Consumer finance
Helping consumer finance firms meet regulatory expectations and deliver fair customer outcomes
Strengthening compliance and operations
Consumer finance firms face intense regulatory scrutiny, rapid product innovation and evolving customer behaviours. They must balance Consumer Duty compliance, affordability checks and vulnerability treatment with delivering a seamless customer experience and maintaining profitability.
The FCA’s focus on Consumer Duty, vulnerability, fraud prevention and fair forbearance means firms need clear customer journeys and robust affordability assessments whilst protecting efficiency and brand reputation.
With decades of experience supporting lenders, motor finance providers and BNPL firms, Huntswood combines deep regulatory knowledge with flexible delivery capability to help firms reduce risk, improve efficiency and maintain customer trust.
Our services span strategic advisory and large-scale operational delivery – from embedding Consumer Duty and strengthening affordability frameworks to managing complaints and scaling operations during periods of high demand. Huntswood provides the expertise and capacity to deliver measurable outcomes.
Emerging priorities for consumer finance firms
- FCA consultation on simplifying Consumer Duty rules
- Enhanced fraud prevention and financial crime controls
- Strategic forbearance and affordability assessments
- Proactive vulnerability management without a two tier approach
Services offered in consumer finance – addressing key challenges
Our approach
We work closely with clients to understand their culture, values and operational DNA. This ensures that every solution we design or project we deliver fits seamlessly with existing operations, making changes easier to adopt and more effective.
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Technology and automation are integral to our approach. We use smart tools and workflow automation to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy and accelerate outcomes – all while maintaining the human touch where it matters most.
Pragmatic, measurable and consumer finance specific:
Diagnose
We evaluate a firm’s approach to key areas such as complaint handling, dispute resolution, operational risk, technical support and customer journeys. This includes reviewing governance structures and technology readiness to uncover gaps and highlight opportunities for improvement.
Design
We create proportionate, practical solutions aligned to regulatory intent and your commercial priorities. Our designs incorporate automation where appropriate and include clear change management plans to ensure smooth adoption across lending, collections and customer service functions.
Deliver
We provide hands on support to embed change effectively in the first line. Our delivery teams work alongside yours to implement new processes and technology quickly and confidently, minimising disruption to critical lending and servicing activities.
Assure
We offer independent testing, monitoring and MI to evidence outcomes and satisfy regulators. This includes quality checks, compliance audits and performance reporting to give you confidence in results and demonstrate adherence to FCA and consumer credit regulations.
Outsourcing and operational delivery
Scalable, compliant solutions to manage peaks and complex programmes:
- Customer service - on-shore and offshore delivery for inbound and outbound customer support
- Complaints handling - FCA compliant case management with quality assurance
- Customer contact and remediation - large scale programmes for mis selling or operational errors
- Collections and arrears management - empathetic, outcome focused approaches for vulnerable customers
- Quality assurance and monitoring - independent checks across complaints, collections and servicing
- Specialist resource provision - trained teams to support BAU or surge requirements
Advisory and regulatory expertise
Our advisory team combines decades of experience in consumer finance with deep regulatory insight and a proven ability to deliver practical solutions. We’ve guided leading lenders through major programmes such as Consumer Duty, affordability compliance and collections transformation, earning a reputation for advice that works in the real world.
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Why consumer finance firms trust our advisory team:
- Extensive sector experience – decades supporting lenders, motor finance and BNPL firms through regulatory change
- Regulatory expertise – in‑depth knowledge of FCA CONC, Consumer Duty and emerging requirements
- Practical approach – we don’t just advise; we embed solutions that deliver measurable outcomes
- Independent assurance – objective testing and governance oversight for board and regulator confidence
- Specialist capability – niche expertise in affordability, complaints transformation, vulnerability strategies and fraud prevention
When firms need strategic clarity, regulatory confidence and operational resilience, Huntswood’s advisory team delivers advice that is pragmatic, proportionate and proven.
Why consumer finance firms choose Huntswood
- Dual capability – advisory expertise and operational delivery under one roof
- Sector depth – decades supporting lenders, motor finance and BNPL firms across the UK
- Outcome orientation – focus on Consumer Duty, affordability and customer experience
- Speed to value – rapid diagnostics and scalable solutions that reduce risk and cost
- Regulatory confidence – clear MI, governance and audit trails regulators expect
Case study
Huntswood was engaged by a high-cost, short-term credit lender to support with the provision of a customer contact centre following High Court approval of a Scheme of Arrangement between the firm and its creditors
28 call handlers
deployed in two weeks
2.2 million
customer population
180,000 + claims
provided resilience
08%
customer communication quality score
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