FIN.

Category - Consumer Finance

FCA speech: investing in outcomes

Nikhil Rathi, Chief Executive of the FCA, has delivered a speech on the FCA’s broad approach to topics in which investors have recently been expressing significant interest. The speech highlighted the following as...

FCA updates on skilled persons reports

The latest statistics for skilled persons reports FCA commissioned in Q3 2023/24 show: 24 reports in total 7 related to the retail banking and payments sector, 6 to retail investments, 5 to wholesale markets and 4 to...

CMA launches Home Credit Market Order review

CMA has formally launched a consultation on part of the Home Credit Market Investigation Order 2007. The review relates to the operation, information and management of a cash loan price comparison website. The website...

FCA updates on interest-only mortgage work

FCA is working with an Industry Working Group of 12 mortgage lenders and administrators on a review of FCA’s current guidance on interest-only mortgages. There were under 1 million interest-only and part-and-part...

FLA launches accreditation service

FLA’s new Broker Accreditation (Asset Finance) Service will help brokers show they are compliant with FLA’s Business Finance Code and their regulatory obligations. It also says the accreditation, which...

FCA intervenes in 10,000 ads in 2023

FCA has published its financial promotions data for the last quarter of 2023 and the entire past year. It has: caused over 10,000 promotions to be withdrawn or changed in 2023 (a 17% increase on the previous year);...

FCA confirms rule updates

FCA’s latest Handbook Notice confirms rule changes its Board agreed in December, and the new motor finance complaints rules, as well as two changes agreed on 25 January. The two latest changes: update SUP 12.4...

BSA hopeful of update to 1986 Act

The Building Societies Association welcomed the upcoming 2nd reading of the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Bill which will take place on 19 January.  The Bill aims to put building societies on a level playing...

FCA takes action on motor finance complaints

FCA is unhappy that motor finance firms are rejecting high numbers of consumer complaints about commission arrangements.  After FCA banned discretionary commission arrangements in 2021, many consumers complained and...

FCA reflects on 2023

Nikhil Rathi has reflected on some of FCA’s key achievements and milestones from 2023. He highlighted: the implementation of the Consumer Duty and changes firms have already made as a result; FCA telling GAP...

FCA proposes credit information changes

FCA has announced proposals which will: require FCA-regulated data contributors, such as lenders, to share credit information with credit reference agencies (CRAs); introduce a common data reporting format to enhance...

Lenders go into administration

FCA has confirmed that Morses Club Limited, a home collected credit lender, and its subsidiary Shelby Finance Limited (Dot Dot Loans – an online HCST lender) have gone into administration. It provided information...

FCA speech: next steps for Consumer Duty

Nisha Arora (Director of Cross Cutting Policy and Strategy at the FCA) has delivered a speech on the Consumer Duty and the next steps for firms. The speech highlighted the following examples of good practice identified...

EU adopts new consumer credit directive

The EU has adopted the new Directive on Consumer Credits (CCD), repealing and replacing the 2008 Consumer Credit Directive in order to take account of the significant changes that have taken place in the consumer credit...

Treasury and FCA hold perimeter meeting

Treasury and FCA have published the record of their July meeting to discuss aspects of the regulatory perimeter. The issues discussed included: discussion of FCA’s plans around expectations on firms carrying out...

HCSTC lender goes into administration

FCA has announced the administration of Novaloans Limited, an online only high-cost short-term lender and provided details of its administrators and the entity the administrators have instructed to collect all...

FCA updates complaints data

FCA has published updated complaints data based on returns from firms. Snapshots from the 2023 H1 data include: a slight increase in complaints from the previous 6 months (5%); most significant increases in the...

FCA updates on skilled persons reports

FCA has published the numbers of skilled persons reports commissioned in the first two quarters of 2023: From April to June it commissioned 11 reports, of which 4 related to retail investments and 3 to wholesale...

PRA annual assessment of credit unions

The PRA has written to credit unions following its annual assessment of the sector. Key messages for both large (those with total assets between £10m and £50m) and small (those with total assets up to £10m) credit...

Supreme Court rules on limitation in PPI case

In the case of Smith and another (Appellants) v Royal Bank of Scotland (Respondent) [2023] UKSC 34, the Supreme Court has ruled that the claims made by claimants seeking orders under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 were...

FCA speaks on financial inclusion

Nikhil Rathi has spoken on how FCA is looking for solutions to tackle financial exclusion, but that it needs help from industry and technology to do so.  He explained that FCA does not have the remit or powers to tackle...

UK Finance respond to ban on cold calling

UK Finance has responded to HM Treasury’s proposals to ban cold calling in financial services and is supportive of the proposals. The measures aim to protect consumers, particularly elderly and vulnerable...

FCA consults on MIPRU PII clarifications

FCA’s latest quarterly consultation paper includes a proposal to clarify a potential conflict between the requirements in MIPRU 3.2.1R that require a firm to take out and maintain continuous PII what must include...

FCA cancels unused permissions

The FCA has used its power to cancel consumer credit permissions which were not used for 2 years. Mr Roche was authorised by the FCA in January 2015 and held consumer credit permissions of: agreeing to carry on a...

FCA publishes interest-only mortgage research

FCA has published a research note analysing its data on the population of regulated interest-only mortgages that existed as at 31 December 2022. The analysis found that: Interest-only mortgages currently make up 9% of...

FCA warns consumers on loan fee fraud

FCA has issued a consumer warning to help customers avoid loan fee fraud as they look to cover the costs of summer spending.  This type of fraud, which involves customers paying for a loan they never receive, typically...

