信义义务:英美金融消费者保护的一个独特制度

目前对英美金融消费者保护法律的介绍,着重于条文和概念,对于背后广泛运用衡平法下信义义务的精神实质很少关注.已有的法与金融理论研究虽然指出了英美法系较之于大陆法系更有利于保护投资者,从而较好地促进了金融发展.但对于为何促进了金融发展缺乏学理分析.为此,本文指出其法律基础和作用途径是信义义务,用不完全合同理论和科斯定理推论三,对金融消费者保护中运用信义义务的合理性作了经济学原理分析,并对英美金融服务者与金融消费者的信义关系及其信义义务适用情形、与普通法不同的处理方式进行了阐述.这对于我们在移植英美金融监管法律时,加强对形式后面的精神实质的理解和运用具有重要意义.     

商业银行理财业务客户关系探讨——以金融消费者保护为核心

以金融消费者保护为视角,本文探讨了我国商业银行开展理财业务时出现的诸多对消费者不利的现象并分析其产生原因.本文认为,从立法和司法层面看,银行与客户的法律关系界定不清是重要原因之一.在此基础上,本文着重探讨了商业银行理财业务的信托关系实质,并结合其他发达国家的实践经验,尝试构建我国商业银行理财业务中银行的信义义务,以切实加强对金融消费者的保护     

基金托管人之义务属性辨析：信义义务抑或合同义务？北大核心

基于切入视角的不同,英美法系关于信义义务产生及性质的理论探讨可分为形式主义、功能主义与道德主义三种学说。无论从哪个角度来看,基金托管人都不应对投资者负有信义义务。从形式主义视角来看,基金托管人与投资者之间并非信义关系,因而不应负有信义义务。从功能主义视角来看,基金托管人几乎不存在机会主义的空间,缺乏适用信义义务的前提条件。从道德主义视角来看,基金托管人缺乏信任基础上的利他承诺,因而也不应承担信义义务。为了促进我国基金托管业务以至整个基金业健康发展,需要改变视基金托管人为投资者的受托人这一观念,重构基金托管人的义务和责任边界。建议删除《证券投资基金法》《私募投资基金监督管理办法》中有关基金托管人信义义务及受托人身份的相关规定;厘清基金托管人与投资者之间的关系,应当回归合同本源,以合同约定作为基金托管人履行义务的依据。     

网络平台信息信义义务的法理阐释及价值展开

用户与网络平台之间的信息关系具有“依赖性”和“脆弱性”,平台应该对处于弱势地位的用户承担信息信义义务。用户信息利益优先的信义标准能够与平台商业模式兼容,在信义法理层面不存在障碍。网络平台承担信息信义义务可以弥补传统个人信息控制论在数字经济时代的个人控制“不能”或控制“过度”之缺陷,更有利于实现保护个人权益并促进信息利用的二元目标。我国现行个人信息保护制度本质上仍属于个人信息控制论的法律表达,对信息关系的调整较为僵化,对此可基于网络平台信息信义义务的规范进路予以优化,构建以增强用户-平台信任为目标的动态信息保护机制。     

金融机构资管信义义务：检视与完善

《资管新规》中的信义义务规范表述模糊笼统，缺乏细致判定标准，亟待梳理资管信义义务的产生基础、规范配置与内涵界定，寻求规范完善进路。结合我国实践，信义义务规范应缓和抽象立法模式，按资管产品类型化划分，加强规范体系协调，建构“信托法总括性规定—特别法规类型化规范—部门规章细化标准”的统合立法。忠实义务方面，细化受托人报酬合理标准，适当扩张资管业务中利益冲突的认定情形，支持投资者行使归入权和法定解除权；勤勉义务方面，细化前期尽调义务，确立信息说明和助言义务，统一适当性推荐义务规范表述，补充规模适当性和豁免规定。在司法适用中打通信义义务规范作为民事裁判依据的制度通道，完善信义义务行政处罚相关规定及免责事由。     

信息信义义务理论之批判

“信息信义义务”理论已掀起网络平台监管争论的汹涌波涛,该理论经由杰克·巴尔金（Jack Balkin）教授发展,旨在“一碗水端平”一般用户与搜集、分析、出卖个人信息为业的数据公司之间的关系。在处理医患关系、律师与客户、会计师与客户的关系时,法律课以医生、律师和会计师特殊的注意、保密和忠实义务。巴尔金教授主张,与之相类似,在处理脸书（Facebook）、谷歌（Google）和推特（Twitter）等公司与终端用户的关系时,也应课以公司类似的特殊义务。过去数年里,该论断赢得了广泛的支持,鲜有敌手。但信息信义义务理论存在潜在矛盾和模棱两可之处,其是否有能力解决上述问题使人生疑。故此,本文揭示上述理论缺陷,意在瓦解“信息信义义务”新理论共识。尽管我们同意巴尔金教授“占主导地位的网络平台造成损害,由此呼唤法律的介入管制”的论断,但我们质疑信息信义义务这套理论是否能充分、恰当地回应所谓的信息不安全问题,更勿论一些更为根本的问题——建立于监视渗透基础上的优势市场份额以及与商业模式相关的根本问题。我们也呼吁重视信息信义义务这一理论框架的潜在成本——我们担心,该理论框架会对网络平台的结构性权利产生一种盲目的自满,也过早地放弃了对公共监管的更美愿景。     

