholesaler Palmer & Harvey, sending its shares down 15 percent on Monday, Reuters reported. The British convenience retailer also said Chief Financial Officer Simon Fuller was leaving the company. The company now expects 2018 full-year adjusted core earnings to be at a similar level to the prior year after a 2.7 percent drop in first-half like-for-like sales.

The number of UK companies suffering "significant" financial distress has increased nearly 10pc compared with last year and London-based firms are feeling the biggest strain, new research shows. More than 470,000 businesses felt the pinch at the end of June, according to insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor, an increase of 9pc on last year, The Telegraph reported. Those based in London are struggling the most. The capital was the country's worst performing region, with the rate of firms facing serious financial difficulty rocketing 17pc compared with June last year.

A group of landlords have filed a legal challenge to House of Fraser’s company voluntary arrangement (CVA) after creditors approved the plan to close more than half of its stores, the Financial Times reported. The group, which is advised by the property agents JLL and restructuring group Begbies Traynor, said it “believes that certain landlords have been unfairly prejudiced during this process and that there have been alleged material irregularities in the implementation of House of Fraser’s CVA”.