Regulation

Advice firms should not become fixated on remaining independent, network and support service provider Sesame Bankhall has said.

The pick of this week's articles on IFAonline...

Novia has added Arjent's multi-asset portfolios to the wrap in an expansion of its discretionary manager offering.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) will drift closer to becoming a regulator under a proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), according to a legal expert.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has confirmed the presence of trainees within an advice firm will not prevent it from holding itself out as independent.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined former finance director at Royal Liver Assurance Limited (RLA), George McGregor, £109,000 for entering into contracts on behalf of RLA without authorisation and which benefitted a former RLA employee.

Andrew Tyrie, the chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, has stepped up his efforts to make the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) more accountable to Parliament than its predecessor, the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

HONESTY

The number of financial advisory businesses intending to trade on a purely independent basis in 2013 is falling, according to a poll comparing sentiment now with a year ago.

Sanlam Private Wealth is on the verge of acquiring three IFA businesses as its growth strategy of purchasing the client books of retiring advisers gathers pace.