The Insolvency Service has reported that travel agents Felix Travels and Tours Limited (FTT) has been wound-up at the High Court after cancelling holidays at short-notice and not providing customers with the services they paid for. Around 300 customers are owed refunds totalling almost £600,000.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Save Consultants Ltd, a Manchester- based company, has been shut down in the public interest after investigations indicated that it was acting as an unlicensed insolvency practitioner.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Ellan NW Ltd, which traded as Knowsley Recovery, has been wound up following an investigation into its activities involving failing companies. The company claimed it could enable directors to 'walk away' from their responsibilities by arranging for their struggling companies to be purchased and had facilitated the purchase of around 226 companies from directors who paid thousands of pounds in fees. The Insolvency Service found that Ellan NW Ltd deliberately worked to subvert and undermine the regulated insolvency process, frustrating creditors' legitimate claims and the proper investigation of failed companies and the conduct of their directors. The investigation also found that the company's bank accounts had received more than £1 million since January 2023 and identified unexplained payments of £573,922 from the company to its director between January 2023 and December 2025. Ellan NW Ltd was wound up on 7 October 2026.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Darcella Ltd, a company which offered discounted corporate hospitality to major sporting and music events has been shut down after its clients paid for event packages which were later cancelled with no refunds provided. Furthermore, there was no evidence of any VAT collected by Darcella paid to HMRC although its turnover from September 2022 to March 2023 was in excess of £500,000.

The Insolvency Service has reported that three connected companies providing company secretarial and registration services have been wound up in the public interest following High Court proceedings on 29 January 2026. Yunma Tianlong International Consulting Co, Limited, Busy Secretary Service Limited and J&C Business (UK) Co, Limited provided services to more than 11,000 UK businesses on behalf of overseas clients, predominantly based in China. The companies failed to register with HM Revenue and Customs as trust and company service providers (TCSPs) and operated outside the UK’s anti-money laundering regulations. They also failed to conduct appropriate background and due diligence checks on clients and created false impressions of a genuine UK business presence. The Official Receiver has been appointed liquidator of all three companies, and Companies House has taken enforcement action against more than half of their client companies.

The Insolvency Service has published a review of recent reforms to Debt Relief Orders (DROs), concluding that the changes have widened access to debt relief and enabled more people in financial difficulty to access an appropriate debt solution. The review assessed the impact of the 2021 and 2024 reforms, which raised the maximum debt threshold, increased asset allowances, expanded eligibility for people on low incomes with limited assets and removed the £90 administration fee. It concludes that these measures reduced financial and administrative barriers, making it easier for eligible individuals to access debt relief and achieve a fresh start. The review found that the 2021 eligibility changes resulted in a 27% increase in the number of people obtaining a DRO, while the 2024 eligibility changes led to a further 9% increase. It also found that removing the £90 administration fee in April 2024 led to a 78% increase in DRO volumes, suggesting that eliminating the upfront cost encouraged more eligible individuals to access what the Insolvency Service considers to be a more proportionate debt relief solution.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Nigel Dinneen was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Derby Crown Court on 15 January 2026 for obtaining £414,594 in credit from five victims without disclosing his bankruptcy status. Dinneen was declared bankrupt in July 2019 but continued accepting advance payments for building projects across the Midlands, breaching the legal requirement to disclose bankruptcy when obtaining credit of £500 or more. The Insolvency Service further confirmed that Dinneen also committed perjury by concealing multiple bank accounts from the Official Receiver during the bankruptcy investigation.

The Insolvency Service has secured Bankruptcy Restrictions Orders (BROs) and Bankruptcy Restriction Undertakings (BRUs) against individuals who falsely applied for Bounce Back Loans (BBLs) as part of ongoing work to tackle Coronavirus (COVID-19) loan misconduct.

The Insolvency Service announces the successful confiscation order issued against Ilhan Kekec, a restaurant owner previously jailed for fraudulently acquiring a £30,000 covid bounce back loan (BBL). Kekec has been ordered to repay £37,426 within three months or face an additional 18 months imprisonment. Kekec, who misappropriated the loan to settle personal debts, has also been banned as a company director for three years.

The Insolvency Service has disqualified Marian Ghimpu, a 58-year-old director from Croydon, for 13 years and ordered him to repay over £50,000 to the public purse. The action follows Ghimpu's fraudulent use of the Bounce Back Loan (BBL) scheme during the pandemic. Ghimpu was ordered to pay a compensation order of £52,163 and was given five weeks to pay this, to ensure the taxpayer has not lost out. The compensation order, issued on 25 July 2023, is the first of its kind secured by the Insolvency Service in court.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Prive Global Sports Ltd, has been shut down for fraudulently offering heavily discounted hospitality packages to businesses for in-demand sporting events. The company’s customers paid for packages which were later cancelled with no refunds provided, causing them to suffer losses exceeding £600,000 in total.

The Insolvency Service has published a study analysis of Members’ Voluntary Liquidation (MVL) outcomes in England and Wales, examining 2,309 cases between 2016–24. The study found that MVLs are operating effectively, with creditors paid in full within 12 months in 95% of closed cases examined. It also found that only seven cases converted from MVL to Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation, with one resulting in director disqualification. The study was commissioned to improve understanding of MVL practice and assess the potential impact of a High Court ruling, currently under appeal, which interpreted the law as requiring all creditors and interest to be paid within 12 months of an MVL’s commencement.