Debt help possible as confidence wavers

Britons will be bracing themselves to look into Debt Management Plans (DMPs) as consumer confidence hung in the balance during April.

The Nationwide Consumer Confidence Index saw a small rise of one point, but the Expectations Index is now 14 points below February's record high. This suggests that more Britons are expecting financial problems in the future.

Consumers are more optimistic about the jobs market though, despite the numbers out of work rising by 53,000 over the first three months of 2010.

Nationwide's Mark Saddleton has warned that debt issues and future unemployment figures mean that any further increases may be "muted".

He commented: "With confidence still fragile following the recent recession, there is a very real possibility that the index could experience further volatility in the coming months if uncertainty remains following the formation of a coalition Government."

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