Adding value beyond monitoring and development

Our Insight & Support work offers a range of value adding initiatives aimed at helping registered firms to continue meeting the Standards and achieve fair outcomes – practical and collaborative, these activities go beyond our core assurance and development work.

As part of their fee, our registered firms have access to one piece of Insight & Support work per year.

What Insight & Support services are available?

Practitioner support

Training: we deliver tailored and interactive classroom-based training covering a wide range of topics. We engage with you to understand your business, your customers and your people and ensure you get the most out of the training session.

Training sessions are currently available on the following themes:

• The Standards of Lending Practice for personal customers
• The Standards of Lending Practice for business customers
• Personal customers in vulnerable circumstances 
• Business customers in vulnerable circumstances

If you have other training needs, want to hear about our new training topics or would like to find out more about our Insight & Support services, please contact us via insight@lstdb.org.uk.

Soundboarding: we provide you with support, challenge and feedback whether you are making changes to existing processes or launching new initiatives.

Horizon scanning: we offer a range of methods of support and guidance on what is coming down the track and practical application.

Workshops

We host a range of workshops aimed at bringing firms and the wider industry together to share best practice and provide an open environment to discuss challenges and opportunities – recent themes have included digital, financial inclusion and vulnerable customers.

If you are hosting a workshop on areas or themes within the scope of the Standards, we can support these events, which might offer additional insight and to the discussion.

Benchmarking

We can provide best practice guidance, challenge and thought leadership in the development of your policies, processes and procedures.

Business reviews

We host call calibration sessions and we can give you an independent view of your customer interactions. We also offer full or partial business reviews at your request.

To find out more, get in touch via insight@lstdb.org.uk

Practitioner support

Training: we deliver tailored and interactive classroom-based training covering a wide range of topics. We engage with you to understand your business, your customers and your people and ensure you get the most out of the training session.

Training sessions are currently available on the following themes:

If you have other training needs, want to hear about our new training topics or would like to find out more about our Insight & Support services, please contact us via insight@lstdb.org.uk.

Soundboarding: we provide you with support, challenge and feedback whether you are making changes to existing processes or launching new initiatives.

Horizon scanning: we offer a range of methods of support and guidance on what is coming down the track and practical application.

The Standards of Lending Practice for personal customers – the practical application

Overview

The Standards of Lending Practice for personal customers, set out standards of good practice in relation to lending to customers, across the lifecycle from the product design phase to the initial offering of the product through to dealing with customers who find themselves in financial difficulty. The products covered are; loans, credit cards, current account overdrafts and chargecards.

Registered firms’ employees should have an awareness of the Standards and how they are applied within their organisation.

This classroom based training discusses the Standards and their practical application.

Course outline

Aim To support registered firms’ employees to understand how the Standards are practically applied within their organisation.

What’s covered?

This interactive classroom based training session is undertaken in 2 parts.

Session 1             The Standards of Lending Practice for personal customers 

Providing an overview of each of the seven standards:

• Financial promotions and communications
• Product sale
• Account maintenance and servicing
• Money management
• Financial difficulty
• Consumer vulnerability
• Governance and oversight

and how employees may see them come to life within their organisation.

 Session 2            Supporting vulnerable customers

Identifying and supporting vulnerable customers

Communication skills and techniques

Industry recognised vulnerability and disclosure models 

Who can attend?

All telephony and face to face advisors, management and back office functions.

Contact us

For more information, please contact us via insight@lstdb.org.uk.

The Standards of Lending Practice for business customers – the practical application

Overview

The Standards of Lending Practice for business customers, set out standards of good practice in relation to lending to business customers, across the lifecycle from the product design phase to the initial offering of the product through to dealing with customers who find themselves in financial difficulty.

The protections of the Standards of Lending Practice for business customers apply to businesses/organisations, which at the point of lending:

• have an annual turnover of up to £6.5 million in its last financial year (exclusive of VAT and other turnover related taxes), and;
• which does not have a complex ownership structure (for example, businesses with overseas, multiple, or layered ownership structures).

Products covered are; loans, overdrafts, commercial mortgages, credit cards and chargecards.

Registered firms employees should have an awareness of the Standards and how they are applied within their organisation.

This classroom based training discusses the Standards and their practical application.

Course outline

Aim To support registered firms employees to understand how the Standards are practically applied within their organisation.

What’s covered?

This interactive classroom based training session is undertaken in 2 parts.

Session 1             The Standards of Lending Practice for personal customers

Providing an overview of each of the standards:

• Product information
• Product sale
• Declined applications
• Product execution
• Credit monitoring
• Financial difficulty
• Portfolio management
• Vulnerability
• Governance and oversight

and how employees may see them come to life within their organisation.  

 Session 2            Supporting vulnerable customers

Identifying and supporting vulnerable customers

Communication skills and techniques

Industry recognised vulnerability and disclosure models

Who can attend?

All telephony and face to face advisors, management and back office functions.

Contact us

For more information, please contact us via insight@lstdb.org.uk.

Supporting personal customers in vulnerable circumstances

Overview

Vulnerable situations such as bereavement, loss of employment and illness may make your customers especially susceptible to detriment. To meet your regulatory obligations and encourage open communication with your customers employees should be able to recognise potentially vulnerable customers and be empowered to provide support and guidance where necessary.

Course outline

Aim To support employees to be able to identify and support customers in vulnerable circumstances.

What’s covered?

This interactive classroom-based training session provides soft skill training for:

• Identifying and supporting vulnerable customers
• Different communication skills and techniques
• Industry recognised vulnerability and disclosure models (TEXAS, IDEA, CARERs)
• Adapting your approach and services

Who can attend?

All telephony and face to face advisors, management and back office functions.

Contact us

For more information, please contact us via insight@lstdb.org.uk.

Supporting business customers in vulnerable circumstances

Overview

Vulnerable situations such as bereavement, loss of employment and illness may make your customers especially susceptible to detriment. Where your customer is an SME this can have additional impacts on their ability to run or manage their business. Employees should be able to recognise potentially vulnerable customers and be empowered to provide support and guidance where necessary.

Course outline

Aim To support employees to be able to identify and support business customers in vulnerable circumstances.

What’s covered?

This interactive classroom based training session provides soft skill training for:

• Identifying and supporting vulnerable customers
• How businesses may be affected
• Different communication skills and techniques
• Industry recognised vulnerability and disclosure models (TEXAS, IDEA, CARERs)
• Adapting your approach and services
• Case study based activities

Who can attend?

All telephony and face to face advisors, management and back office functions.

Contact us

For more information, please contact us via insight@lstdb.org.uk.

Workshops

We host a range of workshops aimed at bringing firms and the wider industry together to share best practice and provide an open environment to discuss challenges and opportunities – recent themes have included digital, financial inclusion and vulnerable customers.

If you are hosting a workshop on areas or themes within the scope of the Standards, we can support these events, which might offer additional insight and to the discussion.

To find out more, get in touch via insight@lstdb.org.uk

Benchmarking

We can provide best practice guidance, challenge and thought leadership in the development of your policies, processes and procedures.

To find out more, get in touch via insight@lstdb.org.uk

Business reviews

We host call calibration sessions and we can give you an independent view of your customer interactions. We also offer full or partial business reviews at your request.

To find out more, get in touch via insight@lstdb.org.uk