Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LSE:LLOY) shares headed higher on Wednesday on news the Supreme Court would hear an appeal against October’s ruling over motor finance mis-selling.
Lloyds, which is among those exposed to potential compensation, gained 4.3%, while peer Close Brothers Group PLC (LSE:CBG) jumped 8.3%.
Shares in both had been hit by a Court of Appeal decision that hidden commissions from banks to salespeople around car finance were illegal.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would allow Close Brothers to appeal the ruling, which opened the door for lenders to potentially have to pay billions in redress.
Lloyds has set aside £450 million to cover possible compensation, while Banco Santander (LSE:BNC) unveiled a £295 million provision recently.
Close Brothers has not disclosed its potential hit but stopped writing new motor finance deals in October in the wake of the ruling and pointed to a possible impact next year.
Lobby group The Financing and Leasing Association, which represents the likes of Barclays and Lloyds, hailed the news.
“Permission to appeal is very good news indeed,” Adrian Dally, motor finance director at the group, said.
“The expedited process will give the motor finance sector the certainty it needs.”
October’s ruling had threatened to spark a new wave of claims around historic motor finance agreements, given it went further than a Financial Conduct Authority investigation into now-banned specific discretionary commission arrangements.
Lenders had been eyeing a potential collective £30 billion compensation bill as a result, with the Supreme Court’s decision leaving the prospect of an overruling after the appeal is heard in the first half of next year.
S&U PLC (LSE:SUS) earlier on Wednesday had warned of a hit within its Advantage motor finance wing on the back of October’s ruling, before the Supreme Court’s decision.
Trading had “been burdened by the [decision] which sought to impose a new, but retrospective, duty of care on lenders and brokers throughout the sector,” it said.