The Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA) Inc. (CCLSWA) provides advice to thousands of Western Australians each year on consumer credit issues. As such, CCLSWA is well placed to provide an insightful submission to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry (Royal Commission).
Our submission draws upon our experiences, provides case study examples, and makes recommendations to the Royal Commission regarding how the issues identified may be resolved.
The submission addresses the propensity of financial institutions to fail in their obligations to:
- ensure consumers can afford their repayment obligations;
- disclose information to consumers in a timely and thorough manner; and
- make sure consumers understand their credit contracts.
CCLSWA also draws attention to the:
- potential harm done by debt management firms;
- small amount credit contracts and their associated problems;
- inadequate consumer protection surrounding individuals who provide guarantees for small business loans;
- limited recourse for the victims of elder abuse in the form of financial abuse; and
- inadequacy of internal dispute resolution processes.
To read our full submission, click here.