Regulation

The Association of Professional Financial Advisers (APFA) has hired a policy adviser with a legal background that it said will help fight members' corners with regulatory bodies.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has outlined details of its new supervision strategy, including dropping some firms' individual supervisors.

IFA PQR Financial Planning has launched a pension transfer advice service for clients of advisers who are reluctant or unable to carry out the business.

Advice market review must go to heart of financial planning

Troubled overseas property group Harlequin is encouraging investors to use compensation payouts to reinvest in its scheme - at the same time as it fights a settlement deal it reached with unhappy investors last year.

A mandatory requirement on providers to use Origo's Options Transfers service is among the suggestions for improving the efficiency of pension transfers.

The regulator has said it understands advisers' concerns about their liability for simplified advice, saying it has made the issue a core part of the Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR).

Some providers that insist regulated advice be taken by customers seeking to transfer out of their pensions are unsure why they require it, research suggests.

The regulator is likely to shrug off calls from the Financial Services Consumer Panel (FSCP) to create a quality rating for firms, on the grounds it does not have the resources to take on the burden, a law firm has said.

Aegon has said it will leave life company trade body the Association of British Insurers (ABI) at the end of the year, and instead lobby the government and regulators directly.