15 Oct 2020 | Posted In Bob's Blog (MALG updates)

Hello to all our MALG members and contacts.

With just two weeks to go until our inaugural MALG Virtual Summit, we are very pleased to announce that we already have almost 200 delegates signed up! In the absence of a physical conference this year, it is refreshing to know that there is still an appetite to attend virtual events. We are delighted to offer an appealing programme on the subject of innovating to meet increasing demand as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic‘.

Those of you that have signed up and purchased tickets will receive joining instructions with links for the main event and individual breakout sessions next week. Please take the time to read through these and ensure you have access to zoom software on your devices to avoid any technical difficulties on the day. If you haven’t received the joining instructions by close of play on Friday 23 October or if you have any questions/issues, please email us on info@malg.org.uk.

For those who haven’t yet booked, you can find out more, view the programme, and book places on our website here.

Thank you again to our headline sponsor Intrum and other sponsors Lester AldridgeCDER GroupLantern, Dukes Bailiffs, and Computershare for helping to make the event possible.

Keep reading for other news including the launch of our new ‘GDPR Guide: Vulnerability, data protection, and customer disclosures’ in partnership with the Money Advice Trust, and a new MALG regional group…

MALG partners with Money Advice Trust to launch new Data Protection & Vulnerability Guidance

Another key date for your diary is Wednesday 4 November 2020 10-11am when the Money Advice Trust is launching our new joint ‘Vulnerability, GDPR, and disclosure: A practical guide for creditors and advisers’.

On the webinar, the authors of the guide, Chris Fitch – Money Advice Trust Vulnerability Lead Consultant – and Robert Bell – a data protection expert, will explore the overlap between data protection compliance and vulnerable customer regulation. They will be joined by Paul Smee, Chair of MALG, Nina Best, Senior Legal Counsel and Data Protection Officer, Capital One and Dan Holloway, Writer and Lived Experience Expert, to discuss how firms can meet GDPR regulation and support vulnerable customer needs.

The new guide, launched as part of the webinar, seeks to help firms achieve this by striking the right balance between human experience and data.

The creation of the guide has kindly been supported by NatWest, Shoosmiths, Vision Blue, Financial Wellness Group, PayPlan and Experian.

Find out more and register for the webinar on our website.

MALG Friday Forum and creditor email list

The MALG Friday Forum is still going strong with new and familiar faces joining every week to discuss the latest issues around debt and money advice as the Coronavirus crisis unfolds. Make the most of your MALG membership by joining us whenever you can any time between 10am and 11am every Friday morning via Zoom. Find out more here.

At the height of lockdown when the Friday Forum was in its early days, we responded to calls from advisers to make getting hold of creditors on behalf of clients easier while remote working. The creditor email list we generated is still being updated regularly and this has proven to be a useful resource for many. It is linked to both the Friday Forum and Resources pages .

MALG Regional Meetings update

Most MALG regional group meetings are now being held via Zoom and have been very well attended. Remember, if you are a National Business Member, you have access to some or all of the regional groups so please take advantage of this membership benefit.

Dates for upcoming regional meetings can be found at www.malg.org.uk/events and these listings will be updated as and when we know whether they are being postponed or held via Zoom.

We are very excited to announce that a new regional group MALG East Anglia will be launching soon! Watch this space for details of the group’s first meeting and how to join.

If you aren’t currently being invited to regional meetings and think you should be/want to be, please contact the relevant regional secretary: