Craig Budsworth

Craig has more than thirty years inside credit hire and motor claims, from Glaisyers to AX. He writes about how credit hire actually works in practice, the operational discipline that wins files, and the BHR and intervention arguments that come up week after week.

Articles by Craig (14)

Most recent first.

Strategy7 August 2026

The GTA Is Getting a Binding Dispute Route. What That Actually Changes at Day 61.

The GTA rate card is fixed for twelve months, so once liability is settled, duration is the whole argument. A binding ADR route is coming for unsettled claims, decided by specialists who understand GTA hire claims rather than a district judge who does not understand credit hire. Here is what the scheme actually is, what it is not, and what to do about it before it opens.

Handler How-To6 August 2026

When the Bodyshop Cannot Take the Car: Justifying a Long Hire Period on Repair Capacity

Repair capacity is tightening and hire periods are stretching with it. Here is how to build the file so a long period survives a TPI challenge, and where the argument runs out.

Industry Update27 July 2026

Connected Vehicles and Credit Hire Recovery: Where Software Liability Leaves the Hire Period

When a car's software is arguably at fault, who is the defendant and what happens to the credit hire period? A practical guide for handlers on liability, recovery and the reasonable period.

Handler How-To20 July 2026

When Your AI Can Log Into the Claims System: Supervising Agents That Act, Not Just Draft

AI agents can now log in and act, not just draft. A practical guide for credit hire handlers on access boundaries, named approvers and action logs before an acting agent touches a live file.

Handler How-To9 July 2026

The FCA Just Published the Mills Review on AI in Financial Services. Here Is What Credit Hire Handlers Should Do With It.

The FCA's Mills Review of AI's long-term impact on retail financial services landed on 6 July 2026. It is the formal document behind the earlier trade press coverage of Graeme Reynolds' conference remarks. Here is what the Mills Review actually says, and how credit hire handlers should use it when defendant insurer AI decisions turn up on their files.

Handler How-To1 July 2026

Applying the 1 July 2026 GTA Rate Review: What Changes in Your BHR Challenges from Today

New maximum daily credit hire rates take effect for hires starting on or after 1 July 2026. The practical application guide for handlers: which hires fall under the new rates, how to update the BHR challenge template, and the three transition scenarios worth knowing.

Strategy17 June 2026

The Two-Track Claims Desk: Where Credit Hire Handlers Land as AI Spreads

New PwC data shows AI is professionalising some roles and democratising others. In credit hire, that dividing line runs straight through the handler desk.

Strategy3 June 2026

Why So Few Credit Hire Cases Prove Impecuniosity (and How Handlers Can Close the Gap)

Keoghs' 2026 benchmarking shows fewer than 10% of litigated credit hire cases succeed on impecuniosity. The FCA Financial Lives data shows a population with thin financial buffers. The lever that bridges the two is operational.

Industry Update27 May 2026

What Credit Hire Teams Should Take From the Pinsent Masons AI Ruling

A senior judge said a junior solicitor 'almost entirely outsourced the thinking process' to AI. Here is what the Pinsent Masons ruling means for credit hire operations.

Strategy28 April 2026

Credit Hire in Scotland: What QOCS Actually Changed (and What Handlers Should Do About It)

Five years on from QOCS, what Scottish credit hire handlers need to know about fraud thresholds, Manley v McLeese, and litigation-grade file build.

Industry Update15 April 2026

Using AI in Credit Hire: What You Need to Know About Compliance

A practical guide to AI compliance in credit hire: the EU AI Act, hallucination risk, RAG architecture, AI literacy and UK GDPR obligations.

Strategy22 March 2026

Impecuniosity in Credit Hire: What the Courts Actually Require

What does impecuniosity mean in UK credit hire? A practical guide to pleading, proving, and defending it, grounded in Lagden v O'Connor and recent case law.

Industry Update15 March 2026

What the OIC Reforms Mean for Credit Hire in 2026

How the OIC portal and whiplash reforms affect credit hire operations, fraud patterns, and claim strategy in 2026.

Advice8 March 2026

Not at Fault? Here's What You're Actually Entitled To

A plain-English guide for non-fault claimants: like-for-like replacement vehicles, how credit hire works, intervention offers, hire period and rate.