The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published findings from its thematic review of packaged bank accounts. In 2013, the FCA introduced new rules on packaged bank accounts. These were designed to help customers understand whether the product was right for them. Firms are now required to establish and record whether customers are eligible to claim…
Read moreThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today announced that it will consult on new guidance on the treatment of customers with mortgage payment shortfalls (commonly referred to as arrears). This guidance covers remediation for mortgage customers who may have been affected by the way firms calculate these customers’ monthly mortgage payments. The FCA has identified…
Read moreEquifax Touchstone analysis of the intermediary marketplace reveals significant growth in the mortgage market with sales up £1.2bn in September, a rise of 8.4% on August. Residential and buy-to-let sales for the month totalled £15.1billion. September buy-to-let figures jumped by 19.0% to £2.9billion, while residential sales increased by 6.2% to £12.2billion. Regional performance for the…
Read moreBarry Glenn has joined Leeds Building Society as its new Head of IT Security. His previous role was at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank, where he was information security lead technology consultant. Glenn has over 30 years’ experience in the industry, including 20 years with the US Navy in IT followed by 11 years as a contractor…
Read moreYorkshire Building Society has announced the appointment of Mike Regnier as Chief Executive. Regnier, who joined the Society in 2014, is currently Chief Customer Officer and Executive Director. He is expected to take up the role at the UK’s second largest building society on 1 January, 2017, subject to regulatory approval. John Heaps, Yorkshire Building Society…
Read moreHere is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for October 2016: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.499 trillion at the end of August 2016. This is up from £1.445 trillion at the end of August 2015 – an extra £995.43 per UK adult. The average total debt per household…
Read moreThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Sonali Bank (UK) Limited (SBUK) £3,250,600 and has imposed a restriction, preventing it from accepting deposits from new customers for 168 days. It has also fined the bank’s former money laundering reporting officer (MLRO), Steven Smith, £17,900 and prohibited him from performing the MLRO or compliance oversight functions…
Read moreThe Money Charity has released statistics indicating that after years of steady falls, cases of mortgage arrears have risen for the second quarter in a row. According to the Financial Conduct Authority, at the end of Q2 2016 there were 218,279 mortgage loan accounts with arrears of more than 1.5% of the current loan balance. This…
Read moreSpiralling charges on unarranged overdrafts are adding millions of pounds to problem debt and they must be capped by the FCA, says StepChange Debt Charity. New figures from the charity, suggest that almost two thirds of people seeking its help with overdraft debts have regularly exceeded their limit and faced charges of £45 each time…
Read moreUlster Bank has sold off £2 billion tranche of loans to Cerberus. The portfolio consists 900 mortgages, across Ireland. Around 14% of the debt is based in Northern Ireland. A spokesman for Ulster Bank said: “Ulster Bank has confirmed the completion of a sale of significantly impaired loan portfolio, predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, enabling…
Read moreNew figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show growth of 16% in consumer finance new business in August, compared with the same month last year. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 17% compared with August 2015, while retail store and online credit new business increased by 6%…
Read moreFinancial services firms recorded a 2.6% reduction in new complaints between January and June 2016 compared to the previous six months, according to new complaints data published today by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The total number of complaints was 2.05 million. Payment protection insurance (PPI) is still the most complained about product. Complaints about current accounts…
Read moreThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will mark six months since the implementation of the Senior Managers’ and Certification Regime by providing feedback on implementation so far and proposing measures to further strengthen the regime. The proposed rules will reinforce the importance of individual accountability at the most senior level of organisations. The new measures are…
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