76 Results found.
A recent Financial Ombudsman Service decision has highlighted the risks of DIY SIPP arrangements – particularly for customers displaying signs of vulnerability such as gambling addiction. In this FT Adviser feature, TCC’s Head of Advisory Practice, Gary Maude, gives his expertise regarding firms
The FCA rounded up 2023 by publishing its findings into the retail banking Consumer Duty multi-firm review. This comprehensive publication has a read-through across all sectors of the financial service industry and reminds firms that they should expect the FCA to ask for their annual Consumer
Earlier this month, the FCA published a Dear CEO letter to wealth management firms urging them to take immediate action to help prevent financial crime and meet their Consumer Duty requirements. In the letter, the regulator confirms CEOs are accountable for ensuring FCA requirements and expec
Only 41% of adults have confidence in the UK financial service industry according to the latest Financial Lives Survey conducted by the FCA. This alarming statistic comes a year on from when firms first built and scrutinised their Consumer Duty implementation plans. And now, regulated busines
For over three months, the Consumer Duty has been a regulatory reality and mandates that all FCA administered firms deliver a higher standard of customer care with consumer protection at its core. And as many firms continue to explore how this is implemented according to the Consumer Duty’s
As firms prepare to demonstrate that the Consumer Duty has been effectively implemented within their organisation, TCC is finding that a material number of firms are still facing obstacles: Delegating too much to project managers and ‘middle management’ Assessments finding evidence of intuitive
In the run-up to the Consumer Duty, the regulator called on firms to re-examine their charging structures to ensure compliance with the new legislation’s Price & Value outcome. However, our benchmarking study found that half of firms had no plans to change their fee model, reporting they were
After years of consultation and planning, the Consumer Duty came into force on 31st July 2023, demanding higher standards of customer care and calling upon FCA-regulated financial businesses to ‘act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers’. Central to this vision is the pledge that
The FCA has published the findings from its review into later life mortgages after working with the largest intermediaries of these products to improve their advice processes. As a result of this multi-firm initiative, the regulator found that almost 400 financial promotions required removal
With falling energy prices, economists are forecasting that the UK’s inflation rate will have fallen to 5% by the end of 2023. Whilst this should be a welcome relief to UK consumers, many will still be feeling the pinch from higher prices, particularly from the effect of food price inflatio
The FCA has reiterated the importance of firms being alert to indicators of potential vulnerability for clients seeking advice on defined benefit pensions. Its latest guidance provides businesses with a summary of possible circumstances Defined Benefit (DB) customers could find themselves in
Mortgage firms should act now to support ‘challenged’ borrowers who may struggle to repay at maturity, in planning for this risk of serious customer detriment. The number of borrowers on interest-only mortgages is lower than 1 million, consumer research from the FCA has revealed. This is
Business Systems, a leading provider of compliance and customer experience solutions, and TCC, a renowned consultancy firm specialising in financial services, and Recordsure, a unique AI RegTech provider, today announced they are joining forces to provide advisory services and ongoing support to add
Following on from its 2020 review work with firms involved with Lifetime Mortgages, the FCA mentioned again - in its Business Plan/strategy for 2022/23 - its concerns regarding the risk of poor (or unclear) advice in this sector. The FCA has been following up with firms where it has undertaken previ
In the FCA’s Business Plan for 2023/24, it prioritised reducing and preventing consumer harm, particularly in in financial promotions. The FCA has now published its Guidance Consultation on Financial Promotions on social media. Whilst firms may consider this to be aimed at ‘finfluencers’ and u
The Mortgage Charter and Handbook changes set out the standards for lenders in assisting customers during the cost of living crisis who are struggling with mortgage payments, through collaboration between lenders, government, the FCA, UK Finance and the Building Societies’ Association. With the ri
Published in May 2023, the FCA's Consumer Duty price and value assessment review examined the frameworks of 14 (predominantly large) financial businesses - highlighting areas that successfully aligned with the regulator's vision for the future, alongside some key areas where firms were falling short
Fixed-rate mortgages continue to dominate the headlines, as the average two-year fixed rate rose to 6.66% earlier this month - the highest level in 15 years. So, with more and more households struggling to make ends meet, the focus remains on mortgage firms to demonstrate how they can help these con
An unfortunate but sadly unavoidable side effect of the current cost-of-living crisis is the increase in consumers who will face difficulty in meeting their ongoing mortgage repayments. In the first quarter of 2023, 76,630 homeowner mortgages were in arrears of 2.5% or more of their outstandi
The number of borrowers struggling to keep up with bill and credit payments has risen by 3.1 million in May 2023 when compared to the same time last year, the FCA has reported. These figures were released as the regulator doubled-down its commitment in supporting those consumers in financial
On 12th May, the FCA published its latest Dear CEO letter, which outlines specific guidance for Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) operators towards implementing and complying with the Consumer Duty along with other concerns in this market. Noting the increased risk that many SIPPs carry due to t
Building on the priorities outlined in last year's Strategy 2022-2025 announcement, the FCA's latest Business Plan re-iterated its commitment to improving customer outcomes by pledging to introduce a host of new, more stringent requirements for regulated firms over the coming the financial year. In
Marking the second phase of its three-year campaign to improve outcomes for financial services consumers, the FCA’s Business Plan 2023/24 outlines its key ambitions for the year ahead. And with British consumers currently grappling with cost-of-living challenges from seemingly all directions, it
Earlier this month, the FCA published the findings from its latest thematic review exploring how firms are approaching their Fair Value assessments in the run-up to the new Consumer Duty launch on 31st July. The research aimed to understand how businesses across different areas of financial services
