Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

Motor Finance Ruling Shifts Focus To Wider Broker-Fee Cases

The recent decision by the U.K. Supreme Court to limit the payouts available to many motor finance customers over hidden fees could switch legal attention to other sectors that routinely add brokers' commissions to bills, lawyers say.

Supreme Court Car Finance Verdict Slashes Lender Exposure

The U.K. Supreme Court's landmark decision Friday to reverse most of the Court of Appeal's judgment on hidden motor finance commissions has sharply narrowed the scope of any future redress scheme from the Financial Conduct Authority — an outcome critics said favored lenders and car dealers over consumer protection.

Hand using laptop and show malware screen with phishing email, hack password and personal data.

Looser SMCR May Leave Banks More Open To Fraud Charges

The Financial Conduct Authority's proposed partial relaxation of the approval process under its senior managers regime as the U.K. pushes for deregulation could leave companies more exposed to fraud prosecution as the failure to prevent fraud offense goes live in September.

Downing Street and Whitehall street signs, London

UK Top Court's Leeway On Sanctions Could Embolden Gov't

The respect shown by the U.K. Supreme Court to the British government on foreign affairs could encourage ministers to use sanctions in unforeseen ways, allowing politicians to achieve policy goals that are limited by legal challenges, lawyers say.

August 07, 2025
Former Soldier Convicted Of Running £1.3M Ponzi Scheme

A former British Army rifleman was convicted of running a £1.3 million ($1.7 million) Ponzi scheme in London on Thursday over allegations that he offered more than 200 investors impossibly high returns before the fund's collapse.
August 07, 2025
Pogust Goodhead Adds To Board Amid Org Shakeup Rumors

Pogust Goodhead said Thursday that it has appointed three new members to its board as a judgment looms in a £36 billion ($48.3 billion) claim against mining giant BHP over the Mariana dam disaster in Brazil.
August 07, 2025
Lobby Group Intervenes Over Stagecoach Settlement Funds

The U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal on Thursday granted a business advocacy group permission to intervene in a hearing over how to distribute the unclaimed remainder of a £25 million ($33.6 million) settlement with rail operator Stagecoach following claims it overcharged London commuters.
August 07, 2025
Ousted Big Tech CEO Denies £320M Conspiracy Claim

The ousted chief executive of a company that makes security ankle tags has denied a £320 million ($430 million) claim, arguing that she had not caused the business loss or lied about her interest in its shareholders.
August 07, 2025
Accounting Co. Faces Trial In 1st FTP Tax Evasion Case

Accounting firm Bennett Verby Ltd. faced accusations on Thursday that it had failed to prevent tax evasion alongside six individuals charged with tax evasion and fraud offenses.
August 07, 2025
FCA Boosts Payment Safeguards To Protect Consumers' Cash

The Financial Conduct Authority published new rules on Thursday to protect consumers better when they use payment companies, strengthening its ability to intervene when they fail to safeguard clients' money.
August 06, 2025
Carter-Ruck Partner Faces Tribunal Over Alleged SLAPP

The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Wednesday that it had referred a partner at Carter-Ruck to a tribunal for allegedly improperly using the legal system through a strategic lawsuit against public participation.
August 06, 2025
Osborne Lawyer Challenges SDT Ruling Over Zahawi Email

An Osborne Clarke partner has filed an appeal against a fine imposed on him by a disciplinary tribunal for using misleading legal language to prevent publication of an email sent on behalf of former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, according to recently published documents.
August 06, 2025
Lloyd's Underwriter Bids To Revive Whitsleblowing Claim

A Lloyd's syndicate told an appeals tribunal Wednesday that an underwriter's attempt to revive a claim that he was sacked for whistleblowing about a supposedly fraudulent payment was an impermissible attempt to reargue the case.
August 06, 2025
Prince Harry's Charity Criticized For Public Row

The U.K. charity watchdog concluded Wednesday that all sides were to blame in a dispute at Prince Harry's African charity, finding that charity leaders should not have allowed the row to erupt publicly.
August 06, 2025
Solicitor Denies Ignoring Red Flags Over Property Deals

A solicitor urged a tribunal on Wednesday to reject allegations that he displayed "manifest incompetence" and ignored warning signs when he oversaw several allegedly fraudulent property deals, saying he would not have let the transactions go ahead if he'd had suspicions.
August 06, 2025
Greenwashing Scrutiny Grows Amid Rising ESG Demands

