Epetition-End the legal loan sharks. Let the govt know how you feel.Biteback time.

[Tawnyowl]

Newsflash: Ken Livingstone Joins the End Legal Loan Sharking Campaign - Photocall Thursday 9 February 2012 Walthamstow Hoe Street

 

Hello!

I'm writing to ask if you can join me and Ken Livingstone this coming Thursday 9 February at 10.45am outside the Moneyshop on 187 Hoe Street in Walthamstow to highlight his pledge to join our campaign on tackling legal loan sharking in Britain.

 

Last year

Boris Johnson controversially chose the online payday lender Wonga to sponsor travel on New Year’s Eve and continues to allow such companies to place highly prominent advertising across the London transport network. In contrast Ken Livingstone has pledged to reject high-cost lending advertisements from Londons travel network until there are caps on the cost of credit.

Ken has also stated he would reverse City Hall’s ‘hands off approach’ to rising levels of debt. It’s time for London to have a Mayor who will stand up to these firms, and help support those organisations committed to supporting those in our communities struggling with debt such as credit unions and debt advice charities. The latest figures show Londoners suffer from higher than average personal debt levels and are much more likely to have taken out high-interest loans.

If you can join us for this photocall on Thursday please get in touch - we aim for this event to take no more than twenty minutes of your time and would welcome anyone wishing to show their support for this campaign.

If you would like more information about this pledge and the impact of high cost credit on London please do let me know- together we can and we will tackle legal loan sharking!

 

 

Stella Creasy

Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow

P.s. If you can't attend this event please don't forget to circulate our petition to tackle legal loan sharking and encourage anyone in the UK to sign it - you can find this here: http://epetiti

[determindator]

Hi Tawnyowl,

 

Do you have any links yet reporting on the day?

[Tawnyowl]

Hi Determinator,

Just read your post.Yes i have some bits and pieces.Back in a mo.

http://lockerz.com/s/182073691 Stella Creasy and Ken Livingstone and supporters outside the money shop in Walthamstow.

Bit more press coverage here- http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/new..._money_lender/

A lot more here-

Ken visits Walthamstow to challenge Boris on Legal Loan Sharks

 

 

Labour’s candidate for London Mayor Ken Livingstone visited Walthamstow today to show his support for action to tackle legal loan sharking in the city. If elected, Ken has pledged to ban payday lending adverts on the London travel network until a cap is introduced on the total cost of credit. He came today to meet local MP Stella Creasy who has been leading on this issue in parliament and residents who have been campaigning in the capital to promote alternative affordable credit.

The current Mayor of London Boris Johnson controversially chose the online payday lender Wonga to sponsor travel on New Year’s Eve 2010 and continues to allow several of these companies to place highly prominent advertising across the London transport network. Speaking outside the Moneyshop Store in Walthamstow which is their London regional headquarters Stella Creasy MP said,

“Because the cost of living in the capital is so high and unemployment is rising, our city now suffers from higher debt levels than the rest of the country. These companies are profiting from this and there are now ten of these companies in Walthamstow’s high street alone as well as hundreds of on line firms offering these products. Consequently the proliferation of payday lenders, pawnbrokers and home credit providers without effective regulation is leading to thousands of Londoners getting into severe debt problems.”

“I want to thank Ken for coming to Walthamstow today to see the problem for himself and for his leadership on this issue in pledging to support this campaign. By taking the stand he has he is sending a strong signal to both the companies and the Government that British consumers deserve the same protection other consumers across the world enjoy of a cap on the costs of borrowing from these firms. Boris Johnson has so far ignored my calls for a similar pledge – which tells you who really cares about the financial fortunes of hard pressed Londoners.”

“Rather than shrugging his shoulders or taking their money, the Mayor should be leading the charge to regulate the high-cost credit industry and in doing so providing much-needed support for financially vulnerable Londoners. I’m going to keep pushing in parliament for legislation to cap the charges of these companies- I hope other Londoners will call on our Mayor to do the right thing and help the battle to end legal loan sharking.”

Ken Livingstone said,

 

“The Mayor should use the influence and resources of City Hall to promote responsible lending and alternatives to high-cost loans such as credit unions.”

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20219

Edited February 10, 2012 by tawnyowl

[determindator]

Thanks for the reply post Tawnyowl, I did read on 10th. It's a bad predatory business. Making the lenders rich and the borrowers poor.

[Tawnyowl]

#Amd87: Ask Your MP to Support Powers to Cap the Cost of Credit and Tackle Legal Loan Sharking

 

Hello!

