DISP 1.10 Complaints reporting rules
- (1)
Unless (2) applies, twice a year a firm must provide the FCA with a complete report concerning complaints received from eligible complainants.10
618 - (2)
If a firm has permission to carry on only credit-related regulated activities or operating an electronic system in relation to lending and has revenue arising from those activities that is less than or equal to £5,000,000 a year, the firm must provide the FCA with a complete report concerning complaints received from eligible complainants once a year.10
888618 - (3)
The report required by (1) and (2) must be set out in the format in DISP 1 Annex 1R.10
618 - (4)
Paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply to a firm with only a limited permission unless that firm is a not-for-profit debt advice body that at any point in the last 12 months has held £1 million or more in client money or as the case may be, projects that it will hold £1million or more in client money in the next 12 months.10
618
A firm with only a limited permission to whom DISP 1.10.1R(1) and (2) do not apply is required to submit information to the FCA about the number of complaints it has received in relation to credit-related activities under the reporting requirements in SUP 16.12 (see, in particular, data item CCR007 in SUP 16.12.29CR). A firm with limited permission to whom DISP 1.10.1R (1) and (2) do not apply is also subject to the complaints data publication rules in DISP 1.10A.10
6182Forwarded complaints102
Joint reports102
Firms that are part of a group may submit a joint report to the FCA. The joint report must contain the information required from all firms concerned and clearly indicate the firms on whose behalf the report is submitted. The requirement to provide a report, and the responsibility for the report, remains with each firm in the group.10
1Not all the firms in the group need to submit the report jointly. Firms should only consider submitting a joint report if it is logical to do so, for example, where the firms have a common central complaints handling team, the same accounting reference date and are all subject to the same reporting frequencies and submission deadlines.10
1618Information requirements102
- (1)
Where a firm receives less than 500 complaints in a reporting period, Part A-1 of DISP 1 Annex 1 requires, for the relevant reporting period and in respect of particular categories of products:10
- (a)
in Table 1, information about the total number of complaints received by the firm and the cause of the complaint;10
- (b)
in Table 2, information about the number of complaints that were:10
- (i)
closed or upheld within different periods of time; and10
- (ii)
the total amount of redress paid by the firm in relation to complaints upheld and not upheld in the relevant reporting period; and10
- (i)
- (c)
in Table 3, information providing context about the complaints received.10
- (a)
- (2)
Where a firm receives 500 or more complaints in a reporting period, Part A-2 of DISP 1 Annex 1 requires, for the relevant reporting period and in respect of particular categories of products:10
- (a)
in Table 4, information about the total number of complaints received by the firm and the cause of the complaint;10
- (b)
in Table 5, information about the number of complaints that were:10
- (i)
closed or upheld within different periods of time; and10
- (ii)
the amount of redress paid by the firm in relation to complaints upheld and not upheld in the relevant reporting period; and10
- (i)
- (c)
in Table 6, information providing context about the complaints received.10
- (a)
Part B of DISP 1 Annex 1R requires (for the relevant reporting period) information about:10
618- (1)
the total number of complaints received by the firm;10
- (2)
the total number of complaints closed by the firm;10
- (3)
the total number of complaints:10
- (4)
the total amount of redress paid in respect of complaints during the reporting period.10
- (1)
Twice a year a firm must provide the FCA with a complete report concerning complaints received from eligible complainants about matters relating to activities carried out by its employees when acting as retail investment advisers. The report must be set out in the format in DISP 1 Annex 1C R.10
4777 - (2)
DISP 1 Annex 1C R requires (for the relevant reporting period) information about:10
- (a)
the total number of complaints received by the firm about matters relating to activities carried out by its employees when acting as retail investment advisers;10
777 - (b)
the total number of complaints closed by the firm about matters relating to activities carried out by its employees when acting as retail investment advisers;10
777 - (c)
the total number of complaints upheld by the firm about matters relating to activities carried out by its employees when acting as retail investment advisers; and10
777 - (d)
the total amount of redress paid in respect of complaints upheld during the reporting period about matters relating to activities carried out by its employees when acting as retail investment advisers.10
777
- (a)
- (3)
For the purposes of DISP 1 Annex 1C R retail investment adviser information must be reported by: 11
10- (a)
11the employee’s Individual Reference Number (IRN); or
- (b)
11in the case of an employee of an SMCR firm12 who is performing an FCA certification function12 and has no IRN:
- (i)
the employee’s National Insurance (NI) number and date of birth; or
- (ii)
if the employee has no NI number, the employee’s date of birth, current passport number and nationality.
