Making consumers aware of your complaints procedures
Financial Conduct Authority & Financial Ombudsman Service Update: Making consumers aware of your complaints procedures The FCA, in conjunction with the FOS, has recently updated the Consumer Awareness Rules relating to complaints handling. Specifically, you now need to post details about your complaints-handling procedure on your website. We recommend that you include a link to the […]
How to complete your FCA Application for Full Authorisation
A quick guide to the FCA’s online application process by Business Development Manager David Grant The following notes have been put together to assist with submitting your application for full authorisation. 1) Getting started To get started click on http://www.fca.org.uk/firms/firm-types/consumer-credit/authorisation. Then scroll down the page to Step 4 & Apply for “New User Registration”. Click […]
CCS Retailer Hot Tub Barn goes transatlantic
After many years of providing hot tubs from their UK showrooms, Hot Tub Barn is going transatlantic! The company has announced it’s installing hot tubs into each of Virgin’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The hot tubs will add further luxury to travellers’ journeys and allow them a mid-flight soak. Virgin currently has four Dreamliners in operation, with a planned nine […]
UK homeowners update kitchens every 13 years
A new report by lifestyle website Houzz.co.uk has found we update our kitchens, on average, every 13 years. The research, which included a survey of more than 2,800 homeowners from across the UK and Ireland, also found that people planning to redesign their kitchens in 2015 are making significant investments: 48% are budgeting £5k to […]
Your FCA Landing Slot: Are You Ready?
Make sure you’re well prepared before submitting your FCA application Over the last few months we’ve been busy advising retailers on their FCA applications, and we’ve come up with a few tips to make the process easier & smoother: Don’t assume the application is quick to do and leave it until the last minute. You can […]
New rules on credit broking & financial promotions
In January, the FCA published new rules on credit broking and financial promotions, this was in response to consumers’ confusion about the status of credit brokers. As a result all credit brokers now need to include their legal name (as it appears in the FCA Register) on all advertising and correspondence with customers. Advertising and […]
Should your business have limited or full permission?
When your ‘landing slot’ is due, should you apply for limited or full permission from the FCA? One question we’re frequently asked by retailers is, which type of permission do I need to apply for, limited or full? It’s really important to get your application right, because if you apply for the wrong permission then it […]
CCS ‘CHOICES OF FUNDING’ – CAN YOU AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT IT…?
CCS ‘CHOICES OF FUNDING’ – CAN YOU AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT IT…? Six months ago we announced our unique ‘Choices of Funding’ approach to help retailers present all available repayment options to customers equally and compliantly. Numerous retailers have now introduced the new process, and they’ve found it’s had an unexpected but very welcome benefit […]
Leading organisations predict continued growth for renewables sector
By all accounts 2014 was a good year for the renewables sector (and CCS managed record approvals last year). Reports by leading organisations indicate that the positive trend is likely to continue for a number of years to come: GlobalData have issued a report stating that worldwide solar PV capacity could treble by 2020 – formerly […]
Latest FCA Consumer Credit Fee Information
The FCA’s website has been updated following its annual consultation on consumer credit fees. The 3 types of fees charged by the FCA: 1. Authorisation application fee Firms have to pay a non-refundable application fee when they apply for authorisation. The application fee that a firm offering consumer credit has to pay depends on the size of its […]