In April’s Practical Law lending column Ruth Bala considers the use of the ‘unfair relationship’ provisions to attack the level of interest rates and the need for the creditor to adduce expert evidence in light of two recent High Court decisions. Read the column here.

Chambers is delighted to announce the Publication of ‘Mis-Selling Financial Services’ by Jonathan Kirk QC, Thomas Samuels and Lee Finch (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019). This new work offers a clear and concise analysis of the law relating to the mis-selling of financial services products. The introductory chapters cover the history of mis-selling, from their origins […]

Chambers is delighted to announce that Cameron Crowe has been appointed to List A of the Specialist Regulatory Advocates in Health and Safety and Environmental Law. Cameron’s profile can be viewed here

On 25 March 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) published its Final Report following its review of the retained provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (“CCA”). The Final Report follows the Interim Report published in summer last year (see Gough Square News Item on Interim Report) and is closely aligned with the FCA’s position […]

The Court of Appeal handed down its latest judgment on broker secret commissions in Medsted Associates Ltd v Canaccord Genuity Wealth (International) Ltd [2019] EWCA Civ 83. The appellant (‘Medsted’) was a broker who introduced potential investors in contracts for difference to financial institutions such as the respondent (‘Canaccord’). The Court of Appeal upheld the first […]

On 7 March 2019, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy launched a call for evidence on its review of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (“the Regulations”). The call for evidence acknowledges that the Regulations a largely derived from the European Consumer Rights Directive and are subject to maximum […]

On 5 March 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) published its final rules on a price cap for the rent-to-own (“RTO”) market (PS19/6). The rules follow a consultation launched in November 2018 (CP18/35) and introduce a price cap for firms offering household goods on hire-purchase and/or conditional sale. The price cap rules: Limit the total […]

On 1 March 2019, the Member States’ ambassadors meeting in the Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee agreed with the Council’s position on a draft directive which amends the unfair commercial practices directive 2005/29/EC, the consumer rights directive 2011/83/EU, the unfair contract terms directive 93/13/EEC and the price indication directive 98/6/EC. The new draft directive results from […]

Norfolk County Council Trading Standards has successfully prosecuted Katie Hope and Scott Wolfe for fraudulent trading, forgery and money laundering. The Defendants, through their firm “International Distance College”, had duped over 900 people into paying for qualifications that did not exist. The Defendants had claimed that the courses they were offering were expertly written and […]

In February’s Practical Law lending column Thomas Samuels considers the status of default notices in light of the recent judgment in Doyle v PRA Group (UK) Ltd [2019] EWCA Civ 12. Read the column here.