Bulletins
The Banking Code Standards Board issues Bulletins from time to time, addressed to the Banking Code Compliance Officers of all institutions that subscribe to the Codes.
As well as keeping subscribers up to date with general developments affecting the Banking Codes and the BCSBs monitoring activity, bulletins are used to communicate specific interpretation guidance on aspects of the Codes, as authorised by the BCSB Board. While the content of Bulletins is therefore designed for a specific audience, we feel that there will be wider interest in some topics, which is why the complete series is publicly available on the website.

Each Bulletin is listed below, together with a list of the subjects covered.

BULLETIN NO. 32


Bulletin 32, issued on 30th September 2009, is now available.

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BULLETIN NO. 31


Bulletin 31, issued on 30th June 2009, is now available.

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BULLETIN NO 30


Bulletin 30, issued on 31 March 2009, is now available.

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BULLETIN NO 29


Bulletin 29, issued on 23 December 2008, is now available.

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BULLETIN NO 28


Bulletin 28, issued on 30 September 2008, is now available.

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Bulletin No. 27 - June 2008


1. A word from the Chief Executive
2. Code Developments
3. Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement
4. Our "watch list"
5. What's been keeping our Helpdesk busy?
6. BCSB News

Bulletin No. 26 - 28 March 2008


1. A word from the Chief Executive
2. Code Developments
3. Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
4. BCSB News

Bulletin No. 25 - 20 December 2007


1. A word from the Chief Executive
2. Code Developments
3. Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
4. BCSB News

Bulletin No. 24 - 12 October 2007


1. A word from the Chief Executive

2. Code Developments
(i) Independent review of the Banking Code and Business Banking Code
(ii) Memoranda of Understanding
(iii) Competition Commission Northern Ireland Personal Banking Investigation
(iv) Bank charges and FSA waiver of complaints handling rules
(v) Cheque clearing times 3. Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Compliance Monitoring
(ii) Code section 4.8: downgrading of savings account interest rates and SATS
(iii) New FSA complaints handling rules
(iv) Recent trends in complaints to the BCSB Helpdesk

4. BCSB News
(i) New Subscribers
(ii) Roadshows 2007
(iii) Subscriber Business Profile (SBP) - On-line submission
(iv) New look website
(v) Helpdesk
(vi) BCSB Staff

Bulletin No. 23 - 30 March 2007


1) Code Developments
(i) Independent review of the Banking Code and Business Banking Code
(ii) Competition Commission Northern Ireland Personal Banking Investigation
(iii) Bank charges refunds and account closures - Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) adjudications
(iv) Co-regulation 2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Compliance Monitoring
(ii) Recent trends in complaints to the BCSB Helpdesk
(iii) Risk Model
(iv) Code section 4.8: downgrading of savings account interest rates and Savings Account Tracking Systems (SATS)
(v) ‘No Action’ cases reported to the BCSB Board
(vi) Savings account advertising

3) BCSB News
(i) New Subscribers
(ii) User Group Minutes
(iii) Board Appointments
(iv) Relationship Managers (RM)
(v) Annual Statement of Compliance (ASC) - On-Line Submission
(vi) New Address
(vii) Budget and Fees 2007/2008

Bulletin No. 22 - 18 December 2006


1) Code Developments
(i) New Guidance to the Banking Code
(ii) Code review 2007

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Compliance Monitoring
(ii) Annual Statements of Compliance
(iii) Recent trends in complaints to the BCSB Helpdesk
(iv) Risk Model

3) BCSB News
(i) New Subscribers
(ii) Compliance Monitoring Team
(iii) BCSB Website and BCSB Communications with subscribers
(iv) Annual Statements of Compliance
(v) Change of Address
(vi) Christmas Cards

Appendix A
New Guidance to the Banking Code issued in 2006

Bulletin No. 21 - 28 July 2006


Default charges on current accounts
(i) Account closures
(ii) Pre-notification of Default Charges

Bulletin No. 20 - 31 March 2006


1) Code Developments
(i) Code review process and follow-up to the 2004 review
(ii) Responsible lending and consolidation loans for customers in financial difficulties

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Changes to the Banking Code Rules and associated documents
(ii) Compliance Policy section 2.1: notification of breaches - BCSB guidelines
(iii) Financial difficulties - Banking Code Section 14: themed review
(iv) Cheque clearing cycles—Banking Code paragraph 9.4 / Business Banking Code 9.5 : themed review
(v) Complaint handling
(vi) Recent trends in complaints to the BCSB Helpdesk
(vii) Annual Statement of Compliance
(viii) Savings Account Tracking System (SATS)
(ix) Risk Model
(x) ‘Traffic light’ gradings

3) BCSB News
(i) New subscribers
(ii) User Group
(iii) Relationship Managers’ portfolios
(iv) BCSB website
(v) Fees for 2006/07

Bulletin No. 19 - 16 December 2005


1) Code Developments
(i) Appointment of independent interim reviewer
(ii) Code review frequency

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Banking Code change – Child Trust Funds / FSA
(ii) Compliance Monitoring
(iii) Fraudulent Card Transactions
(iv) ISAs: replacement of ‘CAT’ standards by ‘stakeholder’ cash deposit criteria
(v) Codes paragraph 4.8: downgraded savings account interest
(vi) Branch closures

3) BCSB News
(i) New subscribers
(ii) User Group
(iii) Roadshows
(iv) BCSB people
(v) Christmas and New Year
Appendix I: Amendment to the Banking Code Rules
Appendix II: User Group Minutes

Bulletin No. 18 - 24 March 2005


1) Code Developments
(i) The Code Review process
(ii) Distance Marketing Directive, Cash ISAs and Child Trust Funds