FOS blogs on consumer card protections

FOS has published a blog on how businesses can help consumers who have problems with goods and services. It has noticed that consumers aren’t always aware of the protections they have when paying for goods or...

Consumer Duty takes effect

The Consumer Duty has taken effect for all on-sale products. FCA has reminded consumers of the protections it gives them.
Read our summary of what FCA is expecting from firms.

Treasury publishes CCA reform plans

Treasury has published the outcome of its consultation on reforming the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (CCA). The Government’s intention is that reform will facilitate innovation in the credit sector and increase...

FOS warns on credit hire risks

FOS is warning that many consumers do not understand the risks of credit hire, which could leave them facing large bills. Credit hire is used as an alternative to claiming on motor insurance, and involves claims or...

Ombudsman News updates FOS initiatives

The latest edition of Ombudsman News highlights: what FOS is doing to prepare for the Consumer Duty; the annual complaints data from 2022/3; its items on hybrid scams and escape of water in unoccupied properties...

FCA implements Mortgage Charter rules

FCA has published a policy statement setting out changes to the MCOB sourcebook to support the implementation of the Government’s Mortgage Charter. The rule changes take effect immediately from 30 June, and enable...

FSM Bill gets Royal Assent

As expected, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 got Royal Assent on 29 June.  Heralding it, Treasury described its key features as: bringing the ability to tailor financial services regulation to fit UK markets...

FSM Bill completes Parliamentary process

The FSM Bill returned to the Lords for consideration of the few amendments the Commons had made.  These were agreed, and so the Bill has completed its Parliamentary passage and now awaits Royal Assent. It is expected to...

Treasury publishes mortgage charter

Treasury has published a policy paper on the Mortgage Charter, which sets out commitments from the principal UK mortgage lenders to their residential mortgage borrowers. The new commitments are designed to help...

Lords passes FSM Bill

The FSM Bill has had its third reading in the Lords, and has been passed and returned to the Commons as amended in the Lords.   The Commons now needs to consider the Lords’ amendments, and, if all is agreed, the...

FOS publishes annual complaint data stats

FOS has published the annual complaints data for the 2022/23 financial year and commented on the common themes. Of the most complained about products current accounts had a 40% uphold rate; credit cards 34%...

FSMB Report stage in Lords to start on 6 June

The Report stage of the FSM Bill is to start in the Lords on 6 June.  As previously reported, 3 days of sittings have been scheduled so far. On the first day, amendments to be debated include those on protecting the...

FCA bans debt packager referral fees

FCA has made its final rules banning debt packager firms from operating a business model that incentivises them to recommend options that make them more money rather than those that are in their customer’s best...

FCA updates on changes for credit unions

FCA has published a new website page on the changes the FSM Bill proposes for credit unions. It highlights to credit unions that, if the changes come into law, any firm wanting to take advantage of them will need to...

FCA takes action on redress for borrowers

FCA has updated on its work with nearly 100 lenders on how they treat borrowers in financial difficulties. It identified a number of failings, including failure to tailor support to the circumstances of relevant...

FCA publishes latest Financial Lives survey

FCA is inviting participants in its 2022 Financial Lives survey to take part in the new follow-up survey, which looks to understand what has changed in financial services for people in the UK over the last year. The...

FCA publishes Q1 fin proms data

The Financial Promotions data from Q1 2023 shows that 2235 promotions were amended or withdrawn as a result of FCA intervention. Nearly half of these were identified by FCA’s own proactive monitoring and almost...

FCA speaks on credit markets

Roma Pearson of FCA spoke on the importance of a well functioning credit market and the need for firms to understand the impact on consumers of changing pressures and to offer appropriate support. She noted that good...

FCA responds on savings rates

FCA has responded to the Treasury Committee’s enquiries on what analysis it had done on on whether banks were making disproportionate profit by increasing mortgage rates more quickly than savings rates...

FCA speaks on green mortgages

David Geale has spoken on FCA’s view of green mortgages.  He said that every part of the housing chain has a role to play, and that lenders are risking missing their decarbonisation targets if they do not evolve...

FCA pleased with overdraft rules effect

FCA says customers have saved £1bn as a result of its improved rules on overdrafts which have reduced high fees for unarranged borrowing, have removed complex charging structures and required firms to help struggling...

FOS publishes H2 2022 complaints data

FOS has published data on complaints received between July and December 2022.  It saw a slight increase in complaints over the first half of the year, and received nearly 80,000 new complaints. It upheld 34% of...

LSB publishes Customer Vulnerability report

The LSB has published a report reviewing customer vulnerability in the banking and lending sector. Overall, the LSB concluded that it was clear that firms are committed to meeting the requirements set out in the...

FSM Bill Committee day 8

On 13 March 2023, the House of Lords Grand Committee continued its line by line examination of the FSM Bill, which took place during the eighth day of committee stage. The amendments that were discussed covered clauses...

Parliament to debate acceptance of cash

On Monday 20 March, Parliament will debate petitions relating to the acceptance of cash. The session will be lead by Martyn Day MP. One petition, which has more than 33,000 signatures, seeks to ‘make it unlawful...

FLA publishes consumer credit research

The Finance and Leasing Association has published a research paper that looks at what improvements consumers would like to see in consumer credit. While many respondents thought the products and markets are functioning...

Latest FOS data shows rise in complaints

FOS has published its complaints data from Q3, 2022/23, which shows a rise of 6,000 in new complaints, with the most significant rise relating to running account credit but current accounts are still the most complained...