Shares in doorstep lender and motor finance group S&U jumped more than 7% today after it said that results for the year which ended last month would "significantly exceed market expectations".
S&U, which supplies loans to more than 140,000 households, said that demand in its Home Credit division had been good over Christmas and January.
The motor finance business, which trades under the Advantage Finance name, said it had overcome the traditional lull in the second-hand car market usually seen in the winter months, with the past two months showing a substantial increase over the previous year.
It has raised its targets for the current year and predicts another record result. The group also said that its balance sheet has improved substantially with gearing down to 35% from 43% a year earlier.
It is planning to raise the dividend by 20% and the shares were up 47.5p to 680p on the news.
