United Kingdom: Charges, Mortgages, Indemnities

In this GT Alert, we provide an overview of how the amount of regulatory capital that a UK bank is required to hold is quantified and whether there is a case for reconsidering the current approach.

In October's GT Alert on non-bank lending, we focussed on whether there was a justification in banks being subject to regulatory capital requirements when non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) were not.

This briefing, which is relevant to the prudential treatment of securitisations in general (traditional and synthetic) by UK PRA regulated banks, covers the securitisation-related content...

A decade after the first conviction, the Supreme Court has quashed Tom Hayes' and Carlo Palombo's convictions for conspiracy to defraud in relation to benchmark submissions, finding trial judges misdirected the juries.

A recent decision of the Supreme Court affects the circumstances in which a lender bank will be put "on inquiry" in non-commercial loan transactions involving couples.

For nearly three decades, a large group of mostly elderly and vulnerable mortgage holders have endured the consequences of a financial product that promised security but delivered profound hardship.

Recent UK tax reforms aim to standardize tax treatment between sharia-compliant and conventional home financing. The changes prevent capital gains tax on sharia-based refinancing and remove ATED liabilities for sharia-compliant financiers, promoting tax consistency and market competitiveness.

HSBC was fined £6.28 million by the FCA for inadequate support of financially distressed customers between 2017 and 2018. Despite initial policy failures, HSBC proactively invested £94 million in corrective actions and issued £185 million in customer redress, reducing the penalty by 30%. This case underscores the importance of fair treatment and compliance in customer support across the financial industry.

Buying your first home is a big step. While the journey may seem daunting at the beginning, understanding the key steps and factors can simplify the process and allow you to make well-informed decisions.