单层制改革背景下独立董事法律义务与责任研究

我国独董制度长期以上市公司为背景展开规范,2023年12月29日公司法的修订将独董制度延伸至非上市股份公司治理结构,将面临独董规范的立法空白。独董的职能应包括公司内部治理优化和对外投资者保护两个方面,并分别构成独董承担公司法和证券法义务的基础,但在立法与实践中往往将两者混淆。董事信义义务规则可以参照适用于独立董事,但应当正视独董在信息获取渠道上的局限性,较执行董事承担更为宽松的责任标准,以商业判断规则的精神评价独董是否勤勉尽责,且不宜盲目扩大义务范围。在决定独董是否承担自付责任时,应当确立可预期、有合理救济范围的责任减免机制,包括章程豁免条款、董责险和赔偿责任上限规则。     

金融消费者权益保护的分析与探讨

回顾分析"原油宝"事件,发现在金融创新发展过程中,我国金融消费者权益未受到恰当的保护,存在金融消费者素养有待提升、金融机构没有恰当履行风险管理义务、金融创新产品存在监管盲点等问题.本文提出,应借鉴国外金融消费者权益保护实践和立法经验,通过深化金融消费者教育、明确金融消费者概念、加强对金融机构营业行为规制等方式完善我国金融消费者权益保护相关制度和法律,加强对金融消费者权益的保护.     

票据资管模式融资的风险分析及法律防范

票据资管融资是票据融资的重要组成部分,改变了传统上中小企业间接融资成本高的难题。目前,我国票据资管融资尚处于初步发展阶段,各个环节面临的风险不尽相同。计划管理人和托管人都应遵守信义义务,积极履行合同义务以维护投资者的权益,但我国法律尚未对各方主体间的权利义务作出明确规定。票据因其信用功能和融资功能受到融资者青睐的同时,也因票据法律制度关于真实交易背景的规定而受到限制,即使以票据收益权或者应收账款作为基础资产,依然在质押合同协议及托管协议中面临着法律风险。为此,在现行资管模式下应引入第三方担保、科学合理地设计票据资管合约、对各方主体提出更高的信义义务要求并完善我国风险自留制度。通过观察票据资管模式演化进程,反思我国票据法律制度关于真实交易背景限制是否合理。     

有限合伙人在有限合伙企业中的权利义务研究

我国中小企业在发展和风险投资的过程中通过有限合伙制度能够更好地得到发展。该制度最早起源于英美国家，我国政府也针对当前的企业合伙制度关系，在2006年重新对《合伙企业法》相关法律条文进行了修订。本文通过对有限合作制度中有限合伙人应当履行的信义义务进行相关理论研究和分析，完善我国中小企业的合伙制度发展。     

论控股股东对上市公司虚假财务报告的责任

控股股东对公司和其他股东负有诚信义务.在我国,控股股东往往凭借对上市公司董事会和管理当局的控制操纵上市公司财务报告.为保护中小投资者利益,应当追究控股股东对虚假陈述的责任.     

Materiality in Corporate Governance: The Statement of Significant Audiences and Materiality

Materiality is an elusive, but fundamentally important concept in corporate reporting of all kinds—not only in traditional financial reporting, but in sustainability and integrated reporting as well. In the end, materiality is entity‐specific and based on judgment. Moreover, it is a judgment that should ultimately be made by a company's board of directors, which makes materiality as much a governance as a reporting issue. Whether a given ESG issue is material is in large part a function of the corporate stakeholders, or “audiences,” that the company's board of directors deems to be “significant”—that is, important to the company's ability to create value over the short, medium, and long term. The identification of such audiences—together with the time frames the board uses to evaluate the impact of the company's decisions on these audiences—provides the basis for determining the sustainability issues that corporate management must focus on for performance and reporting purposes. To help ensure that decisions about materiality receive the attention they deserve, the authors propose that corporate boards articulate their views in an annual “Statement of Significant Audiences and Materiality.” Contrary to the prevailing belief that the fiduciary duty of the board is to place shareholders’ interests first, nothing precludes corporate boards from issuing such a statement. Recent research, including the compilation of legal memos on fiduciary duty and nonfinancial reporting for all G20 countries, makes it clear that the board's fiduciary duty is to “the corporation itself.” In exercising this duty, directors have full discretion, under the business judgment rule and other authorities, to decide which audiences, along with the company's shareholders, should be deemed significant.     

增设金融行业从业人员背信罪的探讨

金融行业从业人员违背信托责任从事非法行为,对金融秩序和公私财产权造成极大损害,而刑法规制条款的缺位则是该类行为屡有发生的重要原因.由此,设置金融行业从业人员背信罪成为防止类似行为发生的重要措施.由于此类行为的特殊性和典型性,罪名的确定、罪状的设置及刑罚的配置都需要具体分析和深度思考.刑法的谦抑性决定了刑法的最后性和补充性,因此,前置制度的完善与对背信行为的堵疏结合才是治本之策.     

