Pension cold-calling ban to take effect in January

The ban on pension cold-calling has been approved by parliament and will take effect from 9 January 2019 to help tackle pension scams.

The legislation, originally intended for introduction in June 2018, was launched in the government’s 2018 Budget and its introduction date confirmed by Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen MP, on Twitter yesterday (19 December 2018).

In his tweet, Glen described pension cold-calling as “a scourge” and said that “the ban will officially come into force on 9 January”.

Firms that have been found to be breaking the ban by the Information Commissioner’s Office could face fines of up to £500,000.

The ban, which includes emails and texts, was originally meant to be introduced in June 2018, but the government admitted it had missed its deadline and issued a consultation in its place.

The initial plan to ban cold-calling was announced in August 2017.

It was finally approved by the House of Commons on 18 December 2018 in the Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2018.

When contacted, the Treasury confirmed the date that the law will come into effect and said it would provide further comment in due course.

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


FREE E-NEWS SIGN UP

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news and other industry announcements by email.

  Please tick here to confirm you are happy to receive third party promotions from carefully selected partners.


NEW BUILD IN FOCUS - NEW EPISODE OF THE MORTGAGE INSIDER PODCAST, OUT NOW
Figures from the National House-Building Council saw Q1 2025 register a 36% increase in new homes built across the UK compared with the same period last year, representing a striking development for the first-time buyer market. But with the higher cost of building, ongoing planning challenges and new and changing regulations, how sustainable is this growth? And what does it mean for brokers?

The role of the bridging market and technology usage in the industry
Content editor, Dan McGrath, sat down with chief operating officer at Black & White Bridging, Damien Druce, and head of development finance at Empire Global Finance, Pete Williams, to explore the role of the bridging sector, the role of AI across the industry and how the property market has fared in the Labour Government’s first year in office.


Does the North-South divide still exist in the UK housing market?
What do the most expensive parts of the country reveal about shifting demand? And why is the Manchester housing market now outperforming many southern counterparts?



In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance, to explore how regional trends are redefining the UK housing, mortgage and buy-to-let markets.

The new episode of The Mortgage Insider podcast, out now
Regional housing markets now matter more than ever. While London and the Southeast still tend to dominate the headlines from a house price and affordability perspective, much of the growth in rental yields and buyer demand is coming from other parts of the UK.

In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance.