Personal bankruptcy figures included in the Citizens Advice Bureau report told a painful story. “Between 2000 and 2009 the numbers of people applying for bankruptcy (England and Wales) rose 249% (from 21,500 in 2000 to 75,000 in 2009)” In the first quarter of 2010 the Insolvency Service revealed individual insolvencies in England and Wales were up 17.9% on the same period the previous year.

Basic Bank Accounts for Bankrupts

These bankruptcy statistics make distressing reading for all concerned. Add to the mix the loss of a bank account, which may happen in bankruptcy or the inability of some undischarged bankrupts to open even a basic bank account, and there is then a very real risk of financial exclusion.