Comment Archive
Consumer Debt
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...
Suitability Reports
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...
Revolving Doors
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,...
Care Crisis
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....
Defined Benefit Quandary
Bond prices are falling, which means that bond yields are rising, which means that defined benefit pension providers which need to buy a guaranteed income for their retirees, are getting more for...
Senior Managers Regime
The FCA Senior Managers Regime has now been functioning in respect of banks and insurers for six months. The regime will be extended to all regulated financial services firms, including advisers...
Binary Trading
Trading in Binary Options is ‘the latest and fastest growing manifestation of investment fraud’, according to the City of London Police who say that £12 million has been reported lost by customers...
Death of Annuities?
Annuity rates, which are based on gilt yields, have long been in decline as low interest has chipped away at returns. Brexit delivered a further blow, to the extent that on 11th August, the 15 year...
What Golden Egg?
One third of homeowners currently over age 45 and with a mortgage are unlikely to pay it off before they are 65, which suggests that people are overestimating the capacity of equity in their homes...
Malware
The term ‘Malware’ is short for ‘malicious software’ and is any software used to disrupt computers operations, gather sensitive information, gain access to private computer systems or display...