A crackdown on payday lenders could hit the price of one of the UK's leading credit reference firms, Sky News understands.

A looming crackdown on the payday lending sector could scupper hopes of a £400m-plus payday for the owners of Callcredit, a leading credit checking agency. Sky News understands that a number of bidders for Yorkshire-based Callcredit have expressed concern that the profit the company generates from so-called alternative finance providers could be substantially eroded by political hostility toward the sector. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and politicians including George Osborne, the Chancellor, and Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, have called for tough restrictions on payday lenders' business practices in recent months.

An influential committee of MPs waded into the debate last month, calling for restrictions on the way companies such as QuickQuid and Wonga advertise their products. The exact proportion of Callcredit's earnings derived from the sector is not disclosed by the company although a person close to the auction suggested that it could be in the region of 10%. The private equity groups Charterhouse, Permira and Chicago-based GTCR are among those preparing to submit final offers for Callcredit ahead of a deadline on February 6...Read more here