I'm writing to let you know that an amendment has been tabled to the Financial Services Bill that could help tackle the problems caused by legal loan sharking. Please ask your MP to either co-sign this amendment or ask their colleagues on the committee to support it.

The Financial Services Bill covers many issues including reforming the way banks are regulated and the creation of a new Financial Conduct Authority. Crucially the new FCA will also oversee consumer credit – and have the power to act to address ‘toxic’ financial products which cause detriment to consumers. Labour members of the committe debating this Bill have tabled an amendment that would give the regulators the power to cap the charges any company can levy for credit to prevent such detriment – so capping the costs of credit and sending a strong message that excessive prices for credit will not be tolerated because of the problems they cause consumers. It is Amendment 87 and refers to Clause 22 of the bill – you can read my speech about these proposals here.

 

This amendment will be debated in committee in the coming days so it is vital to contact your MP as quickly as possible to ensure they are aware of this opportunity to tackle legal loan sharking. There are 18 MPs on the committee who can vote for this amendment who are listed below along with a sample text to send your MP. You can find your local MP's contact email address here - please also share this email with friends and family and encourage them to write to their MPs as soon as possible as well to show the strength of feeling about the need to tackle legal loan sharking in the UK. You can also use #Amd87 if you tweet about this proposal to help highlight this campaign – together we can tackle legal loan sharking!

 

 

Stella Creasy

Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow

Suggested text to send to your local MP

Dear XXX

As one of your constituents I'd like to let you know about my support for amendment 87 to the Financial Services Bill currently being debated by parliament. This would give the new financial regulators the ability to cap the excessive costs of credit and so help tackle legal loan sharking. Giving these new powers to this body to address the conduct of this industry and the costs of financial products like payday loans would send a strong message to this industry about the rates of interest that are acceptable to charge. It could therefore make a real difference to the millions of Britons now struggling financially who are borrowing from these companies to make ends meet by encouraging firms to cut their charges.

Please co-sign Amendment 87 and encourage your colleagues who are on the committee to vote in favour of this amendment when it is debated in the coming days. The MPs on the committee are listed below for your information- thank you in advance for your support for these proposals and the campaign to tackle legal loan sharking.

Members of the Financial Services Bill :

 

• Karen Bradley- (Staffordshire Moorlands)
  
• Lorely Burt (Solihull)
  
• Mark Durkan (Foyle)
  
• Chris Evans (Islwyn)
  
• Yvonne Forvargue (Makerfield)
  
• Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest)
  
• Stephen Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay)
  
• Sheila Gilmore (Edinburgh East)
  
• Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East)
  
• Matthew Hancock (West Suffolk)
  
• Greg Hands (Chelsea and Fulham)
  
• Mark Hoban (Fareham)
  
• Cathy Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
  
• Chris Leslie (Nottingham East)
  
• Jesse Norman (Hereford and South Herefordshire)
  
• Teresa Pearce (Erith and Thamesmead)
  
• David Rutley (Macclesfield)
  
• Alok Sharma (Reading West)
  

[determindator]

This is the same bank that was fined $550 million by the US regulator for selling clients products that were designed to fail. Geraint Anderson Author, who exposed bank culture, mentions Goldman Sachs bankers acted like they were brainwashed by a cult willing to die for the cause. It is said their HR department looked for applicants who had probably been bullied at school because that would give them the malleability their bosses were after. It was a Goldman Sachs broker who first told him that 'a long-term investment is just a short-term bet gone wrong'. The same bank that allegedly used financial shenanigans to help Greece underplay it's debt so it could enter the euro. We are all paying for that now. The same bank that was urging clients to buy sub-prime assets while secretly betting against them with their own money. Greg Smith who wrote the resignation letter to GS recently, believes short-termism still rules the roost and clients are simply seen as muppets to be rinsed for the next bonus. The financial crisis has made some bankers even more ruthless and short-term because their job insecurity makes them even more willing to make a fast 'buck'. If bankers attitudes don't change we could have another crisis within the next decade.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17402964

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/goldman-bankers-fiery-letter-wins-highlevel-support-7575917.html

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2115202/Greg-Smith-resignation-letter-Goldman-Sachs-exec-letter-prompts-internet-mock-ups.html

 

The letter

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/opinion/why-i-am-leaving-goldman-sachs.html?pagewanted=all

 

Greg's mum Jennipher revealed that her son had warned her of the letter. She said he wrote 'Don't worry. Everything you have taught me has mattered. I love you'.

