Five Lamps Trading Limited are celebrating as last night their personal loan service ‘Conduit’ won Best Newcomer in the 2019 Consumer Credit Awards.
The Consumer Credit Awards are unique as they are voted for by customers rather than a judging panel. Over 27,000 customers took part in the voting process.
Conduit are delighted to have won this prestigious award especially as it is voted for by customers. Our customers are at the heart of what we do. We first entered the personal lending market place through our Charity Five Lamps in 2007 as we recognised there was a need within our communities for customers to access fair and affordable credit. We also recognised the impact that debt and poorly designed lending products have on our customer’s emotional and physical health, as well as being a barrier to them sustaining employment. Since 2007, our lending service has grown and we identified a need to set up Conduit as a Limited Company, which enabled us to secure additional capital investment from a range of social and charitable investors.
Our customers are not able to access mainstream forms of credit and often reply on high interest companies or doorstep lenders and loan sharks. These companies are profit driven, unfairly targeted at those who can least afford it and do not often take into account customer circumstances. We know our customers struggle with their finances so we don’t charge any additional fees such as an admin fee to get the loan set up or any late or missed payment fees. Our loan product is fairly priced as we are not about profit over purpose – any profits made within Conduit are gift-aided back into our Registered Charity Five Lamps for financial, social and economic inclusion activities.
Having access to fair and affordable credit is key for our customers as it’s helps to meet their day to day financial needs and absorb any unexpected financial shocks. Over 3 million people access high cost credit in the UK and more than 16m people have less than £100 in savings.
Our customers can save on average around £230 in interest compared to some lenders. This saving makes a significant impact to our customers and helps to reduce the worry and stress they face when dealing within an unexpected bill or having piece of mind that they can get essential repairs to their car enabling them to get to work.
Lisa Pickard, Group Chief Executive said
“We are beyond thrilled to win a Consumer Credit Award. Our Conduit product is intended to disrupt the high cost credit market and support people, many of whom experience poverty premiums and don’t have access to mainstream banking, to access affordable loans. Not only is this award special because it’s voted for by our customers, but it will also support our campaign to raise awareness of the alternatives to pay day lenders and loan sharks. We aim to lend fairly and change lives. This award gives us confidence that our customers value both our product and services. Safe to say I am proud to lead such a brilliant organisation”
The Consumer Credit Awards Ceremony took place on 11 July 2019 at Café de Paris in London.
To find out more information about Conduit, please visit www.conduit.org.uk or call us on, 0300 111 0556.