Financial Regulation Should Create Trust. So Why Do So Many Victims Never Find Justice?

As Parliament debates reforms to the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA), much of the discussion has focused on economic growth, regulatory efficiency and reducing unnecessary burdens on business. Those are legitimate objectives. But there is another question that deserves equal attention. When financial regulation fails an individual, how does that individual obtain justice? For … Continue reading Financial Regulation Should Create Trust. So Why Do So Many Victims Never Find Justice?

Andy Burnham will give mayors and councils responsibility for helping a “lost generation”

How to get nearly one million young people into work. Burnham to give mayors powers to help ‘lost generation’ of Neets. The regional devolution plan will shift Whitehall budgets to local authorities as unemployment among young people hits record high across the country. The story is about a significant proposed shift in how the UK … Continue reading Andy Burnham will give mayors and councils responsibility for helping a “lost generation”

How Many Ordinary People Could Realistically Navigate a System This Complex Without Assistance?

Imagine you discover something has gone badly wrong. Perhaps a financial institution has made a mistake. Perhaps an insurer has refused a claim. Perhaps you believe you have been misled, treated unfairly, or suffered a significant financial loss. You decide to do what responsible citizens are told to do. You gather evidence. You write letters. … Continue reading How Many Ordinary People Could Realistically Navigate a System This Complex Without Assistance?

Before You Join a Financial Adviser Academy, Read the Contract — Not Just the Brochure

A glossy career-change brochure can make a new life sound simple. A clear pathway. Professional qualifications. Mentoring. Support. A respected brand. The chance to build a business. A route out of a career that no longer fits. For someone feeling stuck, that can be powerful. Especially if the message arrives at the right moment. You … Continue reading Before You Join a Financial Adviser Academy, Read the Contract — Not Just the Brochure

Consumer-Side AI: The Public Interest Use Case Financial Services Must Not Ignore

There is a missing half in the financial services AI conversation. At the moment, much of the debate is about how firms use artificial intelligence. How firms govern it. How firms test it. How firms manage risk. How firms explain AI-assisted decisions. How firms improve efficiency, productivity, compliance, and customer service. All of that matters. … Continue reading Consumer-Side AI: The Public Interest Use Case Financial Services Must Not Ignore

Who Is Protected When Public-Interest Harm Prevention Tools Are Restricted?

There is a strange irony in trying to protect people before harm happens. You build a tool that helps ordinary people read what they are being asked to sign. You make it simple. You make it affordable. You design it to slow people down at the moment of risk, before they give away rights, control, … Continue reading Who Is Protected When Public-Interest Harm Prevention Tools Are Restricted?

Dead Firms. Live Harm. Delayed Justice.

Why agency before advice is becoming a consumer protection necessity A financial firm can disappear. The harm it caused often does not. That is the uncomfortable lesson emerging from recent analysis of Financial Ombudsman Service complaints and the wider enforcement record across UK financial services. Complaints are still being upheld against firms that are no … Continue reading Dead Firms. Live Harm. Delayed Justice.

Goliathon Has Changed the Game for Citizen Investigation

When people are harmed by powerful institutions, the first battle is rarely fought in court. It is fought in confusion. A survivor may have years of emails, letters, bank statements, screenshots, court papers, call notes and regulatory correspondence. Somewhere in that material may be the truth of what happened. But truth alone is not enough. … Continue reading Goliathon Has Changed the Game for Citizen Investigation

When You’re Told to Get Legal Advice — But Can’t Afford It

When You’re Told to Get Legal Advice — But Can’t Afford It Some of the people who need legal advice most are the very people least able to get it. A settlement arrives. There is a confidentiality clause. You are told you cannot discuss it. You cannot share it. You cannot talk openly about what … Continue reading When You’re Told to Get Legal Advice — But Can’t Afford It

By the Time the FCA Writes the Warning Letter, the Shirt Has Already Done the Selling

By the Time the FCA Writes the Warning Letter, the Shirt Has Already Done the Selling The Financial Conduct Authority’s warning to football clubs over sponsorship deals with unauthorised financial firms raises a much bigger question than football sponsorship. It asks us to look at how trust is created, transferred and monetised before most people … Continue reading By the Time the FCA Writes the Warning Letter, the Shirt Has Already Done the Selling