Nicholas Ryder

Credit unions and financial exclusion: The odd couple

Credit unions have failed to develop in the United Kingdom in comparison with other jurisdictions. This is due, in part, to a restrictive legal framework and to policies adopted by local authorities and the UK government towards their development. However, it is their association with financial exclusion that has had the most detrimental impact upon the expansion of credit unions. The UK government perceives credit unions as filling the gap left by the banking industry in communities across the United Kingdom and has made recommendations to assist their development. The implementation of the recommendations is dependent upon the support of the banking industry. These developments and this context for implementation are considered in the light of the association of credit unions with issues of financial exclusion.

'Tis the season to (be jolly?) wise-up to online fraudsters. Criminals on the Web lurking to scam shoppers this Christmas: 1 a critical analysis of the United Kingdom's legislative provisions and policies to tackle online fraud

This article critically examines the UKs legislative measures to tackle online fraud in light of the recommendations of the Fraud Review and the enactment of the UK Fraud Act (2006). In particular, the article highlights the threat posed by internet related crime, identifies the different types of cyber crime and outlines the threats posed by such crimes. Furthermore, the article critically considers the impact and effectiveness of several measures including the criminalisation of Fraud and the creation of the National Fraud Authority.

Financial Crime in the 21st Century

This book focuses on the financial crime policies adopted by the international community and how these have been implemented in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY AND MONEY LAUNDERING

Money laundering is one of those problems that is very hard to get a grip on.

The Financial Crisis and White Collar Crime

Concentrating on the relationship between the 2007 financial crisis and white-collar crime in both the United States of America and the United Kingdom this unique book asserts that such activity was an important variable that contributed towards the crisis. It also reveals a number of similarities and differences in the approach towards white-collar crime emanating from the financial crisis.

Money laundering : an endless cycle? : a comparative analysis of the anti-money laundering policies in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada

1. Introduction 2. Global Anti-Money Laundering Strategy 3. The United States of America 4. The United Kingdom 5. Australia 6. Canada 7. Conclusion

The Financial Services Authority and credit unions ‐ A new era in regulation?

This paper examines the regulatory regime of the Financial Services Authority towards the credit union movement in Great Britain as contained in the Credit Union Sourcebook. The author discusses the merits of a strong regulatory regime towards credit unions within Great Britain and concludes that such an approach could improve the traditional perception of credit unions, increase the protection of members and increase awareness of the benefits of joining a credit union.

For Whose Eyes Only? A Critique of the United Kingdom's Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

This article discusses the implications of the UK governments legislation designed to regulate powers of investigation with regard to the internet and new technology. The authors contend that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 has major ramifications for the conduct of commercial business through the internet. The authors assess the Act holistically and have placed the Act in a wider context, viewing the Act as just one facet of the UKs attempts to encourage use of the internet. The Act undoubtedly has the potential to gravely infringe upon the civil liberties of UK citizens and is a classic example of hastily drafted and ill-conceived legislation that is merely reactive and not proactive. In this regard, the Act may potentially violate the terms of the Human Rights Act 1998. Additionally, the adoption of the discredited provisions of the UKs Electronic Communications Act 2000 into the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act is of great concern. The intention of the legislature has been to allay fears concerning the security and trustworthiness of the internet. The problem of encryption and the burden of proof is the stumbling block. The authors theorise that the opposite effect has been achieved - insecurity and doubt will increase exponentially, coupled with the attendant risk that internet companies will relocate to another jurisdiction.

The funding of credit unions – where has all the money gone?

The aim of this article is to critically assess the impact of government funding upon the growth of credit unions in the United Kingdom (UK) in light of the unprecedented level of financial support provided by the Labour government since 1997. The article begins by defining a credit union and commenting upon their importance towards the reduction of financial exclusion. The article challenges the findings of several studies that have determined that external funding has limited the development of credit unions. This is illustrated by the use of four case studies.

E-Crime

During the brief lifespan of the Internet, numerous changes have occurred that have significantly altered the way in which companies and individuals conduct their online transactions, particularly through the medium of social media (Hache and Ryder, 2011, p. 35). Despite the clear benefits of using the Internet, it does have a ‘dark side’. The Internet has resulted in the creation of a series of new and emerging forms of criminal activity, which exposes its users to various dangers, often without them even knowing. Organised criminals and determined individuals have developed new techniques in order to deceive individuals and organisations to obtain financial gains, attack vulnerable children and disrupt online services. They have successfully transformed traditional crimes into modern cybercrimes, committed with nothing more than a laptop, a smart phone, a games console or Internet-enabled TV. In this special edition of the Journal of Information Communication and Technology Law, we seek to revisit some of the problems associated with ‘E-Crime’. E-Crime has been broadly defined and can incorporate ‘computer-related crime, computer crime, cybercrime and high-tech crime’ (ibid). Successive governments in the United Kingdom have introduced legislation that seeks to tackle e-crime. Examples include the Computer Misuse Act 1990, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, the Fraud Act 2006, the Police and Justice Act 2006, and successive amendments to sexual offences legislation. The success of these legislative provisions is open to scrutiny as an ever increasing percentage of the population take advantage of the significant advances in technology since the start of the millennia. As a result of this, the Internet has been famously described as the ‘new playground for criminals’ (House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, 2007). The Internet has been used by criminals to hide or ‘mask’ their identity (Keene, 2012, p. 25), and this has resulted in a significant increase in sexual and financial crimes committed via the Internet including grooming, voyeurism, fraud, identity theft, money laundering and instances of terrorist financing.