The FCA has published PS 19/7. This Policy Statement sets out the final rules on the Directory, a new public register for checking the details of key individuals working in the financial services.
The Directory will include information available through the Financial Services Register (The FS Register), as well as information about other individuals, including those performing roles that will no longer be made public on Register following the introduction of the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR).
This information will be made public through a newly designed user interface that is intended to be clear and easy to use.
Publishing this information on an ongoing basis is intended to help protect consumers and firms by making it easier to check whether individuals work for an authorised firm. It will also support the FCA, law enforcement, professional bodies and other regulators to monitor the market, build intelligence and target interventions.
Solo regulated firms (firms regulated only by the FCA) will be able to start submitting the required data from 9 December 2019 and will have to have completed submission by 9 December 2020.
Abridged advice – how is it going so far?
Alistair MacDougall Compliance 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, abridged, Drawdown, FCA, Pension, Pension Transfer, PI, transfer
Based on data and live visits to firms during the period from April 2015 to rule changes in 2018 and 2020, the FCA believed that far too high a proportion of clients were being recommended to transfer safeguarded benefits. This was predicated on the longstanding rule which stated: “… a firm should start by assuming […]