Value of court judgments against consumers rises by 41 per cent

More than €200 million was awarded in court judgments against consumers in the first half of this year, according to figures from business and credit risk analyst vision-net.ie.

The value of consumer judgments awarded amounted to €202.8 million, which is a 41 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2014.

The average value of consumer judgments during the first six months of 2015 was €119,879, an increase of 33 per cent or €29,925, on the same period in 2014.

In total, 1,692 judgments were awarded against consumers in the first six months of 2015, a 6 per cent increase on the same period in 2014. More than half (52 per cent) of all consumer judgments were awarded to the Revenue Commissioners.

The value of judgments against commercial entities declined, down 25 per cent, from €22.9 million to €17.2 million.The average value of commercial judgments awarded for the first half of 2015 was €27,911, a decrease of 23 per cent or €8,428 reduction, on 2014’s equivalent figure of €36,339.

Of the 616 commercial judgments awarded in the first half of 2015, 256 were awarded to local authorities.