Related provisions for PERG 4.6.24
1 - 19 of 19 items.
Article 53A of the Regulated Activities Order (Advising on regulated mortgage contracts) makes advising on regulated mortgage contracts a regulated activity. This covers advice which is both:(1) given to a person in his capacity as borrower or potential borrower; and(2) advice on the merits of the borrower:(a) entering into a particular regulated mortgage contract (whether or not the entering into is done by way of business); or(b) varying the terms of a regulated mortgage contract
Advice will come within the regulated activity in article 53A of the Regulated Activities Order only if it relates to a particular regulated mortgage contract (or several different regulated mortgage contracts). The question is whether a recommendation is made to a customer which either explicitly or implicitly steers the customer to a particular regulated mortgage contract because of its features.
In the FSA's view, guiding a person through scripted questions or a decision tree should not, of itself, involve advice within the meaning of article 53A (it should be generic advice). But the combination of advice, which in isolation may properly be considered generic, with the identification of a particular or several particular regulated mortgage contracts may well, in the FSA's view, cause the person to be advising on regulated mortgage contracts; the FSA considers that it
For the purposes of article 53A, advice must be given to or directed at someone who is acting as borrower or potential borrower. As indicated in PERG 4.4.2 G (Which borrowers?), this means the individual or trustee to whom the credit has been provided by the lender or who is looking to obtain the credit on the security of his property. Advice given to a body corporate will not generally be caught because the advice will not concern a regulated mortgage contract, as defined. But
Undertaking the process of scripted questioning gives rise to particular issues concerning advice. These mainly involve two aspects of this regulated activity. These are that advice must relate to a particular regulated mortgage contract (see PERG 4.6.5 G) and the distinction between information and advice (see PERG 4.6.13 G). Whether or not scripted questioning in any particular case is advising on regulated mortgage contracts will depend on all the circumstances. If the process
The potential for variation in the form, content and manner of scripted questioning is considerable, but there are two broad types. The first type involves providing questions and answers which are confined to factual matters (for example, whether a borrower wishes to pay a fixed or variable rate of interest or the size of deposit available). In the FSA's view, this does not of itself amount to advising on regulated mortgage contracts, as it involves the provision of information
In the scenarios identified inPERG 4.6.23G (3)1 andPERG 4.6.24G (2)1, the FSA considers that it is necessary to look at the process and outcome of scripted questioning as a whole. It may be that the element of advice incorporated in the questioning may properly be viewed as generic advice if it were considered in isolation. But, although the actual advice may be generic, the process has ended in identifying one or more particular regulated mortgage contracts. The combination of
The main exclusion from advising on regulated mortgage contracts relates to advice given in periodical publications, regularly updated news and information services and broadcasts (article 54 of the Regulated Activities Order (Advice given in newspapers etc)). The exclusion applies if the principal purpose of any of these is neither to give advice of the kind to which article 53 (Advising on investments) or article 53A applies nor to lead or enable persons to:(1) acquire or dispose
In the FSA's view, advising on regulated mortgage contracts is carried on where the borrower receives the advice. Accordingly:(1) if the borrower is located in the United Kingdom, a person advising that borrower on regulated mortgage contracts is carrying on a regulated activity in the United Kingdom; but(2) if the service provider and borrower are both located overseas, the regulated activity is not carried on in the United Kingdom.
Where the illustration provided to the customer does not contain an accurate quotation or a reasonable estimate of the payments the customer will need to make in connection with any tied product that the customer must take out with the regulated mortgage contract, and the customer applies for that regulated mortgage contract:(1) the firm must provide the customer with an accurate quotation as soon as possible after he has applied, and in good time before the offer document is
For each of the regulated activities of arranging (bringing about), making arrangements with a view to and advising on regulated mortgage contracts, the exclusions apply if the trustee or personal representative is acting in that capacity and:(1) the arrangements he makes concern the entering into or variation of regulated mortgage contracts and the contracts are to be entered into or varied either by himself and a fellow trustee or personal representative or by the beneficiary
In the FSA's view, the following exclusions are likely, in many cases, to exclude the normal activities of professional firms from amounting to regulated mortgage activities:(1) article 67 of the Regulated Activities Order (Activities carried on in the course of a profession or non-investment business), which applies in relation to the advising and arranging activities (see PERG 4.10.1 G);(2) article 66 of the Regulated Activities Order (Trustees, nominees and personal representatives)
A firm must ensure that its charges to a customer in connection with the firmentering into, making a further advance or further release on, administering, arranging or advising on a regulated mortgage contract or2home reversion plan, or arranging or advising on a variation to the terms of a regulated mortgage contract or home reversion plan are not excessive.11
It follows that whether or not any particular person may be carrying on a regulated mortgage activity 'by way of business' will depend on his individual circumstances. However, some typical examples where the applicable business test would be likely to be satisfied are where a person:(1) enters into one or more regulated mortgage contracts as lender in the expectation of receiving interest or another form of payment that would enable him to profit from his actions;(2) administers
An appointed representative can carry on only those regulated activities which are specified in the Appointed Representatives Regulations. As respects regulated mortgage contracts, these are arranging (bringing about), making arrangements with a view to and advising on regulated mortgage contracts (as well as agreeing to do so).
