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FCA’s review of peer-to-peer lending
Lending Works welcomes the Financial Conduct Authority’s review of peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding (published in February 2015), and the regulator’s ongoing oversight of our industry. We are committed to ensuring our services are transparent and easily understood by all existing and potential lending and borrowers.
The piece made some positive observations, including:
On the regulator’s visits to firms: "We were encouraged by what we found during our visits, including a good understanding of credit risk and robust Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer checks"
On the regulator’s request for platforms to make changes to their financial promotions: "All the firms we wrote to were keen to comply and most made the required changes with immediate effect"
Observations
The regulator made some observations on the financial promotion issues they found with some platforms during their review:
Promotions comparing crowdfunding investing to savings accounts and banking and, in doing so, creating the impression that the lender’s capital was secure;
Insufficient information in promotions about the taxation of investments;
From the perspective of the borrower, the omission or lack of prominence of the representative APR; and
Promotions having a lack of balance by giving prominence to the benefits of borrowing without a prominent indication of risk in relation to the borrower’s financial circumstances.
Our approach
Lending Works firmly supports the FCA's approach to the regulation of peer-to-peer lending and the principles it has implemented. For some time before this review was released, Lending Works has provided webpages dedicated to informing consumers about each of the topics the FCA has highlighted.
These articles can be found by clicking the links below:
If you have difficulty with your loan repayments, Quick guide to loan underwriting and Quick guide to credit scoring
To read the regulator’s review in full, please click here.
Related articles:
Our website offers information about saving, investing, tax and other financial matters, but not personal advice. If you're not sure whether peer-to-peer lending is right for you, please seek independent financial advice, and if you decide to invest with Lending Works, please read our Key Lender Information PDF first.
As with all investments, your capital is at risk.
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The Lending Works Shield does not give you a right to a payment so you may not receive a pay-out even if you suffer loss. The Lending Works Trustee has absolute discretion as to the amount that may be paid, including making no payment at all. Therefore, investors should not rely on possible pay-outs from the Lending Works Shield when considering whether or how much to invest. For more information click here.