Consumer Credit
Our aim is to give you clear, pragmatic advice on regulated credit so that you can stay compliant and operate successfully.
Our consumer credit team offers advice and guidance on all aspects of regulated credit, from consumer credit agreements to regulated mortgage terms and conditions. Our clients include fintechs and long-standing financial institutions.
Consumer credit regulation
We are experts in the regulation of unsecured consumer lending under the Consumer Credit Act.
We can offer perimeter guidance as to whether you fall within the consumer credit regime. If you need to be authorised by the FCA to carry on credit-related activities, we can help you to make an application including your regulatory business plan, senior management functions, policies and procedures.
We are skilled in drafting and reviewing consumer credit agreements and consumer hire agreements. We can provide clear, pragmatic advice on whether your contracts meet form and content requirements or need to be changed and updated.
We are always happy to deliver guidance on the application of the consumer credit regime, ways in which you can terminate agreements and the form and content requirements of consumer credit agreements.
Secured lending
We act for banks and building societies who provide regulated mortgages. We can ensure your mortgage terms comply with FCA regulations under the mortgage conduct of business rules (MCOBS), that they comply with personal data regulations and meet your commercial requirements.
Consumer credit broking
We advise consumer credit brokers on compliance with FCA regulations and assist them to stay compliant. We assist lenders who wish to appoint introducers by drafting and reviewing terms of business to ensure the parties clearly and compliantly record the arrangements between them.
We work collaboratively with other departments across the firm, to resolve a broader range of issues, for example our banking and disputes teams.
Expertise
- Consumer credit regulation
- Secured & unsecured lending under the Consumer Credit Act
- FCA applications
- Drafting and reviewing of consumer credit agreements and consumer hire agreements
- Guidance on the application of the consumer credit regime
- Consumer credit broking and guidance on FCA compliance.
Meet the team
Our Financial Services team is led by Rachel Hillier, Partner.
Our lawyers are specialists in their fields, providing commercially driven, clear advice that helps you stay compliant and confident you’re doing the right thing.
Client Stories | Liza Kellett, Trust Leeds
Following a lengthy application process, our Financial Services team was able to help Trust Leeds submit their application to the FCA, so they could provide consumer credit lending to those that wouldn’t be able to access it from high street banks.
Having gone through the process side by side with Liza, we are here to help if you and your business are thinking about providing lending services and need support in obtaining approval from the FCA.
Insights
5 things you need to know about the Consumer Credit Act reforms
The Consumer Credit Act reforms are part of the Government’s Edinburgh reforms, where they’ve been looking at driving growth in the financial services sector. Even in the last ten years, the way people have been borrowing money has changed hugely, with far less face to face business going on. So, examples of this are car finance via online platforms, and buy now, pay later. And technology is playing a huge part in these changes.
Rachel Hillier & Sarah Drew break down the Consumer Credit Act reforms into 5 key things you need to know.
