The Pensions Regulator has issued new guidance to schemes today, requiring them to provide members requesting a transfer out with additional information and warnings. The full guidance can be read here.
In summary, the regulator is calling on scheme trustees to:
- highlight the free, impartial pensions guidance from Pension Wise, including phone appointments and online information;
- encourage members to take regulated advice to understand their retirement options;
- identify increased risks in how a member has decided to access their pension funds and give appropriate warnings of the risks and implications of their chosen option;
- send all DB members requesting a cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) a template letter signed by TPR, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Money and Pensions Service, which runs The Pensions Advisory Service;
- monitor CETV requests and inform FCA of unusual or concerning patterns, such as spikes or the same adviser across multitude of requests.
Model behaviour
Alistair MacDougall Compliance Drawdown, EBI, FCA, ML, PI, Switch
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