Nationwide rebel claims he was offered sweetener to drop boardroom bid July 6, 2026 A rebel Nationwide customer vying for a board seat at Britain’s biggest building society claimed it offered to help him land a directorship at another firm if he dropped his boardroom bid. James Sherwin-Smith, who is on the ballot at next week’s annual general meeting to join Nationwide’s board, told Morning Wire he had a [...]
City watchdog suspends parts of £9bn motor finance scheme after industry backlash July 2, 2026 The UK’s financial watchdog has suspended parts of its under-fire £9bn motor finance redress scheme amid fierce backlash from industry and consumer groups. In a statement on Thursday, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the suspension will require firms to continue preparations for its scheme but avoid work that “may need to be repeated” if [...]
Private credit firms draft in City advisers to help with ‘meltdown’ stress test June 25, 2026 Firms taking part in the Bank of England’s inaugural private credit stress test have been allowed to draft in external City advisers to help them manage the substantial workload required to respond to the doomsday scenario, which participants have branded “extremely severe”. So-called shadow banks will be allowed to lean on consultants, two people involved [...]
UK banks fear a ‘disaster’ with Ed Miliband as Chancellor June 24, 2026 City banks are fretting over the prospect of Ed Miliband as Chancellor as Andy Burnham mulls who he will give the keys to Number 11. The banking industry is bracing for a shake-up at the Treasury and fears it could be hit with a fresh raft of taxes under a new Chancellor while key deregulatory [...]
Badenoch sets sights on battle with the Bank June 24, 2026 The City is in the mood for a regulatory bonfire and Kemi Badenoch hopes to be the one to light the flame. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman looks at the roadblocks she may face on her pursuit. “Don’t forget about Andrew Bailey.” That was the parting shot I got from a former Bank of [...]
‘Very concerned’: City watchdog scolds motor finance lenders over £9bn redress scheme June 22, 2026 The City watchdog has warned motor finance lenders it is “very concerned” with how prepared the industry is to implement its £9bn redress scheme, Morning Wire can reveal. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fired out letters to over 100 firms last Friday following a review of the sector’s plans to implement its under-fire redress program. [...]
Motor finance revs up City watchdog’s PR spend June 22, 2026 The motor finance scandal has helped rev up the financial watchdog’s spend on public relations agencies as it fought to warn consumers of the risks of using claims management firms. The car mis-selling saga – where City banks have been put on the hook for billions in compensation over the use of ‘secret’ car deals [...]
Bank of England unveils Armageddon stress test scenario ‘more severe than the financial crisis’ June 19, 2026 The Bank of England is poised to probe how private markets’ respond to a theoretical financial Armageddon scenario in which stocks plummet and prices soars that industry figures have said is more severe than the global financial crisis. Watchdog officials will scrutinise how alternative asset managers react to the scenario’s five-year downturn in financial conditions [...]
House of Lords lashes out at Labour for ‘eliminating’ its oversight of financial watchdogs June 18, 2026 An influential group of peers have hit out at the government for ditching the Lords’ oversight of financial watchdogs as part of legislation passed in the King’s Speech. Writing in her capacity as chair of the Lords’ Financial Services Regulation Committee, Baroness Noakes said the government had “eliminated” an “integral” part of the regulatory system. [...]
HSBC coughs up $25m over Australian scam failures June 18, 2026 HSBC has agreed to cough up just shy of $25m after admitting to failures in protecting customers in Australia from scammers. The Australian arm of Europe’s biggest lender was investigated by the watchdog over alleged “widespread and systematic failures” to shield its customers targeted by fraudsters. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said it [...]