Related provisions for DISP App 1.5.17
21 - 40 of 57 items.
Principles 6 (Customers' interests), 7 (Communications with clients), 8 (Conflicts of interest), 9 (Customers: relationships of trust) and 10 (Clients' assets) impose requirements on firms expressly in relation to their clients or customers. These requirements depend, in part, on the characteristics of the client or customer concerned. This is because what is "due regard" (in Principles 6 and 7), "fairly" (in Principles 6 and 8), "clear, fair and not misleading" (in Principle
If the person with or for whom the firm is carrying on an activity is acting through an agent, the ability of the firm to treat the agent as its client under COBS 2.4.3 R3 (Agent as client) will not be available. For example, if a general insurer is effecting a general insurance contract through a general insurance broker who is acting as agent for a disclosed policyholder, the policyholder will be a client of the firm and the firm must comply with the Principles accordingly.
The exclusions outlined in (1) to (7) were available to intermediaries (and in some cases insurance undertakings) acting in connection with life policies before 14 January 2005. In essence, however, the following exclusions do not apply if they concern transactions relating to contracts of insurance:(1) dealing in investments as agent with or through authorised persons (article 22 of the Regulated Activities Order (Deals with or through authorised persons));(2) arranging transactions
In the FCA's view, the liability risks referred to in PERG 5.11.13G (5) cover risks in relation to liabilities that the policyholder might have to others (that is, third party claims). Many policies will provide this sort of cover and so fall outside the scope of the exclusion. For example, a policy that covers the cost of unauthorised calls made when a mobile telephone is stolen includes 'liability risks' and would not be a 'connected contract of insurance'. By contrast, travel
Article 72D (Large risks contracts where risk situated outside the EEA) provides an exclusion for large risks situated outside the EEA. Broadly speaking, these are risks relating to:(1) railway rolling stock, aircraft, ships, goods in transit, aircraft liability and shipping liability;(2) credit and suretyship where relating to the policyholder's commercial or professional liability;(3) land vehicles, fire and natural forces, property damage, motor vehicle liability where the
23'Relevant benefits' are those benefits that fall outside what is required in order that policyholders' reasonable expectations at that point of sale can be fulfilled. (The phrase 'policyholders' reasonable expectations' has technically been superseded. However, the concept now resides within the obligations imposed upon firms by FCA Principle 6 ('...a firm must pay due regard to the interests of its customers and treat them fairly....') Additionally, most of these benefits would
It must be emphasised that activities which concern invitations to renew policies and the subsequent effecting of renewal of policies are likely to fall within insurance mediation activity. Those considering the need for authorisation or variation of their permissions will wish to consider whether a process of tacit renewal operates: that is, where a policyholder need take no action if he wishes to maintain his insurance cover by having his policy 'renewed'. This process will
If a firm (whether within or outside the scope of the Solvency II Directive)2 decides to cease to effect new contracts of insurance, it must, within 28 days of that decision, submit a run-off plan to the FCA3 including: (1) a scheme of operations; and (2) an explanation of how, or to what extent, all liabilities to policyholders (including, where relevant, liabilities which arise from the regulatory duty to treat customers fairly in setting discretionary benefits) will be met
If a firm intends either (a) to remedy a fall in capital resources, or (b) to prevent such a fall, for example, by taking management action to reduce the risks to which a with-profits fund is exposed or by reducing non-contractual benefits for policyholders, it should explain to the FCA how such proposed actions are consistent with the firm's obligations under Principle 6 (Customers' interests).
When a long-term insurer receives any indication that a retail client wishes to surrender a life policy which is of the type that may be traded on an existing secondary market for life policies, it must, before accepting a surrender, make the policyholder aware that he may be able to sell his policy instead, how he may do so and that there may be financial benefits in doing so.
Article 21 of the Regulated Activities Order (Dealing in investments as agent) makes dealing in contracts of insurance as agent a regulated activity. The activity is defined in terms of buying, selling, subscribing for or underwriting contracts as agent, that is, on behalf of another. Examples include:(1) where an intermediary, by accepting on the insurance undertaking's behalf to provide the insurance, commits an insurance undertaking to provide insurance for a prospective policyholder;
For the purposes of article 53, advice must be given to or directed at someone who either holds investments or is a prospective investor (or their agent). Where the investment is a risk-only contract of insurance such as house contents insurance, the policyholder or prospective policyholder is regarded as an investor.
