Lawyers demand further clarity on FCA’s check-up on bankers March 16, 2015 Investment banks will have to assess the fitness of their traders to work every year, under rules unveiled by the City watchdog yesterday. But lawyers fear the guidelines are not yet clear, since the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has not decided who counts as a “trader” at a bank. The certification regime will apply to [...]
Senior bankers could go to jail for seven years under new FCA rules March 16, 2015 Senior bankers could face up to seven years in prison under new rules revealed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today. Following a series of scandals such as Libor and Forex, the financial watchdog has changed the legal requirement for punishment from “innocent until proven guilty” to “presumption of responsibility”. This means bankers will [...]
Bankers to face new fitness test under FCA rules March 16, 2015 Financial services firms will be forced to vet thousands of staff each year and make sure they are “fit and proper” to perform their roles under a new framework being finalised by City regulators. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) will today publish the final proposals for a new regime [...]
FCA bans Gracechurch’s Sam Kenny from financial services industry and hands out £450,000 fine March 13, 2015 The former chief executive of Gracechurch Investments Limited Sam Kenny has been banned from working in the financial services industry and fined £450,000. Gracechurch, a now dissolved stock broking firm, was guilty of a host infractions. The Financial Conduct Authority found Kenny had used pressure selling techniques and Gracechurch had routinely sold stocks through misrepresentation [...]
FCA says payday lenders are failing customers after 12 month review March 10, 2015 Many of Britain's payday lenders are failing to treat their customers fairly, according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). After a twelve-month review of the sector's regulation that covered 60 per cent of the market, the FCA was left unsatisfied. The regulator said the payday loan industry was still playing host to "unacceptable practices". A [...]
Exclusive: Prudential to hire ex FCA regulator Clive Adamson March 9, 2015 Clive Adamson, who quit the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as director of supervision ahead of a critical report into its conduct before Christmas, is joining the Prudential, two sources have told City A.M. Adamson is understood to be joining Prudential’s UK business, possibly in a non-executive capacity. Although Adamson’s departure from the FCA was widely [...]
FCA and PRA reveal latest regulatory code – here’s how it will affect people in the City February 23, 2015 A strict new code for financial institutions places greater accountability on non-executives when regulations are breached, and means they will be guilty until proven innocent, rather than the other way around. The proposals were outlined earlier today by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), and their purpose, according to [...]
City watchdog in investment banking probe: What will the FCA do and who’s involved? February 19, 2015 Big investment banks may be too dominant in some areas of the industry, limiting competition and hurting companies and consumers, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warned yesterday. Prices are not always transparent enough to allow firms to compare banks effectively, the FCA said. The watchdog has received complaints that shares in major deals are allocated to [...]
FCA launches competition investigation into investment and corporate banking February 19, 2015 The financial regulator has announced plans to launch a fresh probe into the investment and corporate banking sector. The Financial Conduct Authority will begin a full investigation of competition following a review which found price clarity and service quality was limited, making it difficult for clients to assess if they are getting value for money. [...]
Financial Conduct Authority “working closely” with HSBC over tax allegations February 16, 2015 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is "working closely" with HSBC and other agencies to ensure current cultural practices fall in line with standards, following allegations that the bank helped its clients engage in tax avoidance. "This has served to reinforce the importance of firms operating with the right culture across all of their operations," the [...]