Banking improves the quality and efficiency of financial services for the real economy
21 major banks reduce service fees by 137.5 billion yuan to benefit enterprises and people
core reading
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission continued to urge banking institutions to strictly implement various fee reduction policies, and encouraged banking institutions to actively explore the space for fee reductions.
In the first half of 2022, 21 major banks reduced or exempted service fees of 137.5 billion yuan for other various market players, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%.
□ Our reporter Zhou Fenmian
In recent years, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission has continued to urge banking institutions to strictly implement various fee reduction policies, encourage banking institutions to take the initiative to explore the space for fee reductions, combine “releasing” and “regulation” with standardizing banking service pricing behavior in the field of market regulation, and improve the quality and efficiency of financial services for the real economy. Improve the financial consumption experience of the people.
The reporter recently learned from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission that in the first half of 2022, 21 major banks reduced or exempted service fees of 137.5 billion yuan for other various market players, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%.
multiple specifications
According to Liu Xiaoyu, senior partner of Bank of China Law Firm, banking services are divided into payment and settlement, agency business, risk-taking, financial transaction, management consulting, etc., including payment and settlement, electronic banking, bank cards, wealth management, agency , custody, guarantee and commitment, trade finance, financial market transactions, management and consulting, etc., are closely related to enterprises and ordinary people.
Regarding bank service charges, relevant departments such as the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the People's Bank of China, and the National Development and Reform Commission have issued more than a dozen regulations and normative documents. The reporter found that the earliest date can be traced back to 2007.
According to Li Shuqu, director of the Management Committee of Beijing Yingke (Zhengzhou) Law Firm, in 2007 the former CBRC issued the "Guidelines for Syndicated Loans", and in 2008 the former CBRC General Office issued the "Notice on Issues Concerning Commercial Bank Service Charges".
Liu Xiaoyu said that after 2011, it entered a period of intensive regulation.
In 2011, the former CBRC issued the revised Guidelines for Syndicated Loans, which further clarified that the charges for syndicated loans should follow the principles of "voluntary negotiation, fairness and reasonableness, and consistent quality and price".
In 2011, the former CBRC issued the Supplementary Notice on Supporting Commercial Banks to Further Improve Financial Services for Small and Micro Enterprises, dividing bank charges into three categories: prohibited charges, restricted charges, and charges that can be charged normally.
In the same year, the three departments issued normative documents to respond to the concerns of the common people.
The former China Banking Regulatory Commission, the People's Bank of China and the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Notice on Exemption of Certain Service Charges by Banking Financial Institutions", which stipulated that from July 1, 2011, some service charges for RMB personal accounts, such as account opening fees for personal savings accounts of the Bank, will be exempted. and account cancellation fees; account opening fees and account cancellation fees for personal bank settlement accounts of the Bank; intra-city deposit, withdrawal and transfer fees (except for credit card accounts), etc.
Since then, the regulations have grown "tooth", not only to establish regulations but also to enforce the law.
In 2012, the former CBRC issued the "Notice on Rectifying Irregular Operations of Banking Financial Institutions", requiring the system to comprehensively carry out special governance of "irregular operations", and put forward the requirements of "seven prohibitions and four disclosures" for commercial banks.
The "Notice on Further Promoting the Special Governance of Irregular Operations in the Banking Industry" was subsequently issued, urging all banking financial institutions to deepen the special governance, standardize the method and content of publicity of charges, establish and improve a complaint and report response mechanism, and increase on-site visits. The intensity of investigation and punishment and accountability.
In 2014, the National Development and Reform Commission and the former China Banking Regulatory Commission issued the "Administrative Measures for Commercial Bank Service Prices" and the "Notice on Printing and Distributing the Catalogue of Government-Guided Prices for Commercial Bank Services" to adjust a number of bank charges.
In 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission and the People's Bank of China issued the "Notice on Improving the Pricing Mechanism for Bank Card Swiping Fees" to improve the banking card swiping fee pricing mechanism, reduce the service fee rate level of the issuing bank, reduce the network service fee rate level, and adjust the card issuer. Bank service fees, network service fees capping control measures, and market-adjusted prices for service fees in the acquiring link.
strengthen supervision
In Li Shuqu's view, the intensification of supervision, on the one hand, is manifested in the introduction of law enforcement basis, and on the other hand, it is manifested in focusing on key points and strengthening implementation.
