FSA

Advisers are preparing immediate mail-outs to clients to warn them of the impact of today's ECJ ban on gender-based insurance pricing.

The FSCS has defended its £4m consumer advertising campaign by comparing it to the £1.6bn it says the financial services sector spends annually on advertising.

Some UK mortgage lenders continue to punish mortgage borrowers unfairly by pushing them on to higher Standard Variable Rates or making borrowers repay mortgages in-full for minor breaches, said the FSA.

The FSA has flagged up concerns around the quality of advice surrounding Distributor Influenced Funds (DIFs) and has warned adviser firms it expects standards to improve.

The FSA has expressed its concerns about advisers' understanding of ETFs, as take-up of the products rises in the lead-up to RDR.

The FSA has issued an 'emerging risk' warning on investment advice firms which it says may seek to maximise recurring income before the RDR deadline next year.

The FSA is warning networks considering bulking up their appointed representative numbers ahead of 2012 to beware the "further strain" this will place on their compliance obligations.

Individuals fined and suspended by the FSA can now qualify for a shorter suspension as well as a reduced fine under changes made to its settlement discount scheme.

Banks eh? You either hate 'em or you hate 'em. It's our weekly round-up of things we've learned this week...

HMRC is clamping down on qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme (QROPS) abuse through investigations by its Anti-Fraud Unit (AFU).