Inquiry into the Resolution of Disputes with Financial Service Providers within the Justice System – Joint Submission
Submission to: Australian Senate
Related Projects
Joint consumer submission – mortgage broker best interests duty and remuneration reforms
Submission to: Treasury
The broking industry needs wholesale reform if it is to act in the best interests of people taking out home loans. We support the imposition of a best interests duty, which should be expanded to all financial products, and the requirement to prioritise needs. There need to be stronger penalties for misconduct, the establishment of record keeping obligations and the loophole about the way a broker is defined needs to be closed. The root cause of so many problems in the mortgage broking industry is remuneration and wholesale reform is needed in this area: removing volume-based and campaign-based commissions, banning non-volume based bonuses, a prohibition on recommending excessive mortgages, ensuring that clawback arrangements encourage switching, defining conflicted remuneration, ensuring that IT software and support systems deliver fair results and ensuring that education and training events are genuine. These reforms would be pro-competitive so that brokers would be forced to scan the market and help people find a loan that best suits their needs. Although the prohibition of upfront and trail commissions are not within the scope of this proposed legislation, the consumer movement reiterates its support for these recommendations from the Financial Services Royal Commission.
The broking industry needs wholesale reform if it is to act in the best interests of people taking out home loans. We support the imposition of a best interests duty, which should be expanded to all financial products, and the requirement to prioritise needs. There need to be stronger penalties for misconduct, the establishment of record keeping obligations and the loophole about the way a broker is defined needs to be closed. The root cause of so many problems in the mortgage broking industry is remuneration and wholesale reform is needed in this area: removing volume-based and campaign-based commissions, banning non-volume based bonuses, a prohibition on recommending excessive mortgages, ensuring that clawback arrangements encourage switching, defining conflicted remuneration, ensuring that IT software and support systems deliver fair results and ensuring that education and training events are genuine. These reforms would be pro-competitive so that brokers would be forced to scan the market and help people find a loan that best suits their needs. Although the prohibition of upfront and trail commissions are not within the scope of this proposed legislation, the consumer movement reiterates its support for these recommendations from the Financial Services Royal Commission.
Review of Retails Payments Regulation
Submission to: Reserve Bank of Australia
Joint consumer group submission (led by Choice). We argue that Buy Now Pay Later providers are not playing by the same rules as other merchants and this imposes costs on all consumers. We also welcome the RBA's intervention to coordinate regulatory and industry action in relation to managing direct debits and recurring payments. It is ludicrous that consumers still have difficulty in cancelling these deductions.
Joint consumer group submission (led by Choice). We argue that Buy Now Pay Later providers are not playing by the same rules as other merchants and this imposes costs on all consumers. We also welcome the RBA's intervention to coordinate regulatory and industry action in relation to managing direct debits and recurring payments. It is ludicrous that consumers still have difficulty in cancelling these deductions.