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FEES 6.3 The FSCS's power to impose levies

General limits on levies

FEES 6.3.1RRP

The FSCS may at any time impose a management expenses levy or a compensation costs levy, provided that the FSCS has reasonable grounds for believing that the funds available to it to meet relevant expenses are, or will be, insufficient, taking into account:

  1. (1)

    in the case of a management expenses levy, the level of the FSCS's anticipatedexpenditure in respect of those expenses in the financial year of the compensation scheme in relation to which the levy is imposed; and

  2. (2)

    in the case of a compensation costs levy, the level of the FSCS's anticipatedexpenditure in respect of compensation costs in the 12 months following the levy.

FEES 6.3.2GRP

The calculation of levies will also take into account previous levies, where funds raised in anticipation of meeting liabilities prove either more or less than the amount actually required.

FEES 6.3.3GRP

The FSCS may impose one or more levies in a financial year to meet either its management expenses or its compensation costs. The FSCS may also impose interim levies, as part of its overall levy commitment. This flexibility allows the FSCS to phase its financing over the course of a financial year and thus avoid collecting levies from firms before the money is actually needed. The FSCS has committed itself in the Memorandum of Understanding with the FSA (the text of which can be found on the FSA website www.fsa.gov.uk) to publish regularly an indicative timetable for its levy procedures.

FEES 6.3.4GRP

The discretion over levying in COMP also gives the FSCS, if it thinks this appropriate, the ability to use third parties as its agents in raising and collecting the levies.

Limits on compensation costs levies on sub-schemes

FEES 6.3.5RRP

The FSCS must not require a participant firm in the accepting deposits sub-scheme to pay a share of a compensation costs levy allocated to that sub-scheme to the extent that:

  1. (1)

    the share in question; plus

  2. (2)

    all previous amounts paid by the firm either as its share of levies allocated to that sub-scheme, or under the Deposit Protection Scheme (deducting from those amounts any amount refunded under FEES 6.3.20 R to FEES 6.3.21 R or by the Deposit Protection Scheme);

amounts to more than 0.3% of the firm's protected deposits.

FEES 6.3.6R

The FSCS must not require a participant firm in the insurance business sub-scheme to pay a share of a compensation costs levy allocated to that sub-scheme in any financial year of the compensation scheme, to the extent that the share in question, together with all previous amounts paid by the firm as its share of compensation costs levies allocated to that sub-scheme in that financial year, amounts to more than 0.8% of the participant firm's relevant net premium income.

FEES 6.3.7R

The maximum amount of compensation costs for which the FSCS can levy the designated investment business sub-scheme in any one financial year of the compensation scheme is limited to 400 million.

FEES 6.3.8R

The FSCS must not require a participant firm in the home finance1 advice and arranging sub-scheme to pay a share of a compensation costs levy allocated to that sub-scheme in any financial year of the compensation scheme, to the extent that:

1
  1. (1)

    the share in question; plus

  2. (2)

    all previous amounts paid by the firm as its share of compensation costs levies allocated to that sub-scheme in that financial year;

amounts to more than 0.8% of the participant firm's annual eligible income.

FEES 6.3.9R

The FSCS must not require a participant firm in the general insurance mediation sub-scheme to pay a share of a compensation costs levy allocated to that sub-scheme in any financial year of the compensation scheme, to the extent that:

  1. (1)

    the share in question; plus

  2. (2)

    all previous amounts paid by the firm as its share of the compensation costs levy allocated to that sub-scheme in that financial year;

amounts to more than 0.8% of the participant firm's annual eligible income.

Levy for compensation costs paid in error

FEES 6.3.10RRP

The FSCS may include in a compensation costs levy the costs of compensation paid by the FSCS in error, provided that the payment was made in good faith.

Management of funds

FEES 6.3.11RRP

The FSCS must hold any amount collected from a specific costs levy or compensation costs levy to the credit of the sub-schemes and relevant contribution groups, in accordance with the allocation established under FEES 6.4.6 R and FEES 6.5.2 R.

FEES 6.3.12RRP

Any funds received by the FSCS by way of levy or otherwise for the purposes of the compensation scheme are to be managed as the FSCS considers appropriate, and in doing this the FSCS must act prudently.

FEES 6.3.13RRP

Interest earned by the FSCS in the management of funds held to the credit of a contribution group must be credited to that contribution group, and must be set off against the management expenses allocated to that contribution group.

FEES 6.3.14RRP

The FSCS must keep accounts which show:

  1. (1)

    the funds held to the credit of each sub-scheme and relevant contribution group; and

  2. (2)

    the liabilities of that sub-scheme and relevant contribution group.

FEES 6.3.15R

The FSCS may use the money collected from firms within one sub-scheme to pay compensation costs in respect of any contribution group within that sub-scheme, so long as it ensures that this is done without prejudice to the participant firms from whom the money has been collected.

