MCOB 12.4 Payment shortfall charges: regulated mortgage contracts4
- (1)
A firm must ensure that any regulated mortgage contract that it enters into does not impose, and cannot be used to impose, a charge or charges 4for a payment shortfall4 on a customer unless the firm is able objectively to justify that the4 charge is equal to or lower than 4a reasonable calculation4 of the cost of the additional administration required as a result of the customer having a payment shortfall4. 1
4444 - (2)
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4
The imposition of a charge for a payment shortfall4 on a customer who is adhering to an arrangement under which the customer and the firm agree that the customer will make payments of a set amount per month (or other agreed period) on agreed dates may be relied upon as tending to show contravention of MCOB 12.4.1R (1)3
4When a customer has a payment shortfall4 in respect of a regulated mortgage contract, a firm must ensure that any payments received from the customer are allocated first towards paying off the balance of the payment shortfall4 (excluding any interest or charges on that balance).3
44For each type of payment shortfall charge (for example, a monthly arrears management charge), a 4firm may calculate the same level of additional administration costs and payment shortfall charges4 for all regulated mortgage contracts where the customer is in payment shortfall4, rather than performing a calculation 4on the basis of the individual regulated mortgage contract with the particular customer.
444Firms are also subject to requirements on information provision and standards relating to arrears and repossessions (see MCOB 13 (Arrears and repossessions)).
4In calculating the cost of the additional administration required as a result of a customer having a payment shortfall, a firm must not take into account:
- (1)
the following types of costs:
- (a)
funding or capital;
- (b)
general bank charges that are not incurred as a result of a customer having a payment shortfall;
- (c)
unrecovered fees;
- (d)
advertising costs; and
- (e)
regulatory fines;
- (a)
- (2)
the costs of preparing financial reports for the firm unless there is an objectively justifiable reason to do so and the costs relate solely to the analysis and management of accounts in payment shortfall;
- (3)
executive staff costs unless there is an objectively justifiable reason to do so and the costs relate to the day-to-day management of customers in payment shortfall.
- (1)
4For some firms, their executive staff will be the executive board members.
- (2)
Executive staff costs relating to company strategy, including payment shortfall strategy, should not be included as costs relating to the day-to-day management of customers in payment shortfall.
- (3)
General financial reporting costs, including all legal and regulatory reporting costs, should not be included as costs relating solely to the analysis and management of accounts in payment shortfall.
4In calculating the cost of the additional administration required as a result of a customer having a payment shortfall, the firm:
- (1)
may, where appropriate, take into account the following types of costs:
- (2)
should consider the extent to which the cost of the additional administration is shared with the rest of its business; and
- (3)
should, where a type of cost is absent from the lists in (1) and at MCOB 12.4.4R (1), before taking it into account, consider whether it is appropriate to do so.
4A firm must not impose a charge for a payment shortfall that is calculated as a proportion of the outstanding loan.