 

Jennipher added 'I'm terribly proud of him. But i'm worried about him now that he hasn't got a job'.

 

I'm sure Karma will find Greg a job!

Edited March 17, 2012 by determindator

[Tawnyowl]

#SaveBianca! Ask Your MP to vote for the End Legal Loan Sharking Amendment to the Financial Services Bill on Monday 23 April 2012!

 

Hello!

I'm writing to let you know that tonight I have tabled an amendment to the Financial Services Billl which has cross party support including Conservative MPs. This would give regulators powers to tackle the problems caused by legal loan sharking. Please help this become law by asking your MP to join us and vote for this amendment next Monday 23 April 2012.

The Financial Services Bill covers many issues including reforming the way banks are regulated and the creation of a new Financial Conduct Authority. Crucially the new FCA will also oversee consumer credit – and have the power to act against companies who offer ‘toxic’ financial products. This amendment to Clause 22 would give this new body specific powers to cap the charges firms make for credit.

 

Fines will only have a limited impact on an industry which is making millions lending money at astronomical rates of interest to British families given the demand for their services in our current economic climate;an industry where in last year alone one firm posted a pre-tax profit of £162m, and another paid its chief executive £1.6m. On the otherhand, capping their charges could send a strong signal about what costs of credit will be tolerated in the UK. Its the first step towards securing industry wide caps on the total costs of credit, and so giving British consumers the same protection from these loans that others around the world enjoy.

Below is a sample text to use to email your MP to ask them to support this amendment - you can find the contact details of your MP here. You can also help by tweeting about the campaign using the #savebianca hashtag in reference to the current Eastenders storyline on this subject!

Help me make a difference to the families in our communities struggling financially because of these companies by taking action- let's together end legal loan sharking in Britain!

 

 

Stella Creasy

Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow

p.s. Please also

share this email with your family and friends to ask them to do the same- we only have until Monday 23 April to try to lobby all MPs to ask them to defy the Government and support this amendment!

Suggested text to send to your local MP

Dear XXX

As one of your constituents I'd like to ask you to vote for the amendment to Clause 22 of the Financial Services Bill which will be debated on Monday 23 April. This amendment will help the fight against legal loan sharking in Britain. It has been tabled by Stella Creasy MP -and has support from MPs in different parties including the Conservatives- and would give the new financial regulators the ability to cap the excessive costs of credit. In an industry making so much money from lending to people in this way, fines will do little to curb their behaviour-

one firm posted a pre-tax profit of £162m last year, and another paid its chief executive £1.6m. On the otherhand, giving the new regulator explicit powers to cap the charges they can set would send a strong message to this industry about the costs for loans that should be considered acceptable and the way they can treat British consumers. It could make a real difference to the millions across our country now struggling financially who are borrowing from these companies to make ends meet by encouraging firms to reduce their charges.

I know many MPs agree this industry is out of control in our high streets and online- I hope you will join with your colleagues in the fight to end legal loan sharking in Britain and I look forward to reading that you voted for this amendment,

[Tawnyowl]

#SaveBianca! Ask Your MP to help end legal loan sharking on Tuesday 22 May 2012!

 

Hello!

The vote for proposals to tackle legal loan sharking will take place on Tuesday 22 May 2012. Please ask your MP to vote for amendment 40 of the Financial Services Bill and help give British consumers the same protection from payday loan companies other consumers across the world enjoy!

In a House of Commons debate in April the Government Minister responsible for this bill Mark Hoban agreed the Financial Conduct Authority should be able to regulate the cost of the credit, but refused to back this amendment which would explicitly authorise the FCA to do this. They plan to tell their MPs to vote against it and so stop this proposal becoming law.

Independent consumer legal advisers are clear – without explicit authority to do this the regulator will struggle to use new powers as these companies will contest any such action in the courts. The Office of Fair Trading has also admitted the involvement of ‘expensive lawyers’ in cases has influenced their ability to act, highlighting the need to address this problem.

This amendment is a key tool in the fight to tackle legal loan sharking - Fines will only have a limited impact on an industry which is making millions lending money at astronomical rates of interest to British families. On the otherhand, capping their charges could send a strong signal about what costs of credit will be tolerated in the UK. Its the first step towards securing industry wide caps on the total costs of credit, and so giving British consumers the same protection from these loans that others around the world enjoy.

Below is a sample text to use to email your MP to ask them to vote for this amendment - you can find the contact details of your MP here. You can also help by tweeting about the campaign using the #savebianca hashtag in reference to the recent Eastenders storyline on this subject!

