MorganAsh and PayPlan partnership delivers major gains in vulnerability identification, scalability and support

04 September 2025

PayPlan, a leading UK provider of debt advice and support, has announced successful results from its partnership with support services provider MorganAsh – with the adoption of the MorganAsh Resilience System (MARS) delivering improvements in identifying and supporting vulnerable customers – and generating deeper management information.

For PayPlan, which provides debt advice and services including helping people set up debt management plans and individual voluntary arrangements, it is vital to identify customers’ vulnerabilities accurately and as early as possible. By adopting MARS, PayPlan has been able to enhance its vulnerability management process and identify those clients who may need additional support.

Using MARS and its objective digital assessment, PayPlan can identify types and severity of vulnerabilities and suggest suitable ‘next steps’ – pathways for additional help and support for the client. Not only has this increased consistency and scalability, it has produced valuable management information to make informed decisions. It has also alleviated the pressure of face-to-face disclosure – encouraging more open and honest responses.

Before MARS, 54% of all PayPlan’s clients disclosed a vulnerability in addition to financial vulnerability. MARS assessments identified 92% of customers as vulnerable and 7% as potentially vulnerable. Furthermore, PayPlan has been able to better pinpoint the root cause of a client’s situation or uncover deeper issues, such as mental health challenges, compulsive behaviours, relationship breakdowns or the risk of homelessness.

Emma Gibbons, vulnerability lead at PayPlan, said:

“Using MARS helps clients feel more comfortable when sharing personal information. By reducing the pressure of face-to-face disclosure, we get a fuller, more honest picture of a client’s situation – without stigma.

“MorganAsh is excellent to work with. The team listened to our perspective and understood where we had experience, but they also pushed back when their nurses had a different perspective, backed by their knowledge and experience. We added in more detailed questions to which we needed answers, things we need to know about addictive behaviours or domestic abuse. We’d also say that the perception that ‘clients won’t answer these questions’ just isn’t true.”

Andrew Gething, managing director of MorganAsh, adds:

“Since adopting MARS, PayPlan has seen tremendous results. Building on their deep knowledge and expertise, the platform has enabled PayPlan to build a complete picture around each consumer, understand their needs and provide meaningful support. On a broader scale, access to detailed management information creates an opportunity to make informed decisions, assess service outcomes and identify areas for improvement.

“PayPlan is a great example of a company that goes the extra mile for its customers – not because it is what the regulator demands – but because it is the right thing to do for its customers. We are thrilled by their success so far with MARS and look forward to even better results in the future, with our shared ambition to support consumers in difficulty and with characteristics of vulnerability.”

Emma said: “We see Consumer Duty not as the end goal, but as the baseline. Our ambition goes beyond meeting regulatory requirements. We aim to deliver meaningful, long-term outcomes – and build financial resilience for clients. It’s about creating a more inclusive, data-informed and person-centred service that consistently delivers excellent outcomes for everyone.”

MorganAsh launched its award-winning MARS platform to help firms understand and monitor vulnerable customers and deliver good outcomes – as required by Consumer Duty. It is in use across financial services and the utilities sector, enabling businesses to adopt a consistent approach to identifying vulnerable characteristics and generate an objective Resilience Rating – much like a credit score.

As part of the relationship between the two firms, PayPlan’s debt advice service is included within MARS as a support pathway, enabling MARS users to refer their vulnerable customers with debt issues to PayPlan for debt advice. While many of PayPlan’s services are free, a set up or management fee may apply.

To find out more or access a free trial of MARS, visit: morganash.com/mars or phone: 0330 159 8162. For more information about PayPlan, visit: https://referrers.payplan.com/company/debtsupport or freephone: 0800 072 1206