The Bank of England will be given prime responsibility for preventing or responding to future financial crises, George Osborne will say this week, dealing a blow to the standing of the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
The chancellor will announce a new architecture for financial regulation in his maiden Mansion House speech on Wednesday. The coalition will keep the tripartite structure between the Bank, FSA and Treasury that was criticised for not preventing the banking meltdown.
The balance of power between the three will be scrapped, however, with the Bank given command. It will take control of “macro prudential” regulation — watching and responding to lending growth and leverage — and have oversight of the FSA’s scrutiny of individual banks.
The scheme is a compromise negotiated with the Liberal Democrats, with the Tories being forced to abandon their plans to emasculate the FSA. The scheme also fits closely with what Mervyn King, the Bank governor, has advocated.