The increasing significance of environmental, social and governance considerations for businesses has led to a surge in companies overstating their green credentials, according to a report from Watson Farley & Williams LLP.
August 06, 2025
SEC Pursues UK Man's Assets Over $10M Stock Fraud

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a legal action in England to enforce a $350,000 U.S. court judgment against a man the agency has alleged was involved in a $10 million fraudulent trans-Atlantic microcap stock trading scheme.
August 06, 2025
Postmaster Sues Post Office, Fujitsu For £4.5M Over Scandal

A former sub-postmaster has sued the Post Office and Fujitsu for almost £4.5 million ($6 million) in the first legal action against the two companies for withholding evidence about bugs in the faulty Horizon IT system that led to hundreds of wrongful convictions.
August 06, 2025
FCA Targets Greenwashing With Simpler Climate Rules

The Financial Conduct Authority set out plans on Wednesday to simplify sustainability reporting to help reduce greenwashing as it responded to feedback from asset managers, life insurers and pension providers that climate disclosures are too complex.
August 06, 2025
IP Crime Unit Seizes Fake Football Merch Worth Over £5M

A police unit that tackles intellectual property crime has said it has collared almost 68,000 counterfeit football kits since the start of 2025, preventing sales that would have been worth £5.1 million ($6.8 million) if the items were genuine.
August 05, 2025
Hyundai, Kia Say Dieselgate Allegations Lack Evidence

Hyundai and Kia have hit back against motorists' claims in the ongoing Dieselgate litigation, arguing in their High Court defense filing that their overall case about the alleged cheating of emissions tests is "vague and lacking in proper particularity."
August 05, 2025
City Body Urges FCA To Clarify AML Rules For Digital Assets

A City of London trade body has urged the Financial Conduct Authority to clarify in its future regulations for stablecoin issuers how anti-money laundering rules will apply for digital assets.
August 05, 2025
Companies House To Roll Out Compulsory ID Verification

Companies House said Tuesday that from November this year it will require company directors to verify their identities, the latest move in the registrar's rollout of heightened powers to protect against fraud.
August 05, 2025
AML Reforms Are Missed Opportunity, Law Society Says

The government's proposed updates to anti-money laundering regulations will do little to ease the compliance burden on law firms and are a "missed opportunity" to cut unnecessary rules, the body representing solicitors said on Tuesday.
August 05, 2025
FCA Warns Claims Cos. Against Misleading Car Finance Ads

The Financial Conduct Authority has told claims management companies in a letter to review financial advertising for motor finance claims, after seeing misleading redress rates from the sector and law firms.
August 05, 2025
FCA Issues £46M In Fines For Woodford Fund Failures

The Financial Conduct Authority has provisionally hit Neil Woodford and Woodford Investment Management with fines totaling £46 million ($61 million) for alleged failures in their management of a flagship £3.7 billion fund that led to its high-profile collapse in 2019.
August 04, 2025
StanChart Can't Withhold Docs In £1.5B Iran Sanctions Case

Standard Chartered on Monday lost a bid to withhold regulatory documents from investors suing the bank for £1.5 billion ($2 billion) for allegedly making untrue or misleading statements about its noncompliance with sanctions.
August 04, 2025
Solicitor Ignored Red Flags In Property Deals, Tribunal Told

The Solicitors Regulation Authority told a disciplinary tribunal Monday that a lawyer who displayed "manifest incompetence" when he failed to prevent a number of fraudulent or potentially fraudulent property deals should face disciplinary consequences.
August 04, 2025
Court Freezes Couple's £5M Over Alleged Misuse Of Co. Cash

A London court granted a freezing order Monday worth more than £5.1 million ($6.8 million) against a married couple accused of siphoning funds from a holding company, finding that there is a real risk that they will scatter their assets.

Editor's Picks

6 Bombshell Moments From Staley's Bid To Clear His Name

Jes Staley has suffered a bruising week as he testified about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, culminating in an admission by the former banker that he had sex with a member of the disgraced financier's staff.
5 Questions For Spencer West Partner Karl Foster

The Financial Conduct Authority's approach to enforcement and consumer protection has come up against government economic growth priorities and resistance from the sector to its proposals to "name and shame" companies early on during regulatory probes.
UK Russia Sanctions Face Landmark Test At Supreme Court

The U.K.'s sanctions regime faces a major test on Wednesday as billionaire Eugene Shvidler seeks to have his financial restrictions cast off — the first case to challenge Russian sanctions that has reached the country's highest court.

