Category: Publications

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Butterworths Financial Regulation Service – updated commentary on CONC published

Issue 139 of Butterworths Financial Regulation Service has now been published. I’ve reviewed and revised Chapters 1 to 4 (covering the introduction, and CONC 1 to 3) and Chapters 10 to 16 (covering CONC 9 to CONC 15) of Division H of Volume 4. This commentary is up to date as at October 2024.

The changes include:

– re-writing the existing commentary in Chapter 1 to consider some key areas of focus for the Financial Conduct Authority including (a) financial promotions and (b) supporting borrowers in financial difficulties;

– updating the commentary on CONC 3 to deal with the FCA’s recent social media guidance;

– revising the guidance on CONC 14 to explain the background which led to those provisions; and

– updating the text to consider the impact of the consumer duty.

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Payment Systems Regulator publishes new Powers and Procedures Guidance

On 20 September 2024, the UK Payment Systems Regulator (the PSR) published an updated version of its guidance entitled ‘Powers and Procedures Guidance’. Section 96 of the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013 requires the PSR to published guidance.

The guidance updates the PSR’s guidance which was first published in 2015 (and updated in 2020). The PSR’s response paper sets out the changes. These updates include:

– changes to paragraph 5.7 of the guidance: dealing with the process for opening an investigation; and

– changes to paragraph 5.12 of the guidance: dealing with flexibility for staff deployed on monitoring or enforcement to work across functions.

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Financial Conduct Authority publishes principles for developing credit information industry-led remedies

On 20 May 2024, the UK Financial Conduct Authority published principles for developing credit information industry-led remedies.

In December 2023, the FCA published its final report on the credit information market study. The FCA proposed that various remedies should be introduced by industry-led work (including input, where necessary, from the FCA).

The FCA’s final report expects the Credit Reporting Governance Board (the CRGB) will seek input to progress and implement industry-led remedies. The FCA has therefore published the following principles pending the CRGB’s formation:

1 Seek and consider input from all relevant stakeholder cohorts (including, but not limited to, stakeholder cohorts represented on the Interim Working Group (the IWG)).

2 Proactively consider how any steps or decisions might negatively affect the CRGB’s ability to decide longer-term policy or implementation options.

3 Consider how potential approaches or solutions align with the CIMS proposals, the emerging CRGB objectives being developed by the IWG and the Consumer Duty.

4 Specifically consider the impact on different firms (including small businesses) and consumers, including by taking into account effects on:

4.2 customers with characteristics of vulnerability, and

4.1 financial inclusion

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Butterworths Financial Regulation Service – updated commentary on CONC and BCOBS, and new commentary on BCOBS 4 and 5, published

Issue 115 of Butterworths Financial Regulation Service has now been published. I’ve written new chapters on BCOBS 4 and BCOBS 5. I’ve also reviewed and revised the existing chapters in BCOBS and in CONC. The commentary is up to date to December 2020.

The changes include:

– revising the commentary in CONC to reflect latest COVID-19 guidance from the FCA;

– updating the commentary in CONC to consider the changes to commission disclosure, including analysing the meaning of the ‘nature’ of commission; and

– considering the changes to both CONC and BCOBS as a result of Brexit.

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Butterworths Financial Regulation Service – updated commentary on CONC and MCOB, and new commentary on BCOBS, published

Issue 113 of Butterworths Financial Regulation Service has now been published. I’ve written a new chapter on CONC 8, and reviewed and revised the existing chapters on CONC (including adding the latest COVID-19 guidance published by the Financial Conduct Authority).

I’ve also written new chapters on MCOB 2A, 3B, 4A and 6A, and reviewed and revised the existing chapters on MCOB.

I’m also delighted to have published brand new commentary on BCOBS. There will be additional new chapters over coming issues but this issue has:

– an introductory chapter on BCOBS; and

– commentary on BCOBS 1, 2, 2A and 3.

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Financial Ombudsman Service publishes latest edition of ‘Ombudsman News’

On 28 October 2020, the Financial Ombudsman Service (the Ombudsman Service) published its latest edition of ‘Ombudsman News’.

This edition includes:

– a blog setting out how it is ‘helping small businesses with life-changing financial disputes’;

– a blog on the impact of COVID-19 on financial services complaints and SMEs; and

– the Ombudsman Service’s half-yearly complaints data (including a slight increase on the number of non-PPI complaints received in the last reporting period).

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Butterworths Financial Regulation Service – updated commentary on CONC, and new commentary on MCOB, published

Issue 112 of Butterworths Financial Regulation Service has now been published. I’ve written a new chapter on CONC 6, and reviewed and revised the existing chapters on CONC (including adding the latest COVID-19 guidance published by the Financial Conduct Authority).

I’m also delighted to have published brand new commentary on MCOB. There will be further new chapters over the coming issues but this issue has:

– an introductory chapter setting the scene on mortgage regulation;

– commentary on MCOB 1, 10, 10A, 12 and 13.

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Issue 63 of Goode: Consumer Credit Law and Practice published with new chapter on ancillary credit business and credit reporting

Issue 63 of Goode: Consumer Credit Law and Practice has now been published. This includes a new chapter 48, written by me, on ancillary credit business and credit reporting. It was rather humbling when Professor Sir Roy Goode QC invited me to join the editorial team a few years ago and it’s great to see my first chapter being published.

I’ve also written four new case reports: these appear in Goode: Consumer Credit Reports.

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Butterworths Financial Regulation Service – new and updated commentary on CONC published

Issue 111 of Butterworths Financial Regulation Service has now been published.  I’ve reviewed and revised the introductory chapter on CONC and the chapters on CONC 1 to 4, 5A to 5D and 9. I’ve also written new material including:

– a new chapter on CONC 7 (including looking at the impact of the FCA’s COVID-19 related temporary measures); and

– a new chapter on CONC 11 (dealing with cancellation of certain agreements)

The commentary on Division 4H is now up to date to April 2020.

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Financial Ombudsman Service publishes latest edition of ‘Ombudsman News’

On 5 June 2020, the Financial Ombudsman Service (the Ombudsman Service) published its latest edition of ‘Ombudsman News’.

The Ombudsman Service sets out things it will consider when looking at:

– claims by customers under Section 75(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974;

– complaints by customers in financial difficulties;

– complaints about motor finance agreements (including expecting businesses to “listen and proactively look for signs of financial difficulties“, expecting firms to be “even more flexible in their forbearance measures” and expecting firms to “fully inform consumers of their options to exit the agreement where necessary/appropriate“); and

– complaints about mortgages.