The UK government announced the launch of the Financial Advice Market Review which will be led by HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority and include a separate expert advisory panel made up of leading individuals from financial services providers, financial advisors and consumer representatives. The review will assess the current regulatory and legal framework for the provision of financial advice and guidance to consumers and its effectiveness in ensuring access to the information, advice and guidance for consumers. The review will gather a broad range of initial evidence and then conduct the assessment on narrower terms according to where the advice gap is most evident. The initial evidence gathering will request examples of problems in obtaining advice in investments, savings, pensions and retirement income products, mortgages, consumer credit and general insurance. A consultation is expected to begin around the start of Q3 2015 and proposals are expected to be produced before the Budget is announced in 2016.

View the terms of reference.

The Financial Conduct Authority has published final guidance for firms on risks to customers from performance management. The guidance applies to all firms with staff that deal directly with retail customers. The guidance is intended to assist firms in ensuring that the risk of misselling from performance management is managed and to monitor performance management, looking for indicators of undue pressure to identify poor practices. The FCA will reconsider the guidance once the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation and Directive, known as MiFID II, come into effect on January 3, 2017.

View the guidance.

The Prudential Regulation Authority announced changes to depositor protection provided by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Currently, the deposit compensation limit is £85,000 for deposits made by private individuals and small businesses. The changes include: (i) amending the deposit protection limit to £75,000 from July 3, 2015 to match the new limit under the recast Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive and because Member States converting the limit into their national currency must use the exchange rate prevailing on July 3, 2015 to recalculate the limit; (ii) transitional UK legislation under which most depositors remain protected up to £85,000 up to and including December 31, 2015; (iii) making certain deposits of large companies and small local authorities eligible for protection from July 3, 2015 onwards although the £75,000 deposit protection limit will apply which is a significant change from the past scope of the UK compensation scheme; (iv) amendments to the PRA rules to ensure that firms update disclosures and procedures to account for new limits and scope of the regime; and (v) requiring firms to communicate the changes to their customers by September 1, 2015 using the PRA’s prescribed language. The PRA is also consulting on proposals that would ensure that all depositors to which the decrease in FSCS protection applies have an opportunity to adjust to the new limit, without incurring any penalties, charges or loss of interest from August 1, 2015 until December 31, 2015. Responses to the consultation paper are due by July 24, 2015.

View the new rules.

View the consultation paper.

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a rule that for the first time permits CFPB oversight over larger non-bank auto finance companies. The agency’s Supervisory and Examination Manual has also been updated to guide examiners who are monitoring compliance by auto finance companies with federal consumer financial laws (e.g., the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Consumer Leasing Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act's prohibition on unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices).

The final rule extends the CFPB’s current oversight of auto financing at the largest banks and credit unions to any nonbank auto finance company that makes, acquires or refinances 10,000 or more loans or leases in a year. The final rule also defines additional automobile leasing activities for coverage by certain consumer protections of the Dodd-Frank Act. While the CFPB has finalized the rule largely as proposed in September 2014, the final rule broadens the category of transactions involving asset-backed securities that are not counted toward the 10,000 transaction threshold and slightly modifies the definition of refinancing for the purpose of the threshold. 

The CFPB rule will take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

View the CFPB press release.

View the Final Rule.

View the Examination Procedures for Auto Finance.

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a final rule intended to improve the process for companies submitting consumer credit card agreements to the CFPB. The final rule suspends credit card issuers’ obligations to submit their credit card agreements to the CFPB for one year. The purpose of the suspension period is to give the CFPB time to create a more streamlined and automated electronic submission system. Under the rule, credit card issuers will not be required to submit agreements that would otherwise have been due to the CFPB by the first business day on or after April 30, 2015, July 31, 2015, October 31, 2015 and January 31, 2016. During the temporary suspension period, the CFPB will collect consumer credit card agreements from credit card issuers’ public websites and post the agreements to its online consumer credit card agreements database. Credit card issuers will be required to resume submitting credit card agreements on a quarterly basis starting on April 30, 2016.

View the final rule.

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that it is considering proposing rules that would require lenders to ensure that consumers can repay their loans. The proposals under consideration would also restrict lenders from attempting to collect payment from consumers’ bank accounts in ways that pile up excessive fees. The consumer protections being considered would apply to payday loans, vehicle title loans, deposit advance products and certain high-cost installment loans and open-end loans. The CFPB published an outline of the proposals under consideration in preparation for convening a Small Business Review Panel to gather feedback from small lenders, which is the next step in the rulemaking process.

View a fact sheet summarizing the proposals under consideration.

View an outline of the proposals under consideration.

HM Treasury published a policy paper on competition and choice in banking, announcing a set of processes that aim to improve competition in the banking sector. The proposed plans include: (i) launching the “midata” initiative, which will allow bank customers to access their current account transaction data in a format that can be used to assess which account is best for them; (ii) applying legislation to prevent anti-money laundering relating to UK digital currency exchanges; and (iii) delivering an open standard for Application Programming Interfaces in UK banking, a framework making it easier for customers to determine if they can get a better deal with a different bank.

View the policy paper

HM Treasury published a report detailing the outcome to its call for information on digital currencies. The report states that UK Government intends to improve standards and clarity around digital payments, and the initiatives that it will undertake will include: (i) applying anti-money laundering regulations to digital currency exchanges; (ii) developing a set of standards to enhance consumer protection; and (iii) ensuring that law enforcement bodies are able to prosecute criminal activity and confiscate digital currency funds where transactions are carried out for criminal purposes.

