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Snap July 4 Election Leaves Pension Reform In Disarray

The government's decision to call a snap general election for July 4 has left the U.K.'s pension sector in limbo, experts say, with uncertainty over whether the next administration will continue with an ambitious reform program.
September 06, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London has seen Rockfire Capital sue its former director, Liam Kavanagh, after he was accused of cheating cash-strapped Thurrock Council out of £150 million ($197 million), FedEx launch a claim against an Israeli supply chain business, and a legal dispute between steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta and a former colleague. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
September 06, 2024
FCA Fines, Bans 4 For 'Reckless' Pension Transfer Advice

Britain's finance watchdog on Friday announced it has fined four people a total of nearly £600,000 ($793,300) and banned them from working in financial services because of pension transfer advice they gave that showed a "reckless disregard" for customers.
September 06, 2024
EU Gears Up For New Commission With A Plea: More Women

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is gearing up to distribute the top jobs in foreign trade, economics and antitrust among the new commissioners for their five-year mandate, but she is pressing countries in the bloc to nominate more female candidates.
September 06, 2024
UK Lags Globally In Pensions Allocation To Domestic Stocks

British pension funds have a "significantly lower" allocation of their assets to the domestic stock market than most of their counterparts around the world, a think tank has said.
September 06, 2024
UK Insurers Could Face New Wave Of Biz Interruption Claims

Insurers in Britain could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of pounds in additional business interruption claims after a landmark court ruling on "at the premises" clauses, as the long-running insurance dispute from the COVID-19 pandemic enters its endgame.
September 06, 2024
UK Regulators Back Nationwide's £2.9B Deal For Virgin Money

Two U.K. financial regulators have given their consent for Nationwide Building Society's £2.9 billion ($3.8 billion) acquisition of Virgin Money UK PLC, the lenders said Friday.
September 06, 2024
Companies Failing To Oversee Reps Properly, FCA Finds

The Financial Conduct Authority warned Friday that firms are failing to properly oversee the agents that carry on regulated activities for them without having to be individually authorized.
September 06, 2024
Pensions Campaigners Say Gov't Meeting 'Start Of Something'

The chair of a campaign group working to secure compensation for women after the government failed to tell them that their retirement age had changed said Friday that its first meeting with the pensions minister was "the start of something."
September 06, 2024
British Savers Urged To Track Down Lost Pension Pots

British insurers urged U.K. savers on Friday to take action and track down their lost pension pots in a new campaign aimed at raising awareness about planning for retirement.
September 06, 2024
ExCeL Wins Landmark £16M COVID Biz Insurance Test Case

An English appeals court agreed with London's ExCeL exhibition center and other policyholders on Friday that national lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic triggered "at the premises" clauses in their insurance policies in a test case likely to bolster thousands of other claims.
September 05, 2024
FCA Boasts Accelerated Authorizations For Firms

The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday in its 2023-2024 annual report that it has significantly improved its authorization process, but has missed some targets in relation to processing applications of payments firms.
September 05, 2024
'Act Now' On Dashboard Prep, Pensions Watchdog Warns

Pension scheme trustees should "act now" to be ready for the long-awaited government project designed to connect workers with lost pots and avoid enforcement action for failing to meet their duties, The Pensions Regulator warned Thursday.
September 05, 2024
Gov't Consults On Plans For Pension Market Consolidation

The U.K. government is seeking feedback on the potential benefits and risks for pension savers and the economy if the pension market becomes more consolidated with larger schemes managing more assets.
September 05, 2024
Surge In Pension Deal Demand Expected In 2nd Half Of 2024

There is likely to be a record number of transactions in the U.K. pensions market in 2024, according to a study published Thursday by accounting giant PwC, despite what many have described as a slower start to the year.
September 05, 2024
FRC Warns Against Misuse Of Offsetting Financial Data

Companies that record a gain which nullifies the effect of its entry into their balance sheets — a practice known as offsetting — have caused "material errors" in their financial statements, Britain's accounting watchdog said Thursday.
September 04, 2024
Pension Pot Needs For 'Basic' Retirement Rose 60% In 3 Years

