Oakbrook wins Consumer Lending Provider of the Year at the 2026 Credit & Collections Industry Awards
22nd May 2026
We're proud to announce that Oakbrook has been named Consumer Lending Provider of the Year at the 2026 Credit & Collections Industry Awards, recognising our commitment to making borrowing fairer, simpler and more accessible for people across the UK.
The award recognises our approach to responsible lending across Oakbrook Loans, OakbrookAdvance and OakbrookOne. Judges highlighted the strength of our products, customer experience and continued investment in innovation.
The recognition reflects more than a decade of work to make borrowing simpler and more transparent. From clearer application journeys and faster lending decisions to responsible affordability assessments, we continue to invest in improving every stage of the customer experience.
Since launching in 2011, we've focused on supporting customers whose credit files may not fully reflect their current financial circumstances. Rather than relying solely on traditional credit scoring, we've developed a broader approach to credit assessment that helps identify creditworthy borrowers while maintaining responsible lending standards.
One example is OakbrookOne, our debt consolidation loan, which has now provided more than £50 million in lending. Customers reduce their monthly repayments by an average of £110, while more than 40% have their existing debts settled and receive their new loan on the same day they're approved. Around 30% of OakbrookOne offers are made to customers who receive no other lending offers elsewhere, demonstrating the product's role in improving access to credit.
We've also continued to invest in artificial intelligence to strengthen our lending decisions. Our latest AI-powered credit scorecard helps identify applicants who may be overlooked by traditional credit models, enabling us to responsibly expand access to credit while maintaining strong affordability standards.
Claire Smith, Marketing Director at Oakbrook, said:
"We're delighted to have been recognised as Consumer Lending Provider of the Year.
What matters most to us is that this reflects the impact we're having for customers who are often overlooked by mainstream lenders. We've spent a lot of time focused on making borrowing feel simpler, clearer and more manageable — whether that's fewer payments to juggle, faster decisions, or products designed around real customer situations rather than just credit scores.
The fact the judges recognised both our product innovation and the customer outcomes means a huge amount to the team.
We've made strong progress, particularly with OakbrookOne and the work we're doing around AI-powered credit assessment, but we still see a big opportunity to improve how borrowing works for underserved customers. This award is a brilliant milestone, but there's a lot more we want to do."
Dr Jamie Ownsworth, Head of Data Science at Oakbrook, added:
"Better outcomes for customers start with better decisions. Our latest scorecard helps us see borrowers more completely, not just what their credit file says, but who they actually are today.
That allows us to responsibly extend credit to people the mainstream market often overlooks, and to do it in a way that supports sustainable borrowing."
Winning Consumer Lending Provider of the Year marks another important milestone in our mission to change lending for the better. By combining responsible lending, smarter technology and products designed around real customer needs, we remain focused on making borrowing more accessible for thousands of people across the UK.