CONC 3.5 Financial promotions about credit agreements not secured on land

This section applies:

1. (1)

   to a financial promotion in relation to consumer credit lending;

2. (2)

   to a financial promotion in relation to credit broking in relation to regulated credit agreements;

3. (3)

   to a financial promotion in relation to activities specified in article 36A(1)(a) or (c) of the Regulated Activities Order in relation to what would be regulated credit agreements but for a relevant provision, but only where the firm also carries on such activities in relation to regulated credit agreements;

and in each case, other than to financial promotions to the extent that they relate to agreements secured on land.

A financial promotion must not be communicated where it indicates a firm is willing to provide credit under a regulated restricted-use credit agreement relating to goods or services to be supplied by any person, when at the time the financial promotion is communicated, the firm or any supplier under such an agreement does not hold itself out as prepared to sell the goodsor provide the services (as the case may be) for cash.

[Note: section 45 of CCA]

1. (1)

   Where a financial promotion indicates3 a rate of interest or an amount relating to the cost of credit whether expressed as a sum of money or a proportion of a specified amount, the financial promotion must also:

   1. (a)

      include a representative example in accordance with CONC 3.5.5 R, and

   2. (b)

      specify a postal address at which the person making the financial promotion may be contacted.

   [Note: regulation 4(1) of CCAR 2010]

2. (2)

   Paragraph (1)(a) does not apply where the financial promotion:

   1. (a)

      falls within CONC 3.5.7 R; and

   2. (b)

      does not indicate a rate of interest or an amount relating to the cost of credit other than the representative APR.

   [Note: regulation 4(2) of CCAR 2010]

3. (2A)

   Paragraph (1)(a) also does not apply where the financial promotion relates only to credit agreements in respect of which the APR is 0%.4

4. (3)

   Paragraph (1)(b) does not apply to financial promotions:

   1. (a)

      communicated by means of television or radio broadcast; or

   2. (b)

      in any form on the premises of a dealer or lender, other than financial promotions in writing which customers are intended to take away; or

   3. (c)

      which include the name and address of a dealer; or

   4. (d)

      which include the name and postal address of a credit broker.

   [Note: regulation 4(1)b of CCAR 2010]

1. (1)

   The representative example in CONC 3.5.3R (1) must comprise the following items of information:

   1. (a)

      the rate of interest, and whether it is fixed or variable or both, expressed as a fixed or variable percentage applied on an annual basis to the amount of credit drawn down;

   2. (b)

      the nature and amount of any other charge included in the total charge for credit;

   3. (c)

      the total amount of credit;

   4. (d)

      the representative APR;

   5. (e)

      in the case of credit in the form of a deferred payment for specific goods, services, land or other things, the cash price and the amount of any advance payment;

   6. (f)

      the duration of the agreement;

   7. (g)

      the total amount payable; and

   8. (h)

      the amount of each repayment of credit.

   [Note: regulation 5(1) of CCAR 2010]

   [Note: article 4 of the Consumer Credit Directive]

2. (2)

   The items of information required by (1)(a), (b), (c), (e), (f) and (g) must be those which the firm communicating or approving the financial promotion reasonably expects at the date on which the financial promotion is made to be representative of credit agreements to which the representative APR applies and which are expected to be entered into as a result of the promotion.

   [Note: regulation 5(2) of CCAR 2010]

3. (3)

   For (1)(e), the reference in (2) to “credit agreements to which the representative APR applies” is to agreements providing credit for the purchase of specific goods, services, land or other things, to which the representative APR applies.

   [Note: regulation 5(3) of CCAR 2010]

4. (4)

   For the purposes of (1)(a), where the credit agreement provides for different ways of drawdown with different rates of interest, the rate of interest shall be assumed to be the highest rate applied to the most common drawdown mechanism for the product to which the agreement relates.

   [Note: regulation 5(4) of CCAR 2010]

5. (5)

   The information required by (1) must be:

   1. (a)

      specified in a clear,3 concise and prominent3 way;

   2. (b)

      accompanied by the words “representative example”;

   3. (c)

      presented together with each item of information being given equal prominence; and

   4. (d)

      given no less3 prominence than:

      1. (i)

         any other information relating to the cost of credit in the financial promotion, except for any statement relating to an obligation to enter into a contract for an ancillary service referred to in CONC 3.5.10 R; and

      2. (ii)

         any indication or incentive of a kind referred to in CONC 3.5.7 R.

   [Note: regulation 5(6) of CCAR 2010]

6. (6)

   A financial promotion for a credit agreement with no fixed duration is not required to include the duration of the agreement or the total amount payable or the amount of each repayment of credit.

   [Note: regulation 5(1)f of CCAR 2010]

7. (7)

   A financial promotion for an authorised non-business overdraft agreement is not required to include a representative APR.

