Firms still failing to capture information on vulnerable customers - Comment on the FCA findings on consumer vulnerability from Andrew Gething at MorganAsh

20 June 2022

Commenting on the FCA's statement on vulnerable customers, Andrew Gething, managing director of Morgan/Ash, said:

“The findings of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) latest update show that many firms still have a long way to go in delivering fair treatment for vulnerable customers. The FCA says it will take action against firms that do not produce the right kind of management information about vulnerable customers and keep it under review. It puts the onus on senior leaders to take responsibility to understand the extent to which individual consumers may be vulnerable and ensure that they are treated fairly.

“Firms have been making subjective assessments of vulnerability, with no consistent way to capture the information. While this may solve the immediate issue for the consumer, the data captured is inconsistent and results in poor management information. Firms must have an objective and consistent method to assess and capture consumer characteristics so that this can be stored and communicated across the business. Without a more structured approach, firms will struggle to meet the FCA’s requirements on management information.

“The MorganAsh Resilient System (MARS) tool enables firms to assess consumer characteristics objectively, to keep that information under review and help ensure firms fulfil their regulatory requirements.”

FCA's statement on vulnerable customers