Net retail sales of tracker funds hit a record high of £1.9bn last year, up some £200m on 2010, according to the Investment Management Association (IMA).

The FSA began its final round of RDR surgeries last week, less than a year before full roll-out of the new rules. But surprises continue to crop up. Alasdair Pal spoke to a few of the early attendees…

The FSA has warned advisers about "conflicts of interest" arising from holding shares in platforms.

Web Financial Services has acquired Bryant Kesek Financial Services (BKFS), as part of a five-year expansion plan.

A group of Bristolian traders have launched their own currency for the town, backed by the local council and a credit union.

Advisers with clients exposed to boiler room brokerage Sky Capital have begun enquiries into compensation, IFAonline understands.

Questions have been raised over pension provider Rockingham Group Plc, after a first strike-off notice from Companies House was posted in January.

The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has called on financial planners to volunteer in schools, as part of a campaign to encourage financial education.

Concerns have been raised about the role of auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) after financial uncertainties arose at accountancy and advisory group RSM Tenon.

Charles Stanley has appointed product aggregator All My Plans (AMP) to assist in the launch of a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform later this year.