FEES 6.3.16G

FEES 6.3.15 R means that, for example:

  1. (1)

    when crediting interest under FEES 6.3.13 R, the FSCS should regard any money collected from one contribution group which has been used to pay the compensation costs of another contribution group within the same

    as standing to the credit of the first contribution group; and

  2. (2)

    the FSCS should not raise a levy under FEES 6.3.1 R on a contribution group solely because, as a result of the FSCS's action under FEES 6.3.15 R, there appear to be insufficient funds available to the credit of the contribution group to meet its expenses.

FEES 6.3.17RRP
  1. (1)

    The FSCS may use any money held to the credit of one sub-scheme (the creditorsub-scheme) to pay compensation costsin respect of or allocated to another sub-scheme (the debtor sub-scheme if the FSCS has reasonable grounds to believe that this would be more economical than borrowing funds from a third party or raising a levy.

  2. (2)

    Where the FSCS acts in accordance with (1), it must ensure that:

    1. (a)

      the creditor sub-scheme is reimbursed by the debtor sub-scheme as soon as possible;

    2. (b)

      the debtor sub-scheme pays interest at a rate equivalent to the Bank of England's repo rate from time to time in force; and

    3. (c)

      the amount lent by the creditor sub-scheme to the debtor sub-scheme is taken into account by the FSCS when considering whether to impose a compensation costs levyon the creditor sub-scheme under FEES 6.3.1 R.

FEES 6.3.18GRP
  1. (1)

    The FSCS may use any money held to the credit of any sub-scheme to repay borrowing from a third party incurred to pay establishment costs, if in the opinion of the FSCS this would be to the benefit of participant firms.

  2. (2)

    Where the FSCS acts in accordance with (1), it must ensure that:

    1. (a)

      future establishment costs levies are used first to repay all amounts borrowed from the appropriate sub-schemes;

    2. (b)

      interest is paid to the appropriate sub-schemes at a rate equivalent to the Bank of England's repo rate from time to time in force; and

    3. (c)

      the amount lent by any sub-scheme is taken into account by the FSCS when considering whether to impose a levy under FEES 6.3.1 R.

FEES 6.3.19RRP

Unless FEES 6.3.20 R applies, any recoveries made by the FSCS in relation to protected claims must be credited to the contribution groups to which the related compensation costs were allocated.

FEES 6.3.20RRP

If the FSCS makes recoveries in relation to protected claims where the related compensation costs were allocated to the accepting deposits sub-scheme, or in relation to compensation paid out of a special contribution under the Deposit Protection Scheme, and if the FSCS refunds the recoveries under FEES 6.3.21 R, it must ensure that, as far as possible, the recoveries are refunded to the firms that contributed to the relevant compensation costs levy or special contribution (whether or not the firms are participant firms at the time that the recoveries are made).

FEES 6.3.21RRP

If the FSCS has more funds to the credit of a contribution group than the FSCS believes will be required to meet levies on that contribution group for the next 12 months, it may refund the surplus to members or former members of the contribution group on any reasonable basis.

Adjustments to calculation of levy shares

FEES 6.3.22RRP

The FSCS may adjust the calculation of a participant firm's share of any levy to take proper account of:

  1. (1)

    any excess, not already taken into account, between previous levies of that type imposed in relation to previous periods and the relevant costs actually incurred in that period; or

  2. (2)

    participant firms that are exempt from the levy under FEES 6.2; or

  3. (3)

    amounts that the FSCS has not been able to recover from participant firms as a result of FEES 6.3.5 R FEES 6.3.6 R, FEES 6.3.8 R or FEES 6.3.9 R; or

  4. (4)

    amounts that the FSCS has not been able to recover from participant firms after having taken reasonable steps; or

  5. (5)

    FEES 6.4.8 R (New participant firms), FEES 6.3.23 R (Remission of levy or additional administrative fee) or FEES 6.6 (Incoming EEA firms); or

  6. (6)

    anything else that the FSCS believes on reasonable grounds should be taken into account.

Remission of levy or additional administrative fee

FEES 6.3.23RRP

If a participant firm's share of a levy or an additional administrative fee under FEES 6.7.4 R would be so small that, in the opinion of the FSCS, the costs of collection would be disproportionate to the amount payable, the FSCS may treat the participant firm as if its share of the levy or additional administrative fee amounted to zero.

Levies on the Society of Lloyd's

FEES 6.3.24R

The FSCS may impose a levy on the Society to be calculated as the aggregate of the levies that would be imposed on each member if this chapter applied to members, as follows:

  1. (1)

    a share of any unexpired portion of an establishment costs levy;

  2. (2)

    a proportionate share of a base costs levy in respect of the compensation scheme's costs for the period from 1 January 2004 to the end of the compensation scheme's financial year and a share of such levies for all subsequent financial years; and

  3. (3)

    a specific costs levy and a compensation costs levy in respect of costs arising out of a relevant person being in default, arrangements made under COMP 3.3.1 R or measures taken under COMP 3.3.3 R where:

    1. (a)

      the default occurs or the circumstances giving rise to the arrangements being made or the measures being taken, as the case may be, occur; and

    2. (b)

      the protected contracts of insurance in connection with which the costs arise were entered into;

on or after 1 January 2004.