Wonga to write off the debts of 330,000 customers
Wonga is to write off the debts of 330,000 customers whose loans would not have been made under new affordability criteria being introduced by the pay-day lender.
Wonga admits lending to those who could not afford it
Wonga's new chairman has admitted the company made loans to people who could not afford to repay.
The statement comes after the payday lender's agreed with the financial watchdog to make significant and immediate changes to its business.
Debts for 330,000 customers currently in arrears of more than 30 days will have their loans written off, while 45,000 who are up to 29 days in arrears will be asked to repay without interest and charges over an extended period of four months.
Chairman Andy Haste said: "We want to ensure we only lend to those who can reasonably afford the loan in question and during my review, it became clear to me that this has unfortunately not always been the case.
"I agreed with the concerns expressed by the FCA and as a consequence of our discussions we have committed to taking these actions."
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Headaches and questions for Wonga after mass write off
Wonga, under Errol Damelin, was lending irresponsibly on an almighty scale, 375,000 people is larger than the population of Cardiff.
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Three questions Wonga now needs to answer
After the payday lender admits it failed to properly check potential borrowers, it now faces a challenge to regain customers' trust.