We provide market updates on important issues to key figures in the industry on different topics, but all related to our activities throughout Europe. We cover hot news stories and give our honest opinion on developments, threats and opportunities.
Our articles can be in the form of e-shots, ‘white papers’ or social media commentary, but we will not comment on trivial matters – you will not see us commenting on what type of coffee we are drinking whilst waiting for a train! You can catch up on our previous commentaries by looking at the archive below.
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The mortgage market never seems to stand still! On the funding side in the last few weeks we have seen further applications for banking licences, increases in funding lines and significant securitisation issuance. On the credit side, we are seeing aggressive product pricing, credit risk expansion and the return of the off-site underwriter. These are […]
It is often the case in emerging markets where new products are being developed, that regulation follows behind market innovations. For example, driverless cars exist and work, but no one has yet articulated the ‘rules of the road’ that will apply when such vehicles compete for space on our crowded transport system. Another extreme example […]
We have just hit the first anniversary of the FCA Consultation paper announcing the intention to create a new term, Retirement Interest Only Mortgages [RIOs], and to exclude them from the definition of ‘lifetime’ loans. The paper suggested that RIOs had significantly different risks compared to lifetime mortgages as the former did not feature the […]
The FCA has recently published the findings of its review of complaint handling by non-deposit taking mortgage lenders and mortgage third party administrators. The results are far reaching and significantly relate to all regulated firms not just to the sectors initially investigated. Overall, the results were positive, but there are areas where firms need to […]
It is just over 2 years since the FCA Senior Manager & Certification Regime [SM&CR] was implemented for banks and deposit takers. Since then, the regulator has continued to embed cultural changes and strengthen market accountability with the objective of minimising consumer harm. There were, therefore, no surprises that the recently issued policy statement extending […]
The Independent recently interviewed the Central Bank of Irelands’ Director General (Financial Conduct), Derville Rowland. The issue of culture in Irish banking institutions was considered at length and Rowland indicated that a culture report would be produced for the Minister shortly – it has since been issued. The report focusses on the behaviour of the […]
The FCA has announced details of its successful and catchily named ‘fourth cohort candidates’ in its sandbox. This allows firms to test innovative products in a live environment, while ensuring appropriate protections are in place. The 29 successful firms include businesses ‘testing’ automated solutions across a range of product areas including automated advice and decisioning. […]
The recent UK Finance arrears and possessions conference highlighted several action points for lenders and servicers. The underlying message, which mirrors current regulator themes is clear; organisations should use the current benign arrears environment to “weatherproof” policies and procedures. We were not surprised to hear the renewed focus. Although current arrears numbers are low and […]
