The Association of Finance Brokers has called for second charge or homeowner loans to be brought under the regulatory regime of the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The Association made the claim in response to the Office of Fair Tradings (OFT) consultation paper on second charge lending . They labelled the proposal as the only realistic option for ensuring fair practice in the sector, and claimed its members had demonstrated overwhelming support for such a move.
Second charge lending refers to existing mortgage holders securing further personal loans on their property a practice that can lead borrowers without a home and saddled with extra debt . Defaulting on a personal loan can result in being repossessed and losing your home, and even leave people with further remaining debt. According to the Bank of England, total outstanding lending secured on UK homes stood at £1.22 trillion in January.
Robert Sinclair, director of the Association of Finance Brokers, believes second charge lending should be regulated under the principles of the FSAs Mortgage Conduct of Business regime. He said, This would allow the impending implementation of the European Consumer Credit Directive to be limited to unsecured credit, while providing an alternative, robust regime for second charge lending.





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