(1) Principle 6 requires a firm to pay due regard to the interests of its customers and treat them fairly. A firm is also under an obligation, as a consequence of this sourcebook's disclosure requirements,1 to make charges transparent to customers. This chapter reinforces these requirements by preventing a firm from imposing unfair and excessive charges.1(2) The level of charges under a regulated mortgage contract or home reversion plan1 is not typically a matter for regulation.
If an unauthorised SPV arranges for an authorised person with permission to administer a regulated mortgage contract to administer its regulated mortgage contracts, it can avoid carrying on the regulated activities of:(1) administering a regulated mortgage contract, because of the exclusion in article 62 of the Regulated Activities Order (described in PERG 4.8.4 G);(2) arranging (bringing about) or making arrangements with a view to regulated mortgage contracts, because any arrangements
Under article 53A of the Regulated Activities Order, giving advice to a person in his capacity as borrower or potential borrower is a regulated activity if it is advice on the merits of the person:(1) entering into a particular regulated mortgage contract; or(2) varying the terms of a regulated mortgage contract.Advice on varying terms as referred to in (2) comes within article 53A only where the borrower entered into the regulated mortgage contract on or after 31 October 2004
Under article 53A of the Regulated Activities Order (Advising on regulated mortgage contracts), advising a person is a specified kind of activity if:(1) the advice is given to the person in his capacity as a borrower or potential borrower; and(2) it is advice on the merits of his doing any of the following:(a) entering into a particular regulated mortgage contract; or(b) varying the terms of a regulated mortgage contract entered into by him after mortgage day in such a way as
1Activity |
Products/Sectors |
Is there an appropriate examinationrequirement? |
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Designated investment business carried on for a retail client |
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Providing basic advice |
1. |
Stakeholder products excluding a deposit-based stakeholder product |
No |
Advising |
2. |
Securities which are not stakeholder pension schemes or broker funds |
Yes |
3. |
Yes2 |
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4. |
Packaged products which are not broker funds |
Yes2 |
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5. |
Friendly Societylife policies where the employee is not reasonably expected to receive a remuneration of greater than £1000 a year in respect of such sales |
No2 |
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6. |
Friendly Society tax-exempt policies |
Yes2 |
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7. |
Yes2 |
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8. |
Investments in the course of corporate finance business |
Yes2 |
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9. |
Yes2 |
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Undertaking the activity in column 2 |
10. |
Yes |
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11. |
Yes2 |
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Advising and dealing |
12. |
Securities which are not stakeholder pension schemes or broker funds |
Yes |
13. |
Yes2 |
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Managing |
14. |
Yes |
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Overseeing on a day-to-day basis |
15. |
Operating a collective investment scheme or undertaking the activities of a trustee or depositary of a collective investment scheme |
Yes |
16. |
Safeguarding and administering investments or holding client money |
Yes2 |
|
17. |
Administrative functions in relation to managing investments |
Yes2 |
|
18. |
Administrative functions in relation to effecting or carrying out contracts of insurance which are life policies |
Yes2 |
|
19. |
Administrative functions in relation to the operation of stakeholder pension schemes |
Yes2 |
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Regulated mortgage activity and reversion activity carried on for a customer |
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Advising |
20. |
Regulated mortgage contracts for a non-business purpose |
Yes |
21. |
Yes2 |
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Designing scripted questions for non-advised sales |
22. |
Yes |
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Overseeing non-advised sales on a day-to-day basis |
23. |
Yes |
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Non-investment insurance business carried on for a consumer |
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Advising |
24. |
No |
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Notes: |
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1. |
In the Appendix the heading and types of business specified in the headings are to be read in conjunction with the paragraphs appearing beneath them. |
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2. |
Thus, for example, paragraph 24, under the final heading, refers only to advice on non-investment insurance contracts given to a consumer. |
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