Pensioners need 60% more retirement savings to meet basic costs compared to just three years ago, according to a think tank's research published Wednesday.
September 04, 2024
Gov't Flood Plan Shortcomings Risk Coverage, Scheme Warns

Britain's state-backed flood reinsurance scheme warned Wednesday that a lack of transparency and consistency in the planning system around flood mitigation is threatening the insurance sector's ability to insure new properties against flooding risk.
September 04, 2024
Broker Clear Buys 4th Specialist Underwriter

Insurance broker Clear has acquired specialist underwriter Accelerate Underwriting for an undisclosed amount to grow its managing general agent capabilities.
September 04, 2024
Grenfell Disaster Charges May Come In 2026, CPS Says

London's police force said Wednesday it expects to provide evidence of possible criminal wrongdoing over the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 to prosecutors in 2026, after a long-running public inquiry into the causes of the disaster published its final report.
September 04, 2024
Cap On Push-Payment Fraud Payouts To Plummet To £85K

The payments watchdog said Wednesday that it plans to cut the cap on compulsory reimbursement by companies of authorized push payment fraud from £415,000 ($546,000) to £85,000.
September 04, 2024
Sackers, HSF Guide £1.3B Coats UK Pension Insurance Deal

British textiles manufacturer Coats Group PLC said Wednesday that it has offloaded its retirement savings plan liabilities to Pension Insurance Corp. in a deal worth up to £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion), steered by Sacker & Partners LLP and Herbert Smith Freehills LLP.
September 03, 2024
Vet Gets Suspended Sentence For Allianz Pet Insurance Fraud

A crown court handed a veterinary nurse from West Sussex a suspended sentence after she admitted to making over £13,000 ($17,000) worth of fraudulent insurance claims from Allianz subsidiaries for her pets using the systems at her workplace.
September 03, 2024
Norton Rose Hires Insurance Pro From Eversheds Sutherland

Norton Rose Fulbright said Tuesday that it has hired an insurance specialist as a partner from Eversheds Sutherland to boost its strengths representing companies in the sector on corporate and regulatory matters.
September 03, 2024
Pensions Reform Could Fuel £200K Savings Boost

The government could boost the long-term savings of workers by £217,000 ($285,000) per person by increasing minimum pension contributions, an insurer said, as the U.K. wrestles with the prospect of a retirement savings crisis.
September 03, 2024
Nearly Half Of Employers Advertise Legal Rights As 'Perks'

Nearly half of U.K. employers promoted legal entitlements such as pensions and sick pay as perks in job advertisements in August, according to research published on Tuesday.

Editor's Picks

Top Court Ruling In 'Whiplash' Test Case Could Hit Premiums

Personal injury claimants could get higher payouts from their motor insurance as a result of a test case ruling at Britain's highest court on Tuesday, although analysts warn that insurers could respond with higher premiums to cover the cost of bigger claims.
FCA Begins Crackdown On Poor-Value Insurance Products

The move by the Financial Conduct Authority to restrict sales of guaranteed asset protection insurance is a sign of a faster approach to market intervention, and could lead the regulator to scrutinize other underperforming products, consultants say.
Post-Election UK Pension Changes Could Be In The Fine Print

Regulatory lawyers are not expecting radical overhaul in pension policies if the government changes after this year's general election. But lawyers say that signals in the opposition Labour Party's policy language could hint at possible shifts in investment priorities for retirement savings.

Expert Analysis

EU Reports Signal Greenwashing Focus For Financial Sector

Reports from the European Supervisory Authorities on enforcement of sustainability information, plus related guidance issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority, represent a fundamental change in how businesses must operate to maintain integrity and public trust, say Amilcare Sada and Matteo Fanton at A&O Shearman.
Embedding Consumer Duty: 6 Areas Firms Should Prioritize

The Financial Conduct Authority has repeatedly emphasized that complying with the Consumer Duty is not a tick-box exercise but an ongoing responsibility, so firms need to show that the duty is at the heart of their practices by staying compliant in areas from cultural change to customer vulnerability, say Nicola Higgs and Becky Critchley at Latham.
Insuring Lender's Baseball Bet Leads To Major League Dispute

