The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is reviewing rules around misleading and harmful adverts for financial services, which do not fall under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) remit, it has confirmed.
The regulator said this would affect any firm that uses lead generation, including mortgage broker and insurance firms.
The ASA said it was “currently undertaking a large piece of work” which included crypto-assets and lead generation. It said it was “concerned about the number of problematic ads for lead generators we’re seeing online, especially given the financial vulnerability some people have faced through the pandemic”.
This follows a clampdown on debt advice firms earlier this year. In January, the regulator published rulings against numerous companies offering individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) as it found they were making “misleading claims” in paid-for search ads.
It said its work was ongoing and there was currently no timescale for when any decisions would be made.
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS