Related provisions for BIPRU 7.2.26
21 - 40 of 202 items.
Principle 6 (Customers' interests) requires that a firm must pay due regard to the interests of its customers and treat them fairly. This means, for example, that a firm should avoid selling practices that commit customers (or lead customers to believe that they are committed) to any regulated mortgage contract or home reversion plan1 before they have been able to consider the illustration and offer document. One such practice might be to present a new customer with an illustration,
Principle 7 (Communications with clients) requires that a firm must pay due regard to the information needs of its clients, and communicate information to them in a way which is clear, fair and not misleading. This means, for example, that a firm should avoid giving any customer a false impression about the availability of a regulated mortgage contract or home reversion plan1, such as describing it as a 'special offer' not available after a certain date unless this is really the
A firm may satisfy MCOB 5.4.10 R by drawing the customer's attention orally to the importance of reading and understanding the illustration, for example in a face-to-face meeting, or by referring to its importance in a covering letter or electronic communication or other written information that accompanies the illustration.
MCOB 5.4.13 R places no restrictions on the provision of information that is not specific to the amount the customer wants to borrow, for example, marketing literature including generic mortgage repayment tables or graphs illustrating the benefits of making a regular overpayment on a flexible mortgage. Such literature may, however, constitute a financial promotion2 and be subject to the provisions of MCOB 3 (Financial promotion).2
MCOB applies to regulated mortgage contracts entered into on or after 31 October 2004. Variations made on or after that date to contracts entered into before that date are not subject to FSA regulation but may be subject to the Consumer Credit Act 1974. PERG 4.4.13G2 contains guidance on the variation of contracts entered into before 31 October 2004.12
(1) MCOB 1.6.4 R(2) means, for example, that if a firm discovered immediately after completion that a loan was a regulated mortgage contract, the firm would be required to comply with MCOB 7.4 (Disclosure at the start of the contract).(2) Although MCOB 1.6.4 R recognises that firms may become aware that a mortgage is a regulated mortgage contract at a late stage, the FSA expects this to be an extremely rare occurrence. It could arise, for example, if a firm has acted on the understanding,
A person is an indirect holder of shares for the purpose of the applicable definition of shareholder to the extent that he is entitled to acquire, to dispose of, or to exercise voting rights in any of the following cases or a combination of them:
Case |
|
(a) |
voting rights held by a third party with whom that person has concluded an agreement, which obliges them to adopt, by concerted exercise of the voting rights they hold, a lasting common policy towards the management of the issuer in question; |
(b) |
voting rights held by a third party under an agreement concluded with that person providing for the temporary transfer for consideration of the voting rights in question; |
(c) |
voting rights attaching to shares which are lodged as collateral with that person provided that person controls the voting rights and declares its intention of exercising them; |
(d) |
voting rights attaching to shares in which that person has the life interest; |
(e) |
voting rights which are held, or may be exercised within the meaning of points (a) to (d) or, in cases (f) and (h) by a person1 undertaking investment management, or by a management company, by an undertaking controlled by that person; 1 |
(f) |
voting rights attaching to shares deposited with that person which the person can exercise at its discretion in the absence of specific instructions from the shareholders; |
(g) |
voting rights held by a third party in his own name on behalf of that person; |
(h) |
voting rights which that person may exercise as a proxy where that person can exercise the voting rights at his discretion in the absence of specific instructions from the shareholders. |
[Note: article 10 of the TD]
Cases (a) to (h) in DTR 5.2.1 R identify situations where a person may be able to control the manner in which voting rights are exercised and where, (taking account of any aggregation with other holdings) a notification to the issuer may need to be made. In the FSA's view:(1) Case (e) produces the result that it is always necessary for the parent undertaking of a controlled undertaking to aggregate its holding with any holding of the controlled undertaking (subject to the exemptions
A person falling within Cases (a) to (h) is an indirect holder of shares for the purpose of the definition of shareholder. These indirect holdings have to be aggregated, but also separately identified in a notification to the issuer. Apart from those identified in the Cases (a) to (h), the FSA does not expect any other significant category "indirect shareholder" to be identified. Cases (a) to (h) are also relevant in determining whether a person is an indirect holder of qualifying
(1) A policy's main characteristics include its significant benefits, its significant exclusions and limitations, its duration and price information.(2) A significant exclusion or limitation is one that would tend to affect the decision of customers generally to buy. In determining what exclusions or limitations are significant, a firm should particularly consider the exclusions or limitations that relate to the significant features and benefits of a policy and factors which may
