A U.K.-based financial services firm that used automated decision-making to drive sales over ensuring whether customers posed credit risks dodged a penalty of 72.9 million pounds (U.S. $88.7 million) because it can’t afford to pay while reimbursing customers.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal...