A publishing company which made misleading claims about its circulation figures, and demanded payment for advertisements never placed, has been wound up in the High Court following an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

Rose Garland Limited, based in Heywood, Lancashire, claimed to publish 'awareness' booklets covering subjects such as road safety, fire prevention and drug awareness.  The company sold advertising space in the booklets to small businesses and organisations throughout the UK between October 2006 and November 2009, and had more than 5000 customers.

The enquiry by the Insolvency Service's Companies Investigation Branch (CIB) found that Rose Garland had been cold-calling potential advertisers, offering them advertising space based on highly exaggerated claims about circulation figures.  The investigation revealed that:

• One customer was told that 250,000 copies of the booklet containing his advertisement would be handed out to the police, fire brigade and ambulance staff and copies placed in casualty wards.  The enquiry showed that only 6,500 copies of the booklets had ever been printed and the low distribution and poor quality made them of little or no commercial benefit to the advertisers;

Two Swiss-based company directors who deceived UK investors into paying more than £5 million in a land banking scam have been disqualified as directors for 12 years, following a Government investigation.

The former directors of Hambrook & Greenstock AG (in liquidation), Andres Schenker and Claudia Daxelhoffer, have today signed disqualification undertakings after inquiries by the Insolvency Service's Companies Investigation Branch revealed a pattern of unfit conduct.

The company sold plots of greenfield land to UK investors at three sites at Sible Hedingham, Marlow, and Chalford.  The company bought the land for just over £600,000.  Some 750 plots were then sold to investors for £5 million.

The investors were told that the land would receive planning consent for development and would increase dramatically in value.  That permission was never granted and the plots have remained undeveloped.

The Government has announced the following proposals for store & credit card reform:

(1) Change the order in which debt is paid 

Most credit card companies make customers pay the cheapest debt off first.  This is a particular problem for consumers who withdraw cash on their card, typically charged at 25% APR or more.  They are often the most likely to be vulnerable to financial difficulties.  The Government is considering changing the rules so that the most expensive debt is paid off first. 

(2) Raise the minimum monthly payment level

Around one third of people who don't pay off their credit card bill in full each month make only the minimum repayment.  This can mean consumers take decades to pay off the debt.  The Government is considering the introduction of a mandatory higher monthly minimum payment to encourage people to pay off their debts faster.

A Bolton-based kitchen supplier which took large deposits from customers but failed to deliver most of their orders has been wound up in the High Court following a Government investigation.

In The Box Ltd, which offered kitchen supply and fit services to householders, has been placed into liquidation by the High Court in Manchester following the investigation by Companies Investigation Branch (CIB), part of the Insolvency Service.  

The investigation found that the company took large deposits from customers but, in many cases, failed to supply the kitchens or to return monies.  Among the worst examples were:

A company that claimed to have investment projects worth £4 billion offering investors an opportunity to buy flats at a discounted price, has been wound up in the High Court following an investigation by the Insolvency Service's Companies Investigation Branch (CIB).

The company advertised the property investment 'opportunity' on an internet website based on non-existent property developments in London.

The investigation established that Investment Building Bank of London Plc ("IBBL"), which for a time occupied prestigious offices in Knightsbridge, operated a website, ib-bank.com and ran adverts in a national newspaper promoting itself as "an international building and investment company" with alleged projects planned for the construction of residential and commercial property in London.  IBBL also claimed to offer 'an opportunity to invest' in the company through the purchase of promissory notes which attracted generous rates of return.

Seven recruitment companies - First Call Publications Limited, Mode Enterprises Limited, Community Care Jobs Online Limited, BMJ UK Limited, Nursing Today Limited, Nursing Tomorrow Limited, and Reload Recruitment Limited - all based in Leamington Spa, have been wound up in the High Court following an investigation by the Government's Companies Investigation Branch (CIB).

The companies, apparently controlled by the same two directors, engaged in 'cold calling' and duped organisations into paying money for job advertisements.  As a result of this activity, the companies were paid over £600,000 between August 2006 and March 2009.

The Government has launched a national campaign to help struggling homeowners take control of their finances and make the most of available support to avoid repossessions and stay in their homes.  

The advertising campaign will focus on publicising the new Directgov: Mortgage Help website and the National Debtline (tel: 0808 808 4000), where concerned homeowners can obtain impartial advice and information on how to develop a personal action plan to resolve mortgage repayment problems.

People concerned about meeting their mortgage payments, those already in arrears or threatened with repossession action from their lender, and homeowners facing a court hearing will be given guidance on the steps they can take to keep their homes.

Six companies based in Blackburn and Manchester have been wound up in the High Court following an investigation by the Government's Companies Investigation Branch ("CIB").

CIB's investigation established that the six companies, UK Wide Debt Management Limited, Frasier Goldberg Limited, ADC Organisation Limited, ADC Recoveries & Legal Services Limited, Royal Foods limited and Rabi Foods Limited, although involved in different businesses, were linked to each other through common directors and/or addresses.

Chancellor Alistair Darling visited the hub of the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Business Payment Support Service (BPSS) in Cumbernauld, Glasgow yesterday to see how the service is performing in its work to support struggling businesses across the UK.

Launched in November 2008, the service has helped over 185,000 UK businesses to spread tax payments totalling £3.3 billion over a timetable they can afford. 

Around 60% of arrangements are for periods of three months and below.  HMRC monitoring shows that over 90 per cent of expected payments have been received.  By 2 August, £2.12 billion had been repaid (both in part and in full), leaving £1.18 billion still being paid.

Timothy Wren, of Omskirk Lancashire, the former managing director of Land Banking (UK) plc has been disqualified as a director for seven years following an investigation by the Companies Investigation Branch ("CIB").

Land Banking commenced trading in November 2005.  It purchased farmland, divided it into small plots, and re-sold it at "inflated values." 

Investors bought plots believing planning permission to develop the land would be granted and result in a "10 fold increase in value."

Last week, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills announced that every small business in the UK now has free access to thousands of lower value government contracts on the website www.supply2.gov.uk.

Insolvency Service statistics show that 5,055 companies went into liquidation in England and Wales in the second quarter of 2009, an increase of 2.9% on the previous quarter. 

The good news, however, is that this is a smaller increase than the 7.1% quarter-on-quarter increase reported after the first quarter of 2009.

Meanwhile, 33,073 individuals became insolvent during the second quarter - almost 10% more than the number reported in the first quarter.