In 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Guidelines for Law Enforcement of Commercial Banks' Charging Behaviors", requiring all commercial banks to strictly implement government-guided prices and government pricing, reasonably determine charging items and standards in the field of market regulation, and follow laws and regulations, equality and voluntariness, separation of interest and fees, According to the principle of matching quality and price, we will clearly mark the price and publicize the charges, and implement preferential measures without compromise.
And listed the illegal charging behaviors of commercial banks, including non-implementation of government-guided prices and government pricing, failure to provide substantive services to customers, forging service records, forcing customers to purchase services, forcing the provision of financing by acceptance bills, price monopoly and other violations. illegal act.
In 2019, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission issued the "Notice on Carrying out the Special Governance Work of Banks' Illegal Enterprise-related Service Charges", establishing a system of institutional self-inspection and regulatory random inspection.
In 2020, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the People's Bank of China, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the "Notice on Further Regulating Credit Financing Charges and Reducing the Comprehensive Cost of Enterprise Financing", clarifying the charging requirements for different financing links, standardizing and charging related internal control and supervision.
In January 2022, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission issued the "Guiding Opinions on Regulating the Management of Adjusted Prices in the Banking Service Market" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guiding Opinions").
Liu Xiaoyu believes that this is an important measure to improve the supervision and management of the market adjustment price of banking institutions' service charges.
Supplements are made to matters not specified in the regulatory system such as the "Measures for the Administration of Service Prices of Commercial Banks", including the post-event audit of service charge items, the head office's management responsibility for branch service charges, differentiated pricing and internal authorization and other internal management requirements.
In July of the same year, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the People's Bank of China issued the "Notice on Further Promoting the Standardized and Healthy Development of Credit Card Business", which clearly displayed all interest items, annualized interest rate level and interest fee calculation that may arise from the installment business in an obvious manner on the business handling page. Way.
If the credit card installment business is settled in advance, the interest shall be accrued according to the actual amount of funds occupied and the time limit.
The relevant person in charge of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said that the "Guiding Opinions" follow the principle of marketization and rule of law, from compacting the main responsibility of institutions, standardizing service pricing methods and price calibration mechanisms, clarifying service appropriateness and price matching requirements, strengthening service price information disclosure, and improving service outsourcing. We will clarify regulatory requirements in seven aspects: price management of cooperative businesses, encouragement to actively benefit enterprises and the people, and setting red lines for the regulation of service price behaviors, to promote refined and scientific management of service prices by banking institutions, and to further tap and release the potential for fee reductions.
According to reports, after the "Guiding Opinions" were issued, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission urged banking institutions to earnestly implement the document requirements through various means such as policy interpretation, window counseling, and questionnaire surveys.
According to the survey, 21 major banks reorganized and evaluated service items and price standards, canceled 14 billing service items on average, lowered 16 billing service prices on average, and implemented an average of 46 reductions and exemptions to other various market players, which can be directly It is estimated that the annual increase in free reduction fees is 6.2 billion yuan.
Penalties for Violations
Reducing fees and giving profits, benefiting enterprises and benefiting the people, is not only to regulate, but also to "surge" illegal behaviors.
In recent years, many banks have been punished for illegal charging and other behaviors.
The Agricultural Development Bank Taizhou Branch charged the syndicated loan arrangement fee without cost calculation, and the regulatory authorities fined the branch 220,000 yuan.
An account payable financing business of Bank of China Shanghai Branch violated the rules of charging for loans. The regulatory authority ordered the bank to make corrections and imposed a fine of 5.4 million yuan.
Bank of Jiangsu Yancheng Branch charged intermediary business fees through the four-party cooperation model and the quality and price of the charges did not match. The regulatory authority imposed a fine of 2.75 million yuan on the bank.
Bank of Beijing’s service charge management was ineffective and illegal charges were charged. The regulatory authorities ordered Bank of Beijing to make corrections and imposed an administrative penalty of a total of 8.2 million yuan in fines. Several responsible persons were given warnings and fines.
ICBC Guanxian Sub-branch was fined 300,000 yuan by Liaocheng Banking and Insurance Regulatory Bureau for collecting commitment fees in violation of regulations.
The Yichun Branch of Jiangxi Bank was fined 1 million yuan by the Yichun Supervision Branch for signing a false service agreement with the borrower through a third-party company and charging a service fee of 25 million yuan and debiting it off-book.