利率红线外存“权益生意”？监管摸查消金行业

Core Viewpoint - The regulatory body is conducting a special investigation into licensed consumer finance companies, focusing on the charging policies of membership rights services and their potential mandatory bundling with loans, following the implementation of the new lending regulations [2][3]. Group 1: Regulatory Investigation - The investigation employs a questionnaire format to assess the operation of the "24% + rights" model, including the services offered and the main issues faced by consumer finance companies [3]. - The "24% + rights" model emerged due to strict constraints on comprehensive financing costs, leading institutions to explore this combination to maintain profitability within regulatory limits [3][4]. - The model separates income into a "not exceeding 24% annual interest rate" and "independently priced rights services," which include various offerings such as e-commerce coupons and credit consulting [3][4]. Group 2: Industry Challenges - The current cooperation between financial institutions and lending agencies primarily involves fixed income guarantees and profit-sharing, with rights products becoming a means for lending agencies to increase revenue [4]. - The lack of standardization in membership rights services has led to varied charging policies and resource allocation among institutions, complicating the operational landscape [5]. - Complaints regarding forced bundling of rights services with loan approvals have surged, indicating a significant consumer protection issue [5][6]. Group 3: Consumer Complaints - Over 40,000 complaints related to "loan rights" have been recorded, highlighting issues such as default selections for rights services, high refund thresholds, and unfulfilled service promises [6]. - Some leading consumer finance institutions claim their rights services are voluntary and offer a 30-day no-reason refund policy, contrasting with the complaints from users [10]. - The absence of execution standards for rights products has led to rampant issues such as bundling sales and false advertising, raising concerns about whether these services increase the overall financing costs for borrowers [10]. Group 4: Recommendations for Improvement - Regulatory measures should focus on enhancing information disclosure, clarifying the value of rights, prohibiting mandatory bundling, and simplifying refund processes to address the identified issues [10].