Advisers have expressed concerns about a new annuity comparison tool on the Money Advice Service (MAS) which links to the Saga Annuity Service, a tied agent.

Simon Chamberlain, the founder of Succession Advisory Services, has branded life insurance companies as the ‘dark forces' of the industry and questioned their motives for setting up platforms.

A House of Lords committee has called for a ban on commission payments to financial advisers across Europe, regardless of their status.

A former broker at Pacific Continental Securities (PCS) has been fined £30,000 by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and banned for passing on inside information to customers and other failings.

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The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has admitted it still has plenty of work to do on educating the public on the Retail Distribution View (RDR), but said advisers will also have to play their part in explaining the changes to the market.

The latest round of quantitative easing (QE) from the Bank of England (BoE) is set to drive down annuity rates even further, hitting pensioners' incomes.

Former chief executive Bob Diamond is facing a battle to keep his £25m pay-off from Barclays after it emerged the bank's board is looking into its legal position on his entitlements.