Government departments, local authorities and bailiffs are among the most unfair when it comes to the treatment of people in problem debt, according to a new report from StepChange Debt Charity. The report – Creditor and debt collector conduct: What’s making debt problems worse? – claims that some creditors are failing to take vulnerabilities such as depression and other ongoing mental health conditions into account. StepChange said its other findings show how poor bailiff practices, such as intimidation and the addition of excessive fees, are commonplace and make people’s existing debt problems worse, despite reforms implemented by the Ministry of Justice in April 2014. The research indicates that where regulation is more robust, such as the Financial Conduct Authority’s regulation of consumer credit, there are better outcomes for clients. The charity’s report is based on research from an in-depth survey of 1,794 of its clients. They were asked to identify which organisations they considered to have treated them fairly or unfairly in relation to dealing with their debt.,.....SOURCE HERE