A firm's run-off plan should include:(1) details of any changes that will be made to the firm's corporate governance arrangements as a consequence of closure;(2) an explanation of how costs charged to the with-profits fund may change in the light of closure;(3) an explanation of any changes it will make, as a consequence of closure, to any charges for guarantees, including:(a) the circumstances in which those charges may be varied in the future; or (b) the manner by which the
These tables belong to SUP App 2.15.8 G
Table 1 - forecast summary revenue account for the relevant with-profits fund |
|
(1) |
Premiums and claims (gross and net of reinsurance) analysed by major class of insurance business |
(2) |
Investment return |
(3) |
Expenses |
(4) |
Other charges and income |
(5) |
Taxation |
(6) |
Increase (decrease) in fund in financial year |
(7) |
Fund brought forward |
(8) |
Fund carried forward |
Table 2 - forecast summary balance sheet and statement of solvency for the relevant with-profits fund |
|
Assets analysed by type (excluding implicit items): |
|
(1) |
Equities |
(2) |
Land and buildings |
(3) |
Fixed interest investments |
(4) |
All other assets |
(5) |
Total assets (excluding implicit items) |
(6) |
Policyholder liabilities |
(7) |
Other liabilities |
(8) |
Total liabilities |
(9) |
Excess/(deficiency) of assets over liabilities before implicit items |
(10) |
Implicit items allocated to the with-profits fund |
(11) |
Long-term insurance capital requirement for the with-profits fund |
(12) |
|
(13) |
[deleted]4 4 |
(14) |
Net excess/(deficiency) of assets in the with-profits fund |
Table 3 - forecast summary balance sheet and statement of solvency for the firm |
||
L1 |
||
L2 |
||
L3 |
L1+L2 |
|
L4 |
Total long-term insurance liabilities (excluding resilience capital requirement) |
|
L5 |
Total long-term insurance fund surplus |
L3-L4 |
L6 |
Shareholder fund assets |
|
L7 |
||
L8 |
||
L9 |
Excess of regulatory assets over long-term insurance capital requirement |
L5+L6+L7-L8 |
L10 |
[deleted]4 4 |
4 |
L11 |
||
L12 |
Net excess assets |
L9-L10-L11 |
L13 |
FTSE level at which the long-term insurance capital requirement would be breached |
|
For the purposes of article 53, advice must be given to a person in his capacity as an investor or potential investor (which, in the context of contracts of insurance, will mean as policyholder or potential policyholder). So, article 53 will not apply where advice is given to persons who receive it as:(1) an adviser who will use it only to inform advice given by him to others; or(2) a journalist or broadcaster who will use it only for journalistic purposes.
(1) [deleted]88(2) Relevant matters to which the FCA may have regard when assessing whether a firm will satisfy, and continue to satisfy, this threshold condition8may include but are not limited to:(a) (in relation to a firm other than a firm carrying on, or seeking to carry on, a PRA-regulated activity),8 whether there are any indications that the firm may have difficulties if the application is granted, at the time of the grant or in the future, in complying with any of the
As regards PERG 5.4.2G (2), in the FCA's view, for a person to take up or pursue insurance mediation activity by way of business, he will usually need to be carrying on those activities with a degree of regularity. The person will also usually need to be carrying on the activities for commercial purposes. That is to say, he will normally be expecting to gain a direct financial benefit of some kind. Activities carried on out of friendship or for altruistic purposes will not normally
Discussions with the appropriate regulator8 are particularly relevant where the firm has to discharge obligations to its customers or policyholders before it can cease carrying on a regulated activity. This may be the case, for example, where the firm is an insurer, a bank a dormant account fund operator,4 or, as is often the case, holding client money or customer assets.8
Before a general insurance contract is concluded, a firm must inform a customer who is a natural person of:(1) the law applicable to the contract where the parties do not have a free choice, or the fact that the parties are free to choose the law applicable and, in the latter case, the law the firm proposes to choose; and(2) the arrangements for handling policyholders’ complaints concerning contracts including, where appropriate, the existence of a complaints body (usually the
For life insurance policies pledged to a lending firm to be recognised the following conditions must be met:(1) the party providing the life insurance must be subject to the Solvency II Directive2, or is subject to supervision by a competent authority of a third country which applies supervisory and regulatory arrangements at least equivalent to those applied in the Community;112(2) the life insurance policy is openly pledged or assigned to the lending firm;(3) the party providing
The FCA and PRA consider6 that, in order to comply with Principle 3:Management and control (see PRIN 2.1.1 R), a firm should have appropriate procedures to monitor the nature of the services provided to its customers. Where a UK firm has non-resident customers but has not notified the EEA State in which the customers are resident that it wishes to exercise its freedom to provide services, the FCA and PRA6 would expect the firm's systems to include appropriate controls. Such controls
Types of reports. See SUP 6.4.15 G
Category of firm |
Type of report |
a bank or building society |
• an audited balance sheet which confirms that, in the auditor's opinion, the firm has no remaining deposit liabilities to customers; • a report from auditors or reporting accountants; |
• a report from auditors or reporting accountants |
|
an insurer |
• an audited closing balance sheet which demonstrates that the firm has no insurance liabilities to policyholders; • a report from the auditors or reporting accountants; and • in some cases, an actuarial opinion as to the likelihood of any remaining liabilities to policyholders. |