The FCA employs a principle based approach to regulation. Principle 7 states that “A firm must pay due regard to the information needs of its clients, and communicate information to them in a way which is clear, fair and not misleading.”
This is a fundamental cornerstone required of all client communication.
While some degree of technical information is inevitable, your suitability reports should nevertheless be easily understood. One effective way to test the clarity of your suitability reports is to ask a friend or family member, who has no financial services experience, and who is more likely to provide frank observations, to read and to provide critical feedback.



SM&CR training
Alistair MacDougall Compliance FCA, SM&CR
During a recent workshop, the FCA commented on SM&CR training. They do not believe that some e-learning or short generic training meets their requirements. We believe that this is primarily a reference to the need for all staff to understand the intention of the SM&CR to move firms to a culture of accountability at all […]