by Colin Baines | Jul 2017 | Comments
If your firm wants to continue to advise on, arrange and deal in structured deposits after MiFID II takes effect, this will mean a change to your firm’s scope of permission to include this investment type. Up until 2nd January 2018 there is a special process in place,...
by Colin Baines | Jun 2017 | Comments
Student loans were introduced in 1998 at the same time as tuition fees were imposed for most of those in further education. The Student Loan Company (SLC) was set up to provide and administer loans, and currently employs nearly 2000 people. It was very badly run from...
by Colin Baines | May 2017 | Comments
As night follows day, when interest rates eventually go up, there are going to be an awful lot of people defaulting on loans, be they credit card, mortgages or whatever. This, of course, despite constant and strident warnings that consumers should not over commit...
by Colin Baines | Apr 2017 | Comments
The FCA has now provided feedback on its ‘assessing suitability‘ exercise. Their main concerns relate to ineffective disclosure. Can’t argue with that. Points to note are: Always use cash examples to illustrate percentage-based charges. When quoting hourly rates, give...
by Colin Baines | Mar 2017 | Comments
Tracey McDermott, former Head of Enforcement at the FCA and wannabe CEO, is to join Standard Chartered as Head of Corporate, Public and Regulatory Affairs. She knows the bank quite well having, until very recently, been deeply involved in investigating them for...
by Colin Baines | Feb 2017 | Comments
The cost of Long Term Care has been in and out of the news for many years, but now it seems to be stuck firmly in the ‘in’ tray. Barely a day goes by without more tales of woe hitting the headlines. Elderly people are ending up in the back of ambulances because the...
