EU firms scramble to stay in the City in no-deal Brexit November 5, 2018 More than 1,000 EU firms have expressed their interest in taking up the UK's offer of continued access to the City in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The City watchdog's international director Nausicaa Delfas said around 1,300 EU firms were seeking to trade within the FCA's temporary [...]
Financial Conduct Authority probes home and motor insurance prices October 31, 2018 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today launched a probe into pricing practices in the insurance market. The regulator is concerned about potential consumer harm, particularly the impact of industry pricing practices on vulnerable people, where some groups of people face far higher prices than other groups. It will also examine the fairness of pricing and [...]
The FCA cannot afford to focus on Brexit alone October 25, 2018 It has been a mixed few months for the City's watchdog. On the one hand, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has delivered long-awaited reforms to the asset management industry, while its chief Andrew Bailey has made several strong interventions in the Brexit debate, such as pointing out the absurdity of EU negotiators attempting to rule [...]
Arnold Schwarzenegger ad campaign drives PPI payments to £3.7bn in 10 months October 24, 2018 A total of £3.7bn has been paid out relating to wrongfully sold payment protection insurance (PPI) since the City watchdog launched a campaign featuring an animatronic Arnold Schwarzenegger head to increase consumer action. Since the campaign started at the beginning of this year, 4m checking enquiries were made with monthly volumes up 40 per cent on [...]
Dress for success: A stylish work outfit will help you turn heads October 23, 2018 Mad Men wasn’t a hit show just because of the writing and acting. People loved it because it oozed style. Everyone wanted to look as cool and sharp in a suit as Don Draper. But it’s one thing to admire a style icon, and another to follow in their footsteps – partly because it’s hard, but [...]
FCA could slap fine on TfL for not informing London Stock Exchange of Crossrail delay in July October 18, 2018 The financial watchdog is considering whether to launch a formal investigation into Transport for London (TfL) over its alleged failure to inform the London Stock Exchange (LSE) about the impending delay to Crossrail in July. On 31 August Crossrail announced that the £15.4bn Elizabeth Line, which will connect Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield [...]
City watchdog rolls out ombudsman service to small businesses October 16, 2018 Small businesses will be able to resolve disputes with banks through an independent adjudicator from next year, as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed the extension of its ombudsman service. Companies with an annual turnover below £6.5m and fewer than 50 employees, or an annual balance sheet below £5m, will be able to access the [...]
Has the clampdown on spreadbetting platforms really protected traders? October 16, 2018 For years, spreadbetting companies enjoyed an easy ride. But this summer saw trading platforms enter a tough new era, as regulators began to weigh down on the industry. Recent weeks have seen some of the UK’s largest trading platforms bowing under the pressure, as the impact of strict new rules becomes clear. Introduced by the European [...]
Regulator warns payday lenders over risky loans October 15, 2018 The Financial Conduct Authority has written to the bosses of payday lending firms, urging them to consider ‘affordability risk’ before making loans to financially vulnerable borrowers. In a ‘Dear CEO’ letter sent today, the FCA warned that lenders should “take prompt action” to ensure they maintain compliance with regulations that force them to assess customers’ [...]
Today’s wealth management industry is as deceitful as the tobacco companies of the past October 11, 2018 When medical suspicions of health impacts of cigarettes were first raised, the tobacco industry obfuscated and suppressed their own knowledge of smoking risks. In many ways, this mirrors what is happening in the wealth management industry today, as many companies suppress information about their fee structures, and often fail to warn consumers of the long-term damage these hidden fees [...]