   [Note: regulation 5(5) of CCAR 2010]

1. (1)

   A financial promotion must include the representative APR if it:

   1. (a)

      states or implies that credit is available to individuals who might otherwise consider their access to credit restricted; or3

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   2. (b)

      includes a favourable comparison relating to the credit, whether express or implied, with another person, product or service; or3

   3. (c)

      includes an incentive 3to apply for credit or to enter into an agreement under which credit is provided.

   [Note: regulation 6 of CCAR 2010]3

2. (2)

   The representative APR must be given no less3 prominence than any of the matters3 in (1).

3. (3)

   This rule does not apply to a financial promotion:4

   1. (a)

      for an authorised non-business overdraft agreement; or4

   2. (b)

      for a credit agreement in respect of which the APR is 0%; or4

   3. (c)

      for a credit agreement to be entered into by a community finance organisation as lender.4

In a financial promotion:

1. (1)

   an APR must be shown as “%APR”;

2. (2)

   where an APR is subject to change it must be accompanied by the word “variable”; and

3. (3)

   the representative APR must be accompanied by the word “representative”.

[Note: regulation 7 of CCAR 2010]

1. (1)

   A financial promotion must include a clear, concise and prominent3 statement in respect of any obligation to enter into a contract for an ancillary service where:

   1. (a)

      the conclusion of that contract is compulsory in order to obtain the credit or to obtain it on the terms and conditions promoted; and

   2. (b)

      the cost of that ancillary service cannot be determined in advance.

   [Note: regulation 8 of CCAR 2010]

2. (2)

   The statement in (1) must be presented together with any representative APR included in the financial promotion.3

3. (3)

   This rule does not apply to a financial promotion for an authorised non-business overdraft agreement.

Where a financial promotion concerns a facility for which security is or may be required, the promotion must:

1. (1)

   state that security is or may be required; and

2. (2)

   specify the nature of the security.

[Note: regulation 9 of CCAR 2010]

1. (1)

   A financial promotion must not include:

   1. (a)

      the word “overdraft” or any similar expression as describing any agreement for running-account credit, except where an agreement enables a customer to overdraw on a current account;

   2. (b)

      the expression “interest free” or any similar expression indicating that a customer is liable to pay no greater amount in respect of a transaction financed by credit than he would be liable to pay as a cash purchaser for the like transaction, except where the total amount payable does not exceed the cash price;

   3. (c)

      the expression “no deposit” or any similar expression, except where no advance payments are to be; or3

   4. (d)

      [deleted];3

   5. (e)

      the expression “gift”, “present” or any similar expression, except where there are no conditions which would require the customer to repay the credit or to return the item that is the subject of the claim.

   [Note: regulation 10 of CCAR 2010]

2. (2)

   A financial promotion must not include for a repayment of credit the expression “weekly equivalent” or any expression to like effect or any expression of any other periodical equivalent, unless weekly repayments or the other periodical payments are provided for under the agreement.

3. (3)

   In this rule, “cash purchaser” means a person1 who, for money consideration, acquires goods, land or other things or is provided with services under a transaction which is not financed by credit.

   1

1. (1)

   Where a financial promotion is about running-account credit and the credit limit applicable is not yet known on the date the financial promotion is made, but it is known that it will be less than £1,200, the credit limit must be assumed to be an amount equal to that maximum limit.

   [Note: paragraph 1 of schedule to CCAR 2010]

2. (2)

   The assumption in (1) applies in place of the assumption in CONC App 1.2.5 R for the purpose of calculating the total charge for credit.

Total charge for credit and APR: tolerances for APR

1. (3)

   For a financial promotion, it is sufficient to show an APR if there is included in the promotion:

   1. (a)

      a rate which exceeds the APR by not more than one; or

   2. (b)

      a rate which falls short of the APR by not more than 0.1; or

   3. (c)

      where applicable, a rate determined in accordance with (4) or (5).

   [Note: paragraph 2 of schedule to CCAR 2010]

Total charge for credit and APR: tolerance where repayments are nearly equal

1. (4)

   Where an agreement under which all repayments but one are equal and that one repayment does not differ from any other repayment by more whole pence than there are repayments of credit, there may be included in a financial promotion about the agreement a rate found under CONC App 1.2.4 R as if that one repayment were equal to the other repayments to be made under the agreement.

   [Note: paragraph 3 of schedule to CCAR 2010]

Total charge for credit and APR: tolerance regarding interval between relevant date and first repayment

1. (5)

   Where a credit agreement provides that:

   1. (a)

      three or more repayments are to be made at equal intervals; and

   2. (b)

      the interval between the relevant date and the first repayment is greater than the interval between the repayments;

   a financial promotion about the agreement may include a rate found under CONC App 1.2.4 R as if the interval between the relevant date and the first repayment were shortened so as to be equal to the interval between the repayments.

   [Note: paragraph 4 of schedule to CCAR 2010]

2. (6)

   The relevant date in (5) is:

   1. (a)

      where a date on which the customer is entitled to require provision of the subject of a credit agreement is specified in or can be determined from the agreement, the earliest such date;

   2. (b)

      in any other case, the date of making the agreement.