5. Responsibilities and Approach to Regulation Flashcards
Define the responsibilities of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)
The PRA is responsible for the authorisation, prudential regulation and supervision of banks, building societies, credit unions, insurers and major investment firms.
It is governed by the Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC)
What are the Prudential Regulation Authority’s two primary objectives?
- A general objective to promote safety and soundness of the firms it regulates
- An objective specific to insurance firms, to contribute to ensuring that PHs are adequately protected
What two tools does the Prudential Regulation Authority use to advance its objectives?
- Regulation: It sets standards or policies that it expects firms to meet
- Supervision: It assesses the risk that firms pose to PRA’s objectives and, where necessary, takes action to reduce them
What is the responsibility of the Financial Policy Committee (FPC)?
The FPC responsibility for macro-prudential supervision.
It is responsible for spotting the systemic risks ‘attributable to structural features of financial markets or to the distribution of risk within the financial sector’.
It is also responsible for identifying unsustainable levels of leverage, debt or credit growth.
The FPC has a statutory obligation to limit the impact of its policies on economic growth.
What is the Financial Conduct Authority’s aim?
The FCA aims to ensure that business across financial services and markets is conducted in a way that advances the interests of all consumers and market participants.
How did the government support the FCA in 2012?
To support the FCA in its more proactive, interventionist approach, the Government gave it a product intervention power in the Financial Services Act 2012.
The FSA 2012 enables the regulator to act quickly to either ban or impose restrictions on financial products.
What are the 8 regulatory principles of the FCA?
- Efficiency and economy
- Proportionality
- Sustainable growth
- Responsibility of consumers
- Senior management responsibility
- Recognising the differences in the businesses carried out by the different regulated persons
- Openness and disclosure
- Transparency
What are the operational objectives of the FCA?
- Protect Consumers
- Protect Financial Markets
- Promote Competition
Through protecting financial markets the FCA is concerned with what aspects?
- The soundness and resilience of the trading infrastructure
- The integrity of the financial markets, including the reliability of their price formation process and sustainability of listing rules
- Combating market abuse
- Addressing the extent to which the UK financial system may be used for purposes of financial crime
Define the FCA’s competition objective
- Firms must compete for business by offering better services, better value and types of products that customers want and need
- Prices offered are in line with costs
- Firms will innovate and develop new products over time
N.B. The FCA will draw a distinction between ‘good’ innovation that meets consumers’ genuine needs and other types that exploit consumers
What powers does the FCA have under the Competition Act 1998?
The power to enforce against and fine for breaches of domestic and EU competition law prohibitions on anti-competitive agreements and abuses of a dominant position
What powers does the the FCA have under the Consumer Rights Act 2015?
The power to make a market investigation reference to the Competition and Markets Authority?
Define the Part 4A Permission
Any business or individual wishing to carry on one or more regulated activities, by way of business, must apply to the relevant regulator for direct authorisation
What actions does the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) allow the FCA to take
- Withdraw a firm’s authorisation
- Discipline authorised firms and people approved by the FCA to work in those firms
- Require skilled persons reports on any aspects of regulatory compliance
- Impose penalties for market abuse
- Apply to the Court for injunction or restitution orders
- Prosecute various offences
With reference to the FCA, define Civil Action
The FCA can issue civil proceedings in the High Court against firms and individuals, including those who are not members of the regulated community
With reference to the FCA, define Criminal Proceedings
The FCA has the power to prosecute to several specific offences relating to regulated activites
With reference to the FCA, define Market Abuse
Market abuse is improper conduct that undermines the UK financial markets or damages the interests of ordinary market participants.
What are the civil offences as defined in s. 118 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000?
- Insider dealing
- Improper disclosure
- Misuse of information
- Manipulating transactions
- Manipulating devices
- Dissemination
- Distortion and misleading behaviour
Under the Fourth Money Laundering Directive (4MLD) supervisors have been required to have the power to impose effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions for non-compliance with the Regulations. Therefore, what is the FCA able to do?
- Levy penalties on registered businesses that are in breach of the Money Laundering Regulations
- Prosecute an officer of a registered business that is in breach of certain Money Laundering Regulations. (Conviction may result in imprisonment for up to 2 years, a fine, or both)
Define the FCA’s regulatory approach to Product Intervention and Governance
The FCA aims to be more proactive and ‘intervene earlier in the product’s life span and seek to address root causes of problems for consumers’.
Power include temporary intervention rules and product pre-approval.
Define the FCA’s regulatory approach to Super-complaints
The FCA is able to review and react to detailed submissions by consumer groups on behalf of a large number of customers in particular markets such as payment protection insurance (PPI) and extended warranties