Home FCA Handbook CONC CONC 10 CONC 10.1 Application and purpose
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CONC 10.1 Application and purpose

Application

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This chapter applies to:

  1. (1)

    a debt management firm; and

  2. (2)

    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 £1 million or more in client money at any point in the next 12 months.

Application: professional firms

01/04/2014R
  1. (1)

    This chapter does not apply to an authorised professional firm:

    1. (a)

      whose main business is the practice of its profession; and

    2. (b)

      whose regulated activities covered by this chapter are incidental to its main business.

  2. (2)

    A firm's main business is the practice of its profession if the proportion of income it derives from professional fees is, during its annual accounting period, at least 50% of the firm's total income (a temporary variation of not more than 5% may be disregarded for this purpose).

  3. (3)

    Professional fees are fees, commissions and other receipts receivable in respect of legal, accountancy, conveyancing and surveying services provided to clients but excluding any items receivable in respect of regulated activities.

Purpose

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This chapter builds on the threshold condition referred to at COND 2.4 (Appropriate resources) by providing that a firm must meet, on a continuing basis, a basic solvency requirement. This chapter also builds on Principle 4 which requires a firm to maintain adequate financial resources by setting out prudential requirements for a firm according to what type of firm it is.

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Prudential standards have an important role in minimising the risk of harm to customers by ensuring that a firm behaves prudently in monitoring and managing business and financial risks.

01/04/2014G

More generally, having adequate prudential resources gives the firm a degree of resilience and some indication to customers of creditworthiness, substance and the commitment of its owners. Prudential standards aim to ensure that a firm has prudential resources which can provide cover for operational and compliance failures and pay redress, as well as reducing the possibility of a shortfall in funds and providing a cushion against disruption if the firm ceases to trade.

01/04/2014R

A contravention of the rules in this chapter does not give rise to a right of action by a private person under section 138D of the Act (and each of those rules is specified under section 138D(3) of the Act as a provision giving rise to no such right of action).