Regulation

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has become a second-tier regulator and needs to be scaled back, according to AIFA.

Dominant European bancassurers who hold "considerable" influence over the European Commission (EC) are continuing to lobby against RDR-style changes in Europe.

Former Standard Life head of distribution Peter Jolly is joining the ABI to help channel members to be RDR compliant.

Honister Capital has partnered with Scottish Widows to offer its 1,500 advisers access to Widows' online learning academy as it seeks to fast-track its IFAs to QCF Level 4.

Principal ombudsman David Thomas will take over at the helm of the FOS until a permanent replacement for Walter Merricks is found.

The ultimate aim of the RDR could be undermined by the FSA asking providers to monitor the activities of advisers, leading industry figures say.

Clients and IFAs have wildly different estimates of the value per hour of independent financial advice in the build-up to 2012, research suggests.

Kay Blair has been appointed vice chair of the Financial Services Consumer Panel (FSCP) in one of four changes announced today.

Openwork chief executive Martin Davis says the advice sector is, yet again, in a state of flux.

The FSA will continue to tighten financial regulation until the UK banking system becomes more liquid and less leveraged, says FSA managing director Sally Dewer.