Regulators back open banking advances

18th April 2023 Consumer Lending | #open banking

The Financial Conduct Authority and the Payment Systems Regulator have launched a fresh push to encourage more competition in banking services via third-party firms. As co-chairs of the Joint Regulatory Oversight Committee, the regulators issued a joint statement saying: “While significant progress has been made, there is more to be done to deliver the full…

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Government announces new council to drive forward savings for household bills

18th April 2023 Arrears and Recoveries |

A new Smart Data Council has been set up to help lower bills for consumers and small firms by making it easier to switch utility providers, the Department for Business and Trade has announced. The loyalty penalty, the difference between what loyal and new consumers pay for the same service, currently sits at £1,114 a…

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Ofgem reveals new oversight measures for energy companies

Energy regulator Ofgem has revealed that British domestic energy suppliers have signed up to an updated Code of Practice and tougher Ofgem oversight of prepayment meters (PPMs) that are enforced under warrant installations or remotely switched without consent (all involuntary installations). The Code of Practice sets out clear procedures that suppliers must follow, strengthening protections…

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Late payments cause cashflow worries for seven in ten businesses

Latest data from Time Finance has what it calls uncovered the true impact of late payments for SMEs with 75% of UK businesses worrying about cashflow as a direct result of overdue invoices from their customers. In a recent survey into the worsening challenge of late payments, Time Finance found that chasing payments was damaging…

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CFOs business confidence bounces back

Confidence among finance chiefs at the UK’s biggest companies has seen its sharpest rise since 2020 and has improved significantly since the start of the year, according to Deloitte’s UK CFO Survey Q1 2023. A quarter of CFOs are now more optimistic about the financial prospects of their business than they were three months ago.…

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