Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and its senior managers have escaped any chance of a penalty after the Financial Conduct Authority admitted it has “very limited” powers to take any action against the bank following allegations that its specialist turnaround unit asset-stripped struggling businesses.

Last year, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched an investigation into RBS’s Global Restructuring Group (GRG) following accusations that the unit pushed its small-business customers into bankruptcy to boost its own profits rather than help them like it was supposed to.

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...