The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a list of 19,335 companies offering pay day loans that have failed to register for interim permission to offer consumer credit.
The FCA is targeting pay day lenders as part of its focus on the consumer credit market, which also includes automotive retailers lending to customers for car finance.
Consumers can use the FCA website to search for companies which are registered with the FCA.
The FCA has approached nine companies in the automotive industry in its first 15 days of taking responsibility for consumer finance.
According to the statistics from the FCA 49,405 businesses did make the April 1 deadline to register for interim permission.
Regulation of the consumer credit industry passed to the FCA from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on April 1, 2014.
Franchised dealers must have registered with the FCA for interim permission in order to legally continue offering motor finance to their customers after that date.
Dealers can still apply for permission, but will not be able to carry out any credit-related regulated activities until their application is approved, which could take up to six months.
The process for full authorisation for the consumer credit industry will start in September.
Alex Thomson - 21/05/2014 13:03
Surely there are NOT 49405 pay day lenders. This figure is the number of firms now involved with the FCA, some 29000 of whom have Interim Permission awaiting /applying for authorisation over the next 2 years. I think you have misled the readership and should consider a correction.