This chapter summarises our rules relating to the general requirement that firms maintain records of certain matters. This chapter also explains where you can find out more about the specific record keeping requirements that apply to mortgage and insurance intermediaries.

Your firm must take reasonable care to make and keep adequate records of matters and dealings (including accounting records) which are the subject of requirements and standards under the regulatory system. The records should be capable of being reproduced on paper in English (SYSC 3.2.20 R).

Your firm should have appropriate systems and controls to fulfil its regulatory and statutory obligations on the adequacy, access, periods of retention and security of records. The general principle is that records should be kept for as long as is relevant for the purposes for which they are made. Records can be kept on computer disc so long as they are capable of being reproduced on paper.

You will find detailed record keeping requirements throughout the Handbook. Schedule 1 to each of the sourcebooks and manuals is an overall summary of these requirements. For example, Schedule 1 to ICOB and Schedule 1 to MCOB summarise the record keeping requirements in those sourcebooks.