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Matters arising from 2005 editions of the Codes
(ii) Annual Statements of Compliance
(iii) ‘No Action’ cases
(iv) New Business processing problems
(v) Field monitoring

3) BCSB News
(i) New Subscribers
(ii) User Group
(iii) BCSB People
(iv) Fees for 2005/2006

APPENDIX I: User Group Minutes 2 February 2005 (restricted distribution)
APPENDIX II: Press release announcing appointments of Independent Directors and Chairman of Disciplinary Sub-Committee

Bulletin No. 17 - 23 December 2004


1) Code Developments
(i) Review of Codes
(ii) Distance Marketing Directive, Cash ISAs and Child Trust Funds

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Basic Bank Accounts
(ii) Branch Closures
(iii) Annual Statement of Compliance

3) BCSB News
(i) New Subscribers
(ii) Roadshows
(iii) Office Move

Bulletin No. 16 - 23 September 2004


1) Banking Code Developments
(i) 2004 Independent Review of the Codes
(ii) Distance Marketing Directive

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Notice of Banking Code Rule change
(ii) Limited waiver of Banking Code paragraph 6.5

3) BCSB News
(i) New Subscriber

Appendix: Amendment to the Banking Code Rules

Bulletin No. 15 - 26 July 2004


1) Code Developments
(i) 2004 Independent Review of the Codes
(ii) Distance Marketing Directive

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Annual Statements of Compliance
(ii) Themed reviews
(iii) Savings account interest tiers
(iv) Minor changes to terms and conditions
(v) Payment Protection Insurance
(vi) Disability Discrimination Act
(vii) Business Banking Code

3) BCSB News
(i) Annual Report 2003/04
(ii) New Subscribers
(iii) BCSB ‘Roadshows’ 2004 (click here for Roadshow Registration Form)
(iv) BCSB User Group
(v) BCSB people

Bulletin No. 14 - 26 February 2004


1) Code Developments
2004 Independent Review of the Codes

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Annual Statements of Compliance
(ii) 2003 Codes Paragraph 4.8: downgraded savings account interest

3) BCSB News
(i) New Subscriber
(ii) BCSB User Group
(iii) Fees for 2004/05
(iv) BCSB London office

Appendices:

Bulletin No. 13 - 18 December 2003


1) Code Developments
(i) 2004 Independent Review of the Codes
(ii) The Distance Marketing Directive
(iii) "Chip and PIN" - PIN self-selection

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Advertising and promotions
(ii) Field monitoring findings
(iii) Monitoring Team plans for 2004
(iv) 2003 Codes Paragraph 4.8: downgraded savings account interest
(v) Clearing times
(vi) Foreign currency transactions
(vii)"Dealing with Debt"

3) BCSB News
(i) New Subscribers
(ii) BCSB User Group
(iii) BCSB "roadshows"
(iv) BCSB people
(v) Christmas and New Year

Bulletin No. 12 - 28 July 2003


1) Banking Code Developments
(i) March 2003 Editions of the Codes
(ii) The Distance Marketing Directive

2) Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement Topics
(i) Feedback on monitoring visits
(ii) 2003 Codes Paragraph 4.8: downgraded savings account interest
(iii) "You and Your Joint Account"

3) BCSB News
(i) New Subscribers
(ii) The Banking Code Rules
(iii) BCSB User Group
(iv) BCSB ‘Roadshows’ 2003 (see link below for registration form)
(v) Head of Compliance Monitoring

Appendix I: Code Compliance Code Paragraph 4.8 – charts of downgrading scenarios
Appendix II: User Group Minutes 5 June 2003 (restricted distribution)
Appendix III: Changes to the Code and Guidance between Code reviews
Roadshow Registration Form 2003

Bulletin No. 11 - 14 February 2003


1) March 2003 Editions of the Banking Code and Business Banking Code
2) 2003 Codes Paragraph 4.8: downgraded savings account interest
3) Monitoring and enforcement activity
4) Annual Statement of Compliance 2002
5) Basic bank accounts
4) Banking Code and Business Banking Code Section 8.5: limited waiver
5) New Subscribers
6) Fees for 2003/04
7) The Banking Code Rules
8) BCSB User Group

Appendix I: Code Compliance Monitoring Findings
Appendix II: Paragraph 4.8 - Downgrading Accounts

Bulletin No. 10 - 29 October 2002


1) Independent Review of the Banking Codes
2) Monitoring and enforcement activity
3) Subscriber Business Profile and Annual Statement of Compliance 2002
4) Basic accounts
5) Banking Code Section 9.2: Interest Rate(s) on Credit Card Statements
6) New Subscriber
7) BCSB ‘Relationship Managers’
8) BCSB ‘Roadshows’ 2002
9) BCSB User Group

Bulletin No. 9 - 19 July 2002


1) Independent Review of the Banking Codes
2) Business Banking Code: waiver of Section 15.5
3 ) Banking Code Section 9.2: Interest Rate(s) on Credit Card Statements
4 ) Links to the Banking Code via the BBA website
5 ) Basic accounts
6 ) Disabled customers – internet and postal accounts
7) The Financial Ombudsman Service - "Extending Our Jurisdiction"
8) BCSB User Group
9) Registrations under the Business Banking Code
10) Risk Model
11) BCSB Annual Report 2001/02
12) BCSB Account Managers
13) BCSB ‘Roadshows’ 2002
14) BCSB Website

Bulletin No. 8


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Bulletin No. 7


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Bulletin No. 6


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Bulletin No. 5


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Bulletin No. 4


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Bulletin No. 3


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Bulletin No. 2


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Bulletin No. 1


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