View the report

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a public inquiry on the status of the credit card market and the impact of credit card protections on consumers and issuers, including issues such as credit card terms, the use of consumer disclosures, credit card debt collection practices and rewards programs. This inquiry is being conducted pursuant to the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, which required that the CFPB conduct a review of the consumer credit market every two years. To assist with its inquiry, the CFPB is seeking public comment and information in connection with the credit card market and the impact that various credit card regulations have had on consumers. The CFPB will publish a public report of its findings with Congress on the state of the consumer credit card market. Results of the inquiry will also inform future CFPB regulations on the consumer credit card market.

View the CFPB Request for Information

The Financial Conduct Authority published its guidance consultation on risks to customers from performance management at firms. This report is aimed at trade associations as well as all financial firms that deal with retail customers directly. The report discusses performance management practices and acknowledges that poorly executed performance management can lead to mis-selling for various reasons, including pressure to meet individual targets and corporate objectives. The report recommends that firms manage these risks, and identifies poor practices that can create undue 3 pressure on staff. The guidance recommends that controls should be put in place to mitigate the increased risk of misselling adequately. Comments on the consultation may be submitted until May 15, 2015.

View the guidance consultation

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission reopened comment periods for two position limit draft rulemakings for an additional 30 days, in order to accommodate questions and comments that may have arisen from the Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee meeting, which took place on February 26, 2015. The original positional limits proposed rule was overturned in September 2012 based on the US district judge of Washington’s determination that the CFTC was not able to prove the rule was “necessary to diminish, eliminate, or prevent” excessive speculation. The comment period for the two rulemakings will now close on March 28, 2015.

View the notice in the Federal Register

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a proposal to suspend for one year credit card issuers’ obligations to submit their credit card agreements to the CFPB. The suspension is intended to give the CFPB time to develop a simplified and automated electronic submission system. In designing the new system, the CFPB intends to introduce improved reporting formats and faster posting of information. Credit card agreement submissions that would otherwise be due to the CFPB by the first business day on or after April 30, July 31, and October 31 of 2015, and January 31, 2016 would be suspended. Credit card issuers would resume submitting credit card agreements on a quarterly basis starting on April 30, 2016. During the temporary suspension period, the CFPB will collect consumer credit card agreements from the largest card issuers’ public websites and post the agreements to its online consumer credit card agreements database.

View the proposed rule

The Financial Conduct Authority published a feedback report on its wholesale sector competition review, announcing that it will be launching a wholesale market study into investment and corporate banking to assess whether there is adequate competition within this sector. The FCA wholesale sector competition review found that a lack of transparency and clarity in price and quality of services is preventing clients from being able to tell whether they are getting good value for their money. The review also found that the cross-selling and bundling of services may be making it difficult for smaller firms to compete with larger more established firms. The FCA intends to launch the market study and publish the terms of reference in the second quarter of 2015.

View FCA feedback report.

The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced the release of the third technical assistance video developed to assist bank employees in meeting regulatory requirements. This is the final release in a series of three technical assistance videos which address compliance with certain mortgage rules issued by the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The first video, released on November 19, 2014, covered the Ability to Repay and Qualified Mortgage Rule. The second video, released on January 27, 2015, covered the Loan Officer
Compensation Rule. The third video covers the Mortgage Servicing Rules.

View the third video.

View all FDICs technical assistance videos.

The CFPB proposed amendments to its mortgage rules to better accommodate responsible lending by small creditors, particularly in rural and underserved areas. If the rules are finalized as proposed, a greater number of financial institutions would be able to offer certain types of mortgages in rural and underserved areas. Among other things, the amendments would: (i) expand the definition of a small creditor; (ii) include mortgage affiliates in the calculation of smallcreditor status; (iii) expand the definition of “rural” areas; and (iv) provide grace periods for small creditor status. The proposed rules will be open for public comment until March 30, 2015.

View the proposal.

The FDIC announced the release of the second in a series of three technical assistance videos intended to help bank employees meet regulatory requirements. These videos address compliance with certain mortgage rules issued by the CFPB. The first video, released on November 19, 2014, covered the Ability to Repay and Qualified Mortgage Rule, and the second video covers the Loan Originator Compensation Rule. The third video, expected to be released in February, will cover mortgage servicing rules. The servicing rules address servicers’ obligations to consumers.

View the first video.

View the second video.

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a compliance bulletin on the treatment of confidential supervisory information (“CSI”). The bulletin is intended to remind persons in possession of confidential information, including confidential supervisory information, that they may not, except for certain exceptions, disclose confidential information to third parties. The bulletin defines CSI, reviews certain disclosures of CSI and discusses in detail that private confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements do not alter the legal restrictions on the disclosure of CSI.

View the bulletin.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized two minor modifications to the "Know Before You Owe" mortgage disclosure rules. The changes, which were originally proposed in October 2014, identify when consumers will receive updated disclosures after locking in an interest rate and address how consumers receive information regarding certain construction loans. Under the finalized rule, creditors are required to provide a revised loan estimate within three business days after a consumer locks in a floating interest rate, as opposed to the original rule which required a revised loan estimate on the date a rate was locked. The second change creates a space on the loan estimate form where creditors could include language informing consumers that they may receive a revised loan for a construction loan that is expected to take more than 60 days to settle. The rule will be effective on August 1, 2015.

View the final rule.