Fiduciaries--HMOs--incentives to ration care. Pegram v. Herdrich

Pegram v. Herdrich, ___ U.S. ___, 120 S. Ct. 2143 (June 12, 2000): An HMO cannot be liable for breach of fiduciary duty because of mixed eligibility decisions by its doctors, even if the HMO gives the doctors financial incentives to minimize care because treatment decisions made by an HMO through its physician employees are not fiduciary acts within the meaning of ERISA. Where eligibility for benefits depends upon decisions by doctors concerning their conclusions about when to use diagnostic tests, when to authorize consultations or make referrals, proper standards of care, whether a proposed treatment is experimental, the reasonableness of certain treatment, and the emergency nature of a condition, such "mixed eligibility decisions" are not fiduciary acts under ERISA, and an HMO will not be treated as a fiduciary to the extent it makes such decisions through its doctors.     

The influence of marketing communications strategy on consumer purchasing behaviour in the financial services industry in an emerging economy

The financial services sector is characterised by a high level of consumer perceived risk and irrational behaviour in decision-making, which is predominantly influenced by the effect of communication and the application of heuristics as a function of communication in consumer decision-making. This situation promotes marketing communication as one of the most essential activities that financial institutions rely on to mitigate the perceived risks and to satisfy consumers’ quest in understanding financial products. Hence the importance of this research is to establish the effects of marketing communication on consumer purchasing behaviour in emerging economies that are experiencing expanded financial markets but limited corresponding research insight. To achieve the aim of this study, the research uses data from 360 customers of selected financial institutions in Ghana. The hypotheses are tested using the structural equations modelling technique. The results of the study reveal marketing communication strategies evaluated have positive and significant impacts on consumer purchase behaviour. However, amongst the marketing communication strategies tested advertising and celebrity endorsement were found to have an insignificant relationship with consumer purchase behaviour. The study offers practical and theoretical insights into understanding the dynamics and nuances of the integrated marketing communication mix and how they influence the purchase behaviours of consumers.

     

金融消费者概念之提倡

提倡金融消费者这一独立法律概念源于法理上有其存在的必要性和正当性.以往根据主观目的来界定金融消费者的方式在金融消费行为的消费性和投资性的双重属性制约下已凸显不合理,基于金融消费过程中利益受损的往往是普通自然人而并非金融机构,因而以是否处于弱势地位来界定金融消费者更为妥当;除此之外,金融消费者还包括金融资本市场上的个人投资者及处于弱势地位的企业和其他社会组织.     

金融消费者法律保护制度研究

当今社会,各种衍生性金融商品组合日益复杂,消费者可从各金融机构购买到各种金融商品,相较于金融业者,金融消费者实为信息较为弱势之一方,因此,金融消费者保护之议题愈显重要,世界各国愈发重视金融商品消费者保护问题,本文建议将我国有关金融从业人员行为规范以及金融消费者保护规范,均提升至法律规定层次,成立独立的金融消费者保护机构能够确实有效保障金融消费者权益的金融消费者保护法,以达到金融创新发展与消费者完整保护之目标.     

Paper and Hill: An In‐Class Corporate Governance Case

Corporate governance is a set of rules and processes that help ensure that firms are effectively run for the benefit of their stakeholders. Good corporate governance is predicated on having directors fulfill their fiduciary duties while acting as stewards of the corporation. The fact that good corporate governance is essential to a well‐functioning and prosperous society is reflected in CPA Canada's Strategy and Governance competency. Unfortunately, there are few in‐class Canadian corporate governance cases that instructors can use to help accounting students improve their understanding of these three fundamental governance concepts: director duty of care, director duty of loyalty, and the business judgment rule. This Canadian corporate governance case is based on the actual events regarding the approval of Steven Hill's employment contract as the Chair of Paper Enterprises Inc. The case is presented using PowerPoint slides, rather than in a traditional narrative format, as it intended to be used as an in‐class case that does not require advance student preparation.     

Trust in financial services: the influence of demographics and dispositional characteristics

So far, very little attention has been paid to examining consumer perceptions of trust from an interdisciplinary perspective. The purpose of this study is to examine how consumer trusting belief and disposition to trust within the financial services sector vary on the basis of individual demographic differences in trust. The research provides new insights into how consumers with higher dispositional trust have higher institutional trust and higher trusting belief and how consumers’ trusting belief significantly differs according to their demographic background in terms of age, marital status, ethnicity and gross annual income. The findings offer useful insights for the managers in financial institutions to carefully consider the impact of the influence of these individual differences on consumer behaviour in order to serve the needs of consumers in their target market and be able to design financial products and develop trust building strategies to attract and retain them. They also call for the action of the regulators and the financial institutions to play their part in building strong institutional systems that contribute to engendering higher levels of consumer trust.