53% of all loan requests in the Lytham St Annes postal area are aimed at consolidating existing borrowing, according to research was carried out by Darwin Group.
Meanwhile, people of Port Glasgow plump for home improvement (48% of loans requests in the town), and in Haverfordwest, 11% of all loan requests are for funding a wedding day.
In other towns leisure breaks ranked highly, with Caldicot residents looking to fund holidays (8%) and the people of Normanton joining the caravanning fraternity (6%). Meanwhile in Hartlepool Christmas is the top borrowing reason in the North East town.
Darwin Group offers secured and unsecured loans to customers through its brands Evolution and Progressive Money. It looked at the most common loan requests from of a sample of 110,133 adults aged 18+.
| Top Town | Most common loan disposition | % of loan requests |
| Lytham St Annes | Debt Consolidation | 53% |
| Port Glasgow | Home Improvement | 48% |
| Haverfordwest | Wedding | 11% |
| Caldicot | Holiday | 8% |
| Normanton | Caravans | 6% |
| Bognor Regis | Car | 5% |
| Gillingham | Existing Business Venture | 2% |
| Hartlepool | Christmas | 1% |
| Swansea | Motor Bike | 1% |
Richard Livesey, marketing communications manager of Darwin Group, said: “The borrowing needs across the country are as diverse as our coastline, with our insight showing the variations across the British Isles. While we can see commonality in the lending dispositions in certain towns, our insight shows the dramatic variance in the personal reasons why individuals look to take out a loan.
“While some may wish to consolidate debt, others can be seen to pursue hobbies and business ventures. With no two individuals’ needs or situations the same, we are dedicated to lending, the decisions never made exclusively on a credit score, instead understanding the circumstances behind a loan request and making an intelligent decision based on a number of factors.”
