Cattles thrives on lust for loans

CONSUMERS' appetite for debt helped profits at moneylender Cattles leap by nearly 30% last year.

The company, which offers loans to people refused credit by mainstream banks, notched up pre-tax profits of £122.7m in the year to 31 December, up 28.3%. Arrears and bad debts were stable.

The dividend is lifted 16.3% with the final 8.15p making 12.10p for the year.