- (i)
- (a)
For the purposes of DISP 1.10.2R, DISP 1.10.2-AR and DISP 1.10.2AR, when completing the return, the firm should take into account the following matters.10
6184- (1)
If a complaint could fall into more than one category, the complaint should be recorded in the category which the firm considers to form the main part of the complaint.10
- (2)
Under DISP 1.10.2R(1)(b), DISP 1.10.2R(2)(b) or DISP 1.10.2-AR, a firm should report information relating to all complaints which are closed and upheld within the relevant reporting period, including those resolved under DISP 1.5 (Complaints resolved by close of the third business day).10 Where a complaint is upheld in part, or where the firm does not have enough information to make a decision yet chooses to make a goodwill payment to the complainant, a firm should treat the complaint as upheld for reporting purposes. However, where a firm rejects a complaint, yet chooses to make a goodwill payment to the complainant, the complaint should be recorded as 'rejected'.
1061811317111 - (3)
If a firm reports on the amount of redress paid under DISP 1.10.2R(1)(b)(ii), DISP 1.10.2R(2)(b)(ii),10 DISP 1.10.2-AR(4) or DISP 1.10.2AR, redress should be interpreted to include an amount paid, or cost borne, by the firm, where a cash value can be readily identified, and should include:10
6184- (a)
amounts paid for distress and inconvenience;10
- (b)
a free transfer out to another provider which transfer would normally be paid for;10
- (c)
goodwill payments and goodwill gestures;10
- (d)
interest on delayed settlements;10
- (e)
waiver of an excess on an insurance policy; and10
- (f)
payments to put the consumer back into the position the consumer should have been in had the act or omission not occurred.10
- (a)
- (4)
If a firm reports on the amount of redress paid under DISP 1.10.2R(1)(b)(ii), DISP 1.10.2R(2)(b)(ii),10 DISP 1.10.2-AR(4) or DISP 1.10.2AR, the redress should not, however, include repayments or refunds of premiums which had been taken in error (for example where a firm had been taking, by direct debit, twice the actual premium amount due under a policy). The refund of the overcharge would not count as redress.10
6184
[Note: See SUP 10A.14.24R for the ongoing duty to notify complaints about matters relating to activities carried out by an employee when acting as a retail investment adviser.] 10
9161677774Unless DISP 1.10.4AR applies, the relevant reporting periods are:10
- (1)
the six months immediately following a firm's accounting reference date; and 10
- (2)
the six months immediately preceding a firm's accounting reference date. 10
If a firm has permission to carry on only credit-related regulated activities or operating an electronic system in relation to lending and has revenue arising from those activities that is less than or equal to £5,000,000 a year, the relevant reporting period is the year immediately following the firm's accounting reference date.10
- (1)
5If a firm does not submit a complete report by the date on which it is due, in accordance with DISP 1.10.5 R, the firm must pay an administrative fee of £250.10
- (2)
The administrative fee in (1) does not apply if the firm has notified the FCA of a systems failure in accordance with DISP 1.10.6 R.10
Notification of contact point for complainants
For the purpose of inclusion in the public record maintained by the FCA, a firm must:10
- (1)
provide the FCA, at the time of its authorisation, with details of a single contact point within the firm for complainants; and10
- (2)
notify the FCA of any subsequent change in those details when convenient and, at the latest, in the firm's next report under the complaints reporting rules.10