Category: Financial services
Taking on the bank – Lessons from using, not abusing, our group action system.
After four years, countless hours and 1.42 million euros spent, we won the biggest group action suit in the history of our country against Norway’s biggest bank. The cheers were many, but so were the lessons. Background In 2015, The...
Behind the frosty glass: the EU’s Unfair Contract Terms Directive as a tool for justice in the modern financial sector
An EU directive about what is an unfair contract term is proving really helpful when it comes to protecting consumers in finance.
Financial guidance: the missing tool!
When you’re sick, you go to see a doctor. They usually provide a medical diagnosis and a resulting course of action. It’s the same for legal situations, where you go see your lawyer or notary. But who do you consult...
Me, myself and I(nsurance)
“I have lost 10 kilos over the last year”, an energetic insurance lobbyist told me last week. He told me that his smart watch had registered all the calories he had managed to shed. “Don’t I deserve a cut in...
Consumers deserve better security in electronic payments
It is a lesson from history that fraud always moves to the least secure form of payment available. The first credit card was launched in 1950 in the US. To authorise a payment, the consumer simply had to present it...
Paying abroad may be costing you more than it should
You’ve probably never heard of the term ‘dynamic currency conversion’. But you’ve probably done it on holiday or on a business trip. And it’s most likely cost you money. Dynamic currency conversion is a service merchants offer consumers when they...
Technology to the rescue of finance?
Enter ‘Fintech’ into your favourite search engine. You will discover a whole universe of new technologies, companies and services, all set to revolutionise the way consumers manage their personal financial life. Smart apps and on-line platforms offer consumers tailored banking,...
Why digital can’t replace cash
We live in a digital era where smartphones rule. These intelligent devices offer consumers instant and convenient access to information, services, shopping, banking and payments. So a logical question is to ask whether banknotes and coins still have a role...
Finance: when more education isn’t the answer
Most people struggle with the basics of retail finance. Apart from the number-crunching, it is an area packed full of jargon. Many financial products are constantly evolving and getting increasingly complex. This is hugely problematic. Decisions like taking a mortgage...
A regulatory tsunami – really?
Memory in politics is often short. Less than a decade after a devastating financial crash caused by a lack of regulation in the financial sector, the gates to deregulation seem to be opening again. Banks like to refer to the...