Consumer Credit, Debt and Investment in Europe

Produced under the auspices of an EU-funded Marie Curie research programme, this volume analyses vulnerability in European private law and scrutinises consumer protection in credit and investments in the context of the recent turmoil in financial markets and EU harmonisation initiatives in the area. It explores key issues such as responsible lending, the disclosure of information, consumer confidence, the regulation of consumer investment services and the protection of bank depositors. The chapters emanate from the 'Consumer Protection in Europe: Theory and Practice' duo colloquium which explored consumer protection in Europe in its theoretical and practical dimensions. These topics are even more relevant today given the passage of the Consumer Rights Directive, the appointment of an Expert Group on a common frame of reference, the Green Paper on European Contract Law and the ongoing deliberations surrounding the Common European Sales Law.

1. Vulnerability and access to low cost credit Orkun Akseli; 2. Information disclosure in the EU Consumer Credit Directive: opportunities and limitations Catherine Garcia Porras and Willem van Boom; 3. European regulation of consumer credit: enhancing consumer confidence and protection from a UK perspective? Sarah Brown; 4. The development of responsible lending in the UK Consumer Credit Regime Karen Fairweather; 5. The French Consumer Credit Act (2010) [Loi 2010-737 du 1er juillet 2010 portant réforme du crédit à la consommation] Marine Friant-Perrot; 6. The legal framework for consumer credit in Romania: facts and prospects Rodica Diana Apan; 7. The legal regulation of pawnbroking in England, a brief history Warren Swain; 8. Mortgage finance: who's responsible? Sarah Nield; 9. Fairness and efficiency in the law of guarantees Gerry McCormack; 10. A comparative analysis of bank charges in Europe: OFT v. Abbey National plc through the looking glass Mel Kenny and James Devenney; 11. Designing a framework for protecting bank depositors Andrew Campbell; 12. The legal matrix for retail investment services in the EU: where is an individual investor? Olha O. Cherednychenko; 13. Financial investors as consumers: recent Italian legislation from a European perspective Cristina Amato and Chiara Perfumi; 14. Conclusions: consumer credit, debt and investment in Europe Mel Kenny and James Devenney.

James Devenney is Professor of Commercial Law at the School of Law, University of Exeter.
Mel Kenny is Reader in Commercial Law at Leicester Law School.