Debt charities AdviceUK, Citizens Advice, the Institute of Money Advisers and the Money Advice Trust have set out five steps creditors should take to achieve best practice in debt collection and are calling on the industry to join them in a conversation about how debt collection practice can be improved across the board.

Their new report, Do the right thing, argues that helping people overcome their debt problems and paying back what they owe in a way that suits their circumstances has clear advantages for creditors, advice agencies and those in debt.

Alex MacDermott, Creditor liaison policy officer at Citizens Advice and report author, said: “Each year the CAB service helps nearly 600