Expert Analysis

The Int'l Compliance View: Everything Everywhere All At Once

Changes to the enforcement landscape in the U.S. and abroad shift the risks and incentives for global compliance programs, creating a race against the clock for companies to deploy investigative resources across worldwide operations, say attorneys at Dentons.
Why Leveson Review Is Significant For UK Court System

Brian Leveson’s recent review into the U.K. criminal justice system calls for judge-only trials in serious and complex fraud cases, a controversial recommendation that is sparking debate over the future of jury trials, says Louise Hodges at Kingsley Napley.
23andMe Fine Signals ICO's New GDPR Enforcement Focus

Many of the cybersecurity failures identified by the Information Commissioner’s Office in its investigation of 23andMe, recently resulting in a £2.3 million fine, were basic lapses, but the ICO's focus on several new U.K. General Data Protection Regulation considerations will likely carry into the future, say lawyers at Womble Bond.
What New UK Stub Equity Rules Will Mean For PE Bidders

The U.K. Takeover Panel’s recent guide to making stub equity offers, for the first time formally harmonizing the approach to be taken, should be helpful for both private equity bidders and practitioners, and not unduly restrictive, say lawyers at Davis Polk.
UK FDI Enforcement Continues, But Changes Are On The Way

With the U.K. government’s recent foreign direct investment investigation into Maple Armor’s increased shareholding in Fireblitz demonstrating the National Security and Investment Act’s wide scope, an announcement this month that certain transactions will no longer require mandatory notification represents a welcome simplification, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
What Cos. Must Note From EU's Delivery Hero-Glovo Ruling

The European Commission’s recent landmark decision in Delivery Hero-Glovo, sanctioning companies for the first time over a stand-alone no-poach cartel agreement, underscores the potential antitrust risks of horizontal cross-ownership between competitors, say lawyers at McDermott.
What To Expect As FCA Preps To Launch AI Testing Service

The Financial Conduct Authority’s forthcoming artificial intelligence live testing service will provide participants with access to appropriate regulatory expertise, but to gauge the tool’s potential utility, it is important to understand how it fits in with what the regulator is already doing, says Omar Salem at Fox Williams.
New Interpol Silver Notice Could Be Tool For Justice Or Abuse

Interpol has issued dozens of Silver Notices to trace and recover assets linked to criminal activity since January, and though the tool may disrupt organized crime and terrorist financing, attorneys must protect against the potential for corrupt misuse, say attorneys at Clark Hill and Arktouros.
Weighing PE Transaction Risks As EU AI Act Rolls Out

As the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act becomes effective in stages, legal practitioners involved in private equity deals should consider the transactional risks resulting from this measure, including penalties, extraterritorial reach and target-firm applicability, say lawyers at Covington.
Preparing For Literacy Compliance Under EU AI Act

The European Commission's recent Q&A on artificial intelligence literacy is designed to assist with European Union AI Act compliance, but since the law does not require a one-size-fits-all approach, organizations need to consider specific use cases and focus on implementing staff training, says Edward Machin at Ropes & Gray.
EU Banking Watchdog Regulations Herald New AML Era

The European Banking Authority’s forthcoming anti-money laundering package will set a framework for compliance across the European Union by redefining the rules of engagement between financial institutions and supervisors, setting a new standard for transparency and accountability, say lawyers at A&O Shearman.
UK-EU Competition Agreement Signals Rebuilding Of Ties

The European Commission’s recent adoption of proposals to sign the European Union-U.K. competition agreement is a welcome first step toward better policy and enforcement convergence, providing a clearer legal framework for businesses to manage regulatory risk, says Charles Whiddington at Steptoe.
What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies

While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.
Decoding Arbitral Disputes: UK Injunctions Across Borders

A recent High Court of Justice decision allowing JPMorgan Chase Bank to block VTB Bank from bringing suit in a Russian court provides a seminal reflection on the power of English courts to issue antisuit injunctions when global banking disputes increasingly straddle multiple jurisdictions, says Josep Galvez of 4-5 Gray's Inn.
7 Reforms To Note Under New UK Data Protection Law

Although the recently enacted Data Use Act’s changes to U.K. law are subtle, its reforms go beyond data protection, including changes that redefine the scope of scientific research and an update that clarifies what constitutes automated decision-making, says James Castro-Edwards at Arnold & Porter.