In RockFence v. Lloyd's, a California federal court seeks to define who qualifies as a professional baseball player for purposes of an insurance coverage payout, providing an illuminating case study of potential legal issues arising from baseball service loans, say Marshall Gilinsky and Seán McCabe at Anderson Kill.
What Steps Businesses Can Take After CrowdStrike Failure

Following last month’s global Microsoft platform outage caused by CrowdStrike’s failed security software update, businesses can expect complex disputes over liability resulting from multilayered agreements and should look to their various insurance policies for cover despite losses not stemming from a cyberattack, says Daniel Healy at Brown Rudnick.
What To Expect From Labour's Pension Schemes Bill

The Labour government’s recently announced Pension Schemes Bill, outlining key policy areas affecting the retirement savings sector, represents a positive step forward for both defined contribution scheme members and defined benefit superfunds, but there are some missing features, says Sonya Fraser at Arc Pensions.
What EU Opinion May Mean For ESG Product Classification

The recently issued European Supervisory Authority opinion on the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation offers key recommendations, including revising the definition of sustainable investments and making principal adverse impacts consideration mandatory, that could sway the European Commission’s final approach to product classification, say lawyers at Debevoise.
Insurance Rulings Show Court Hesitancy To Fix Policy Errors

Two recent Court of Appeal insurance decisions highlight that policyholders can only overcome policy drafting errors and claim coverage if there is a very obvious mistake, emphasizing courts' reluctance to rewrite contract terms that are capable of enforcement, says Aaron Le Marquer at Stewarts.
EU Investment Fund Standards Offer Welcome Clarity

The European Commission’s recently published regulatory technical standards for long-term investments, which granted managers greater flexibility with respect to open-ended European long-term investment funds, should help managers active in the space navigate the mandatory liquidity requirements for long-term investment funds, say Zac Mellor-Clark and Nishkaam Paul at Fried Frank.
10 Ways To Manage AI Risks In Service Contracts

With the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act coming into force on Aug. 1 and introducing a new regulatory risk, and with AI technology continuing to develop at pace, parties to services arrangements should employ mechanisms now to build in flexibility and get on the front foot, says James Longster at Travers Smith.
Unpacking The New Concept Of 'Trading Misfeasance'

In addition to granting one of the largest trading awards since the Insolvency Act was passed in 1986, the High Court recently introduced a novel claim for misfeasant trading in Wright v. Chappell, opening the door to liability for directors, even where insolvent liquidation or administration was not inevitable, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.
Key Takeaways From Proposed EU Anticorruption Directive

The European Commission's anticorruption proposal, on which the EU Council recently adopted a position, will substantially alter the landscape of corporate compliance and liability across the EU, so companies will need to undertake rigorous revisions of their compliance frameworks to align with the directive's demands, say lawyers at Linklaters.
Tips For Implementing EU Sustainability Reporting Guidance

Lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell discuss the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group’s recently published guidance on double materiality assessments and offer takeaways on achieving a sustainability directive-compliant process that could enhance clarity and consistency among multinational stakeholders.
Why Ukraine Aircraft Insurance Case Failed To Take Off In UK

In Aercap v. PJSC Insurance, the High Court decided the claimants could not avoid an exclusive jurisdiction clause and advance their case in England rather than Ukraine, and the reasoning is likely to be of relevance in future jurisdiction disputes, say Abigail Healey and Genevieve Douglas at Quillon Law.
What New UK Labour Gov't Is Planning For Financial Services

Following the Labour Party’s U.K. election win on July 4, the new government has already announced its key missions for economic growth, green investment and tax reform, so affected Financial Conduct Authority-regulated entities should be prepared for change and on the lookout for details, says Rachael Healey at RPC.
Why Reperforming Loan Securitization In UK And EU May Rise

The recently published new U.K. securitization rules will largely bring the U.K.’s nonperforming loan regime in line with the European Union, and together with the success of EU and U.K. banks in reducing loan ratios, reperforming securitizations may feature more prominently in relevant markets going forward, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.