The Tyrie Report: Now it’s Personal

On 21 June 2013 the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards (PCBS) published its Final Report “Changing Banking for Good”, widely referred to as the “Tyrie Report” after its chairman Andrew Tyrie MP.  The PBBS was established in July 2012, with the broad brief to conduct an enquiry into the standards and culture of UK banking and to make recommendations.  Whilst highly critical of just about everyone – the government, regulators, banks, and individuals – its final 571 page report contains surprisingly little in the way of strategic regulatory proposals.

Instead, its recommendations are strongly focused upon the senior individual, effectively imposing financial penalties and/or criminal culpability for (potentially) less pay. The substantive recommendations may be broadly grouped under two headings: people and pay.

People

• The FSA’s “Approved Persons” regime to be replaced by “Senior Persons”.  The new regime would only apply to senior management; however they would have to accept responsibility for specific areas; and
• Junior employees would be subject to an enhanced licensing regime.

Pay

• A new remuneration code more closely aligning risk and reward, with emphasis upon more extensive deferment of pay.  A recommendation that bonuses may be deferred for up to 10 years;
• Regulatory powers to cancel deferred pay/unvested pensions and/or dismiss senior management in the event of their bank requiring taxpayer support; and
• A new criminal offence of “reckless misconduct in the management of a bank”.

The only macro-prudential elements of the report are the suggestion that the UK consumer is ill-served by lack of competition in retail banking, that this may be ameliorated by the break-up of RBS, and a characterisation of the government’s management of Lloyds and RBS as “interference”.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on the 19 June 2013, David Cameron affirmed his intention to append at least the bonus clawback and new criminal offence proposals to the Banking Reform Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament.

Contact Us