Help me make a difference to the families in our communities struggling financially because of these companies by taking action- let's together end legal loan sharking in Britain!

 

 

Stella Creasy

Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow

p.s. Please also

share this email with your family and friends to ask them to defy the Government and support this amendment on Tuesday!

Suggested text to send to your local MP

Dear XXX

As one of your constituents I'd like to ask you to vote on Tuesday 22 May for an amendment 40 to Clause 22 of the Financial Services Bill to help tackle legal loan sharking.

In an industry making so much money from lending to people at excessive rates of interest, fines will do little to curb their behaviour-

one firm posted a pre-tax profit of £162m last year, and another paid its chief executive £1.6m. On the otherhand, giving the new regulator explicit powers to cap the charges they can set would send a strong message to this industry about the costs for loans that should be considered acceptable and the way they can treat British consumers. It could make a real difference to the millions across our country now struggling financially who are borrowing from these companies to make ends meet by encouraging firms to reduce their charges.

Ministers claim they support the spirit of the amendment but refuse to vote for it- legal advisors are clear that without explicit powers to act, these companies will be able to challenge action in the courts. Don't let the fight against legal loan sharking become a fee generating opportunity for lawyers- please vote for this amendment on Tuesday and join the fight to end legal loan sharking in Britain.

I look forward to reading that you voted for this amendment,

[GoneFission]

I've just read an email from the CAG about this, and tried to reply - then realised it's from a "noreply" address. No way to contact Stella Creasey, the person asking me to send a cloned email on her behalf, and no way to reply to the people from the CAG sending me the email

 

As I'd already typed most of this, and started fuming about wasting the effort by writing back to a "noreply" address, I've decided to inflict it on you here;

 

While I agree with the points made in the email, I don't think receiving thousands of cloned copies of someone else's email will make a very good impression on Lesley Titcomb. In this case, I can barely read the draft email you've included, due to the choice of font.

 

If you just want us to agree word for word with what you're saying, a simple e-petition would be more appropriate.

 

You clearly put some effort into researching these things but you ask us to agree with you and back you up, without giving us any background on which to base our decisions. Some links to read up on the things you are asking us to protest about would be useful - I mean in general, not just in this case.

 

Doing what you ask, without looking into it, each time I receive one of these emails, would justify Simon Burns's comments about 38 degrees members acting like zombies (only, in this case it would be CAG members being asked to act in the same way). Some help in finding out more about the issue, rather than just being told what to say, would be a lot more useful.

 

I notice 38 degrees have started adding a few links to the bottom of their emails so that people can be informed before they act, which I approve of. I hope the people at the CAG responsible for that email will take note.

[citizenB]

Gone fission, the newsletter clearly asks you to send an email to Lesley Titcombe at the FSA - it provides a draft and a link/email to do this.

 

The CAG thread which gives all the information regarding this is linked below.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?384484-50-payday-lenders-face-ban-warning-from-OFT

 

If you agree with the principle but not the content of the draft, then you are able to amend it.

 

Strangely enough we have discovered that sending a clone of someone elses email en masse has worked.

 

However, we have found that epetitions which can take some time to accumulate numbers, dont work !

[GoneFission]

CitizenB,

 

Yes, I'm aware of that.

 

My point is that I object to being told what you'd like me to say, without at least backing that up in some way. Thanks for the link, but that should have been in the email.

 

FWIW, here's what I saw when I followed the one link that was in the email:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42298[/ATTACH]

 

 

And here's how the "draft email" appeared in my email client:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42301[/ATTACH]

 

- Nothing very clear about that. My initial thought was "Here's another well meaning 38 Degrees email where they try to tell me what to think and say". Then I realised it was the CAG doing that instead.

 

I don't object to being informed about these things, and I don't object to being asked to take part in lobbying. I do object to being asked to parrot someone else's opinion. Providing some background on how that opinion came about would be rather more persuasive.

 

So fine, you find this an effective technique. Good luck with that. I find it annoying so I think I'll just click UNSUBSCRIBE.

[citizenB]

Sadly we have no control over the OFT deciding to work on their website, taking it out of action. The link was functioning when the Newsletter was sent. Neither do we have any control over how the newsletter will display in your browser.

 

I can confirm that your subscription to the newsletter has indeed been cancelled.

 

As the subject of this particular thread is now well out of date, it is being closed.

Edited March 9, 2013 by citizenB