Always Trust Your Judgement Over Luck
Most human beings use phrases that they know may not be entirely true, even as they say them. The two which I’m most guilty of using myself are “I’ll just have the one…” (usually a pint) and “I’ll get round to it…” (usually walking the dog or doing the ironing!). However, the most worrying phrase that I sometimes hear firms use is “Well, that won’t happen to me...”.
Since the FCA took over regulation of the consumer credit market, there have been a number of firms either fined or de-authorised by the regulator; and that number is increasing all the time. Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a flurry of second-charge loan brokers and car financiers de-authorised by the FCA , meaning that they can no longer legally conduct business. Then, on the 19th of September, payday loan firm CFO Lending were hit with a £34M fine for compliance breaches, mainly involving not treating their customers fairly. One thing that I can guarantee is that none of these firms thought that ‘it’ would happen to them; I imagine that they all planned to get round to reviewing the CONC Handbook properly, or updating their processes or changing their paperwork and client communications at some point, but the regulator caught up with them before that point arrived.
The reason that you are in a very fortunate situation is because whether or not you are penalised or fined by the FCA is not a matter of luck; if you make the decision to properly observe regulatory requirements, you can ensure that you’ve protected yourself, your business, your employees and your livelihood. What puts you in an even more fortunately situation is that you don’t even have to try and do it yourself – the SimplyBiz Group has the experience and expertise to support you at every step of your regulatory journey.
Working with an organisation like The SimplyBiz Group means that our specialist team will keep you up-to-date with what you need to do, the practicalities of how to approach it and the regularity with which it needs to happen, so that you don’t have to do it all yourself. The SimplyBiz Group has fourteen years of experience in this area and is perfectly placed to help you as you navigate the world of regulatory reporting. If you want help with adapting to FCA regulation and keeping compliant on an ongoing basis, please get in touch with us urgently on 01484 443424.
David Golder
Managing Director
Consumer Credit Centre
The SimplyBiz Group