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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Business managers globally are facing the dilemma of trying to decide if their business is ‘essential’ or not and whether they should stay open or not. At the same time firms, whichever country they are based in, have to consider how they protect their staff and customers and, if it is even possible to deliver […]
Over the last 12 months the loan based P2P industry has seen substantial change – partly driven by the many high-profile platform failures, coupled with the resulting contagion in the industry, and also partly due to increased regulatory scrutiny. The latter was described as a watershed moment for the industry and it is fair to […]
We are very wary of random statistics predicting annual market outturns, especially at the start of a year, but the early 2020 signs indicate that pent-up demand might finally be released. So why are we feeling positive at this time? Firstly, in respect of lending, UK Finance has reported that December 2019 lending saw an […]
Some commentators have suggested that 2020 will be a quiet year for portfolio trades, on the basis that any holder of an asset who might have been minded to dispose of part or all of a portfolio would have done so by now, particularly if it is in the NPL category. We do not share […]
The FCA website shows the level of fines imposed during 2019 currently stands at a shocking £392 million. That number is significantly up from £60m in 2018 and £229m in 2017. The total cost of failure is, of course, substantially higher than just the fine! It needs to include the investigation costs, administration costs of […]
2019 has been an interesting year for mortgage lenders and despite generally pessimistic predictions at the end of 2018, most lenders we work with seem satisfied with their net book growth. However, three factors have presented lenders with significant challenges this year; the management of flow rates, net interest margins and cost controls. Flow rates: […]
Since the passing of the deadline for the submission of PPI mis-selling claims, the popular media and trade press have been awash with suggested areas that Claims Management Companies [CMCs] will move into next. Whatever you think about CMCs, it seems that the financial services industry can quite easily provide them with plenty of opportunities […]
The year is shaping up to be a challenging one for many lenders. So far, we have seen a widening of criteria, increases in risk layering and loosening of underwriting controls as firms attempt to achieve lending volume objectives. At the same time, competition has forced prices down, squeezing already tight margins. Sometimes we wonder […]
