Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Business

Starling Bank Intensifies Legal Pursuit of Covid Loan Defaulters

Starling Bank, the digital-only lender, is stepping up its legal actions against businesses that defaulted on state-backed pandemic loans.

The bank has filed winding up petitions against 24 companies since last month, many of which show limited or no signs of trading activity.

These petitions, initially reported by the Financial Times, target companies that received loans through the government’s bounce back scheme. Anne Boden, which has faced criticism for its handling of the scheme, is also under investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for its compliance with UK money-laundering regulations.

Founded in 2014 by Anne Boden (pictured), Starling Bank has grown rapidly, boasting around 4.2 million customer accounts and reporting a £301.1 million pre-tax profit for the year ending March 2023. Its significant growth has been partly fuelled by the issuance of bounce back loans during the pandemic, aimed at supporting small businesses.

The bounce back loan scheme provided critical financial support to SMEs during the Covid-19 lockdowns, offering loans of up to £50,000 with a 100% government guarantee. Starling Bank, which also participated in two other government-backed lending programmes, has since faced scrutiny over the potential abuse of these schemes by fraudsters due to limited initial checks.

In 2022, former anti-fraud minister Lord Agnew accused Starling of failing to prevent fraud effectively under the bounce back scheme, a claim that Anne Boden vehemently denied. As of March 2023, Starling’s lending to SMEs stood at nearly £832 million, with about £742 million backed by government guarantees.

The bank has reported a 43.3% increase in impairment charges for potential bad loans, amounting to £12.2 million, attributed to growth in mortgage lending and higher default rates in unsecured SME lending. A Starling spokeswoman described winding up petitions as a standard procedure for recovering defaulted loans, emphasizing the bank’s proactive stance on loan recovery and fraud reporting.

Starling disclosed in its latest annual report that the FCA began investigating its anti-money laundering and financial crime controls in November. The bank is cooperating fully with the FCA, although the potential outcomes of the investigation remain uncertain and could be significant.

With John Mountain serving as interim chief operating officer following Anne Boden’s departure, Starling Bank is set to welcome Raman Bhatia, formerly of Ovo, as its new chief executive next week.

Read more:
Starling Bank Intensifies Legal Pursuit of Covid Loan Defaulters

Advertisement

    You May Also Like

    Investing

    RevisingTheBankSecrecyAct_NorbertMichelAndJenniferSchulp_CMFAWP007   The post Revising the Bank Secrecy Act to Protect Privacy and Deter Criminals (CMFA Working Paper No.007) appeared first on Alt-M.

    Investing

    Recently, an investment advisor and Bitcoin proponent tweeted the claim that “[f]or most of human history” the “[s]eparation of money and state was the...

    Business

    Rollee enables worker’s to share their professional data, spread over one or more financial platforms. Ali Hamriti, CEO and Co-Founder of Rollee, is on...

    Business

    The energy crisis means that as the price of wholesale commercial energy hits an unprecedented high, businesses must pay notably more for their energy...

    Disclaimer: successfuldealnow.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2024 successfuldealnow.com | All Rights Reserved