How should you assess vulnerability characteristics?
Consumer Duty does require firms to pay regard to the nature, scale and characteristics of consumer vulnerabilities – but in practical terms what are the implications of this? Consumer Duty is a principle-based regulation – so there isn’t a definitive checklist of practical actions. It’s largely up to firms how they go about things – even if there is no doubt about what they need to do. So, within this framework, how do you assess vulnerability – and does this mean you need to assess everyone? Is there an easier way to deal with people en masse? Andrew Gething and Tony Crane discuss this in detail.
Latest white paper
Understanding the implications of vulnerability within Consumer Duty
Our latest Consumer Duty white paper
This paper examines the FCA Handbook Rules on Consumer Duty Regulations, specifically Principle 12. We extracted some key rules in order to explain the practical implications.
Latest podcast
What is a vulnerability?
Our latest Consumer Duty podcast
There is still a great deal of uncertainty about how someone is defined as vulnerable; what a vulnerability is. The FCA’s data (confirmed with live data from MorganAsh’s vulnerable consumer management tool, MARS) shows that around half of all people can be defined as vulnerable. Yet others say that they have only a few per cent of vulnerable consumers. Can this be true? Andrew Gething and Johnny Timpson OBE try to dig into the answers.
Latest webinar
Managing vulnerability in consumer credit
Our latest Consumer Duty webinar
The FCA has announced that it is reviewing how vulnerability is being managed. What are the practical implications for consumer credit, particularly in the motor finance sector, where credit is so important? We look at: what does consumer vulnerability look like, and what is required under Consumer Duty in consumer credit? We talk about the elephant in the room – the sale – the conflict of assessing consumers and minimising friction in the sale. And we ask what are the costs, benefits and risks of assessing consumer vulnerability? We also look at: personalisation of communications, comparisons of buying journeys, what the motor finance sector ‘doesn’t know’ about other areas of financial services – and we talk about the FCA’s current thinking and offer insights into what’s coming down the line from the regulator.