(1) This guidance applies to policies bought as secondary products to revolving credit agreements (such as store cards or credit cards).(2) Price information should be given in a way calculated to enable a typical customer to understand the typical cumulative cost of taking out the policy. This does not require oral disclosure where there is a sales dialogue with a customer. However, consistent with Principle 7, a firm should ensure that this element of price information is not
(1) When explaining the implications of a change, a firm should explain any changes to the benefits and significant or unusual exclusions arising from the change.(2) Firms will need to consider whether mid-term changes are compatible with the original policy, in particular whether it reserves the right to vary premiums, charges or other terms. Firms also need to ensure that any terms which reserve the right to make variations are not themselves unfair under the Unfair Terms R
In the FSA's view, money payable to an introducer on his own account includes money legitimately due to him for services rendered to the borrower, whether in connection with the introduction or otherwise. It also includes sums payable to an introducer (for example, a housebuilder) by a buyer in connection with a transfer of property. For example, article 33A allows a housebuilder to receive the purchase price on a property that he sells to a borrower, whom he previously introduced
In the FSA's view, details of fees or commission referred to in PERG 4.5.14G (2) does not require an introducer to provide an actual sum to the borrower, where it is not possible to calculate the full amount due prior to the introduction. This may arise in cases where the fee or commission is a percentage of the eventual loan taken out and the amount of the required loan is not known at the time of the introduction. In these cases, it would be sufficient for the introducer to
In the FSA's view, the information condition in PERG 4.5.14G (3) requires the introducer to indicate to the borrower any other advantages accruing to him as a result of ongoing arrangements with N relating to the introduction of borrowers. This may include, for example, indirect benefits such as office space, travel expenses, subscription fees and this and other relevant information may be provided on a standard form basis to the borrower, as appropriate.
(1) The following example illustrates BIPRU 7.5.11R. In this example, a firm contracts to sell $106 for €108 in one year's time and the present values of each cash flow are $100 and €100 respectively.(2) In the non-trading book, this forward would be treated as a combination of a €108 long position and a $106 short position.(3) In the trading book, this forward would be treated as a combination of a €100 long position and a $100 short position.(4) Firms are reminded that foreign
(1) The following example illustrates BIPRU 7.5.13R. In this example a firm enters into a five year foreign currencyswap where it contracts to pay six month US$ Libor on $100 in return for receiving 6% fixed on €100. The present values of each leg are $100 and €98 respectively.(2) In the non-trading book, this swap would be treated as a combination of a €100 long position and a $100 short position.(3) In the trading book, this swap would be treated as a combination of a €98 long
Members will individually comply with this chapter if and only if all complaints by policyholders against members are dealt with under the Lloyd's complaints procedures. Accordingly, certain of the obligations under this chapter, for example the obligation to report on complaints received and the obligation to pay fees under the rules relating to the funding of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FEES 5), must be complied with by the Society on behalf of members. Managing agents
In the opinion of the
FSA
, the following factors are to be taken into account in determining whether or not refraining from action amounts to behaviour which satisfies section 118(1)(a) of the Act and are indications that it does:(1) if the person concerned has failed to discharge a legal or regulatory obligation (for example to make a particular disclosure) by refraining from acting; or(2) if the person concerned has created a reasonable expectation of
For example, if a passenger on a train passing a burning factory calls his broker and tells him to sell shares in the factory's owner, the passenger will be acting on information which is generally available, since it is information which has been obtained by legitimate means through observation of a public event.
The following are examples of
behaviour
that might fall within the scope of section 123(1)(b) :(1) a director of a company, while in possession of inside information, instructs an employee of that company to
deal in qualifying investments or related investments in respect of which the information is inside information;(2) a person recommends or advises a friend to engage in
behaviour
which, if he himself engaged
The level of information required will vary according to matters such as:(1) the knowledge, experience and ability of a typical customer for the policy;(2) the policy terms, including its main benefits, exclusions, limitations, conditions and its duration;(3) the policy's overall complexity;(4) whether the policy is bought in connection with other goods and services;(5) distance communication information requirements (for example, under the distance communication rules less information
In determining what is “in good time”, a firm should consider the importance of the information to the customer's decision-making process and the point at which the information may be most useful. Distance communication timing requirements are also relevant (for example, the distance communication rules enable certain information to be provided post-conclusion in telephone and certain other sales (see ICOBS 3.1.14 R and ICOBS 3.1.15 R)).
