City watchdog suspends parts of £9bn motor finance scheme after industry backlash Banking The UK’s financial watchdog has suspended parts of its under-fire £9bn motor finance redress scheme amid fierce backlash from industry and consumer groups. In a statement on Thursday, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the suspension will require firms to continue preparations for its scheme but avoid work that “may need to be repeated” if [...]
‘Very concerned’: City watchdog scolds motor finance lenders over £9bn redress scheme Banking The City watchdog has warned motor finance lenders it is “very concerned” with how prepared the industry is to implement its £9bn redress scheme, City AM can reveal. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fired out letters to over 100 firms last Friday following a review of the sector’s plans to implement its under-fire redress program. [...]
Motor finance revs up City watchdog’s PR spend Regulation The motor finance scandal has helped rev up the financial watchdog’s spend on public relations agencies as it fought to warn consumers of the risks of using claims management firms. The car mis-selling saga – where City banks have been put on the hook for billions in compensation over the use of ‘secret’ car deals [...]
House of Lords lashes out at Labour for ‘eliminating’ its oversight of financial watchdogs June 18, 2026 An influential group of peers have hit out at the government for ditching the Lords’ oversight of financial watchdogs as part of legislation passed in the King’s Speech. Writing in her capacity as chair of the Lords’ Financial Services Regulation Committee, Baroness Noakes said the government had “eliminated” an “integral” part of the regulatory system. [...]
Banks ‘not ready’ for motor finance scheme, says City watchdog June 9, 2026 The City watchdog has warned that motor finance lenders are “not as ready as we would expect” for the introduction of its long-awaited redress scheme. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has written to the Treasury Committee following inquiries around the legal challenges to its car mis-selling scheme. The regulator published [...]
Number of claims management firms halves after FCA clampdown June 1, 2026 The number of claims management firms authorised by the UK’s financial watchdog has nearly halved since the beginning of the decade after the regulator “raised the bar” for firms in the sector. A Freedom of Information request by financial services consultancy Broadstone revealed 483 claims management companies (CMCs) operate in the sector, compared with 942 [...]
UK finance workers weigh quitting over back-to-office mandates May 19, 2026 Financial services workers are weighing quitting their roles if their companies mandate office attendance amid a deepening feud between managers and employees. Nearly six in ten employees in the finance sector said requirements around their office presence is making them more likely to leave their role, according to new research from City recruiter Morgan McKinley. [...]
Revolut bags watchdog approval to beef up UK wealth offering May 14, 2026 Revolut has received the regulatory green light to bulk up its wealth management offering, marking one of its first major expansions in the UK after bagging its banking licence. The $75bn juggernaut’s trading arm has secured a Variation of Permissions from the City watchdog, which allows the firm to broadened the scope of regulated activities [...]
‘Dual squeeze’: FCA approvals for e-money licences plummet May 13, 2026 The number of successful applicants for e-money licences has plummeted in the last few years raising further questions over a slow down in market growth. Fresh figures – revealed in a Freedom of Information request by financial regulation consultancy Pathlight Associates – showed just 35 applicants were able to bag an electric money institution (EMI) [...]
Motor finance compensation scheme hanging by a thread amid legal row May 8, 2026 The City watchdog has told lenders to prepare for the “alternative scenario of no scheme” in the long-running motor finance scandal as another legal showdown brews. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has received four legal challenges including from lenders Volkswagen Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Crédit Agricole Auto Finance. On the consumer side, the [...]