The new Consumer Duty is aimed at protecting consumers rights regarding financial products they understand.
The purpose of the new rule is to eliminate hidden charges and better inform consumers about products such as savings accounts and mortgages that are offered at a better deal if they are available.
However, there are some providers who stand against it.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s financial watchdog, says it will help vulnerable people and also offer a fair deal to savers.
The move comes after an exhausting rewrite of some of the FCA’s regulations for the 60,000 financial firms it oversees, which took a year to complete.
The new rule will ensure that the products provided by firms will meet their customers expectations and provide adequate support when they need it the most.
It also ensures that customers have shorter waits and satisfactory responses when they call the firm on the phone, while ending rip-off fees.
Demand the immediate settlement of financial disputes.
A spokesperson from the FCA, Nisha Arora, stated: “The duty raises the bar across all corners of finance and will ensure firms equip their customers with information they can understand, services they need, and the right support when they need it.”
She stated that it ought to indicate that “the customer always comes first,” with regulators already highlighting the influence it could have in directing savers to products with higher returns.
According to the FCA, firms are also expected to help those like Samantha, who became a victim of domestic financial abuse after her ex-husband opened two overdrafts in her name worth £1,000 each.
She further stated: “I was asked multiple times on different calls to give my bank card number, balance, and details of recent transactions, but I had no access to these accounts. There was no understanding or empathy at all.”
“I’m very lucky that I have a strong network of support around me. I can’t imagine how hard it is for people who don’t have any support because even with it, I was pushed to my limits.”
According to the FCA, staff members should be understanding and flexible in such situations, and products ought to be produced with such demands in mind. According to its data, 7.4 million people sought to contact one or more of their financial service providers but without success over a 12-month period, with the most vulnerable in society most likely to suffer.
Regardless, many have raised questions about whether firms are prepared for such changes.
As per Andrew Stevens of Quadient, many banks fail to effectively communicate with their customers. Its research revealed that roughly 8% of their customers could understand updated overdraft charges correctly.
- Published By Team Timeswire