Comment: RDR II is now a reality

After months of anticipation and debate, the Financial Services Authority’s (FSA’s) recently-released platform consultation paper has brought a welcome degree of clarity that should help the industry move away from speculation and towards implementation. In truth, there were few big surprises in its latest communication – despite some earlier mind-changing; we already had a fairly good idea that the FSA was not favourably disposed to payments from fund managers to platforms and cash rebates from product charges to consumers. Now, having given itself more time to contemplate any potent...