3The provisions in this sourcebook that apply to home reversion plans should be read in a purposive way. This means that firms should substitute equivalent home reversion terminology for lifetime mortgage terminology, where appropriate. Examples of terms and expressions that must be replaced are 'loan' or 'amount borrowed', which should be replaced with 'amount released' or 'amount to be released', as appropriate, and 'mortgage lender' and 'mortgage intermediary' which should
Given that the APR is presented as a percentage, and must be rounded to one decimal place in accordance with MCOB 10 (Annual Percentage Rate), firms should note that the tolerance allowed for the APR in MCOB 9.3.6 R(1)(b) means that, for example, where the actual APR is 5.0%, the quoted APR must be no lower than 4.9%, or where the actual APR is 16.0%, the quoted APR must be no lower than 15.9%.
An offer document may not always exactly match the illustration provided before application even when the equity release3 requirements have not changed. For example, where a fixed rate has a defined end date, the total amount payable may be different because the number of payments at the fixed rate has reduced, or the estimated amount of interest to be charged has changed, assuming a later date at which the lifetime mortgage3will start.33
Even with a cross-border element a person may still be carrying on an activity 'in the United Kingdom'. For example, a person who is situated in the United Kingdom and who is safeguarding and administering investments will be carrying on activities in the United Kingdom even though his client may be overseas.
A person who is based outside the United Kingdom but who sets up an establishment in the United Kingdom must therefore consider the following matters. First, he must not, unless he is authorised, carry on regulated activities in the United Kingdom. Second, unless he is authorised, the day-to-day management of the carrying on of the regulated activity must not be the responsibility of the UK establishment. This may, for example, affect those UK establishments that in the context
Persons subject to enforcement action may be prepared to agree the amount of any financial penalty and other conditions which the FSA seeks to impose by way of such action. Such conditions might include, for example, the amount or mechanism for the payment of compensation to consumers. The FSA recognises the benefits of such agreements, in that they offer the potential for securing earlier redress or protection for consumers and the saving of cost to the person concerned and the
(1) Any settlement agreement between the FSA and the person concerned will therefore need to include a statement as to the appropriate penalty discount in accordance with this procedure.(2) In certain circumstances the person concerned may consider that it would have been possible to reach a settlement at an earlier stage in the action, and argue that it should be entitled to a greater percentage reduction in penalty than is suggested by the table at DEPP 6.7.3G (3). It may be,
Where a tied product is operated separately from the regulated mortgage contract, for example where the premiums on a tied insurance product are not combined with payments on the regulated mortgage contract, the statement required by MCOB 7.5.1 R in relation to the tied product may be provided in a separate communication.
Whether a firm is likely to provide the information set out in MCOB 7.5.3 R(2) more frequently than once a year will depend on the nature of the regulated mortgage contract. In determining how frequently to provide that information, a firm should take into account the need to keep the customer informed of any changes in the amount they owe, the customer's expectations and, where appropriate, the duration of the loan. For example, for a mortgage credit card the information might
For example, when the tariff base for a particular sub-class is based on a firm'sannual eligible income the valuation period for that sub-class is the firm's last financial year ending in the year to 31 December preceding the financial year of the FSCS for which the calculation is being made. In the case of a firm in sub-class A1 (Deposits) its valuation period will be 31 December.5
MCOB 2.3.2 R does not prevent a firm: (1) assisting a home finance intermediary2 so that the quality of the home finance intermediary's2 service to customers is enhanced; or 22(2) giving or receiving indirect benefits (such as gifts, hospitality and promotional competition prizes); providing in either case this is not likely to give rise to a conflict with the duties that the recipient owes to the customer. In particular, such benefits should not be of a kind or value that is
(1) A firm must not operate a system of giving or offering inducements to a mortgage intermediary, reversion intermediary or any other third party whereby the value of the inducement increases if the intermediary2 or third party, such as a packager, exceeds a target set for the amount of business referred (for example, a volume override). 22(2) A firm must not solicit or accept an inducement whereby the value of the inducement increases if the firm exceeds a target set for the
(1) One way a firm may give advice on a fair analysis basis is by using ‘panels’ of insurance undertakings which are sufficient to enable the firm to give advice on a fair analysis basis and are reviewed regularly. (2) A firm which provides a service based on a fair analysis of the market (or from a sector of the market) should ensure that its analysis of the market and the available contracts is kept adequately up-to-date. For example, a firm should update its selection of contracts