Chapter 4: The FCA Conduct of Business Sourcebook/Client Assets Flashcards
What is the “General Application” of the Conduct of Business Rules (COBS)?
The COBS apply directly to firms conducting designated investment business or conducting insurance business from an establishment maintained by them (or appointed representatives) in the UK
What are the forms of Designated Investment Business subject to COBS?
There are 4 DBAM
Provided they are in designated investments?
- Dealing
- Broking
- Advising
- Managing
With reagrds to Designated Investments, what products are typically tested in this exam?
Full list in Chapter 3
What asset classes
MiFID Investments: Shares, Bonds and Derivatives
What are some Non-MiFID Designated Investments subject to COBS?
What are some examples of the actual products?
Packaged products (gives retail clients exposure to the market indirectly)
Pension schemes, CIS etc…
What is meant by “Insurance Business” subject to COBS?
What is an example
Insurance products that track the market e.g. Life assurance policies (endowments)
What are “Appointed representatives” AKA?
Tied agents
Are “Appointed Representatives” exempt from COBS?
If so who is responsible?
Yes
The firm
What is the Clients Best Interest Rule (Fair treatment)?
All firms must ensure they act honestly, fairly and professionally
Which clients are subject to the “Electronic Media” rules?
All clients
For the COBS rules on Electronic Media, what conditions must be met in order to be able to use a Website?
There are 5
- Evidence its appropriate method of communication
- The client specifically consented to this method
- The client is notified of the website address electronically
- The info is kept up to date
- The info will be kept for as long as the client requires it
What situtations would require Recording Voice and Electronic Communications be kept?
What types of activities warrant storing these AND WHERE?
- Receiving client orders
- Executing client orders
- Arranging for client order to be executed
In qualifying investments admitted to trading on a prescribed market
How long should “Good Quality Recording Voice and Electronic Communications” be kept?
How many years?
5 years
What are the types of “Communications” that can be stored?
There are 4
Fax, email, instant messages and mobile phones
Recording Voice and Electronic Communications, should be used for which types of client?
All clients including eligible counterparties
When considering Client Classification, what factor determines the amount of protection a client shoulg get?
Knowledge and experience
What is the default status for Client Categorisation?
If they cant be classified
A Retail Client
What clients are scoped when the term “Customer” is used?
Professional Clients and Retail Clients
What are examples of Per Se Professional Clients?
There are 6 (write them down)
- Authorised / Regulated firm
- Central banks
- Governments
- Supranationals
- Large undertaking
- Other institutional investors
What type of business is usually used as “Eligible Counterparty Business”?
Dealing on own account and/or executing orders on behalf of clients
To be classified as a Professional Client at a company level, what Two of the Three factors must be satisified?
Turnover, Balance Sheet, Cash
Balance Sheet: 20m EUR
Net Turnover: 40m EUR
Funds: 2m EUR
To be classified as a Professional Client at a company level, what Two of the Three factors must be satisified FOR NON MiFID BUSINESS?
Turnover, Balance Sheet, Employees
Balance Sheet: 12.5m EUR
Net Turnover: 25m EUR
Avg. Employees: 250
For Elective Professional Clients, what is assessed in the Qualitative Test?
This is for all business?
Firms assess expertise, knowledge and experience to provide reasonable assurance about capability and understanding.
For Elective Professional Clients, what is assessed in the Quantitative Tests?
For MiFID business only
Meet 2 of the following 3:
* Average trade frequency 10 per quarter over previous four quarters
* Portfolio > 500k EUR
* Works or worked in FS for more than 1 year in professional capacity
What is the Procedures to Opt up to an Elective Professional Client?
3 points
Written what
- Written intent from the client to be classified as professional
- Written warning to client to highlight loss of protection
- Written client consent for lost protection
Who will be unable to opt up to be a Eligible Counterparty?
Institutional investor
What is the procedure to categorised as an “Eligible Counterparty”?
Only 1
Obtain client consent to be categorised as an eligible counterparty
When Agent A is acting on behalf of Investor B, who should the firm categorise as the client?
Agent A
What are the Exceptions, where the Agent would be classified as a client?
There are 2
- There is a written agreement between the firm and the agent to class the firm as the client
- The purpose of the agency is to avoid duties owed to B
Can a Firm rely on information and recommendations provided by other MiFID firms
Yes
If a firm is to rely on information from a non-MiFID firm, what conditions must be met?
There are 3
- The information is in writing
- The non-MiFID firm independent
- The non-MiFID firm is competent (the MiFID firm is accountable to this)
What is S21 of FSMA 2000?
Must not……
Must not communicate a financial promotion unless:
* It is an authorised person
* The content has been approved by an authorised person
If a promotion has been approved by an authorised person, who takes responsibility?
The authorised person
A firm that communicates a financial promotion produced by a Third Party, would never be in breach if?
What three conditions have been met?
- It had established that an authorised person has approved the promotion
- It communicates the promotion only to those intened for
- The promotion has not caesed to be fair, clear and not misleading
For Exceptions when approving a financial promotion, what are the FCA rules on promotions that are not covered?
There are 5…… FPO?
- Exempt under the financial promotions order
- From outside the UK and cannot have effect in the UK
- Subject to the takeover code or any similar code
- Personal quotes or illustrations
- One of promotions that are not cold calls
With regards to Adverts, what must be made very clear?
That it is not a prespectus and must list where and by what date can one find the prospectus
Must and Advert be Consitent with Prospectus?
Yes, absolutley
When communicating with Retail Clients, what must a firm ensure is what included?
- Name of the firm is inluded
- Details are fair and accurate
- The promotion is comprehensible
- The promotion does not obscure risks and warnings, especially for “Capital at Risk” products
What is the time frame required for Past Performance?
How long and what incraments?
- Must cover at least 5 years or life of investment
- In complete 12 month periods
What are the 6 rules relating to Past Performance when communicating with clients?
What must this include or exclude?
- Must not be the most prominent feature
- Cover at least 5 years or life, with 12 month periods
- Reference period and sources must be shown
- State this is not an indicator of future performance
- If relevant currency stated and warning of currency risk provided
- Disclose of fees and commissions
What are the 2 rules relating to Simulated Performance when communicating with clients?
Note: This must also comply with the rules regarding past performance
- Must be based on the actual performance of a given index
- Comply with the rules of past performance
What are the 4 rules relating to Future Performance when communicating with clients?
- Must not be based on simulated past performance
- Assumptions must be reasonable
- Disclose effects of fees and comissions
- Warn that future prediction are not a reliable indicator
Who do rules about Direct Offers and Invitations apply to?
Which form of client?
Retail clients only
What is a Direct Offer or Invitation?
What does this mean?
A financial promotion that contains a method of response for the client to invest in a product
What must Direct Offer or Invitation contain, to enable a client to make an informed assessment?
Provide information about what 4 factors?
- The firm and its services
- Safekeeping of client assets and money
- Effects of any costs and charges
- Additional information about the risk associated with types of investments (non-MiFID business)
What does the Distance Marketing Diretive set out?
Rules about a clients right to? How long are these period?
That clients have a right to cancel.
30 days for life and pension produccts
14 days everything else (general)
For an unwritten promotion (solicited and unsolicited), what must be identified at the start of the interaction?
3 simple notes
- The caller
- Their employer
- The purpose of the call
What are the mandatory conditions for Unwritten Promotions?
That give the client time and rights to assess the promotion
- Must be fair, clear and not misleading
- Ask whether the client wishes to continue, teminate if not
- Provide client with an appointment a contact if they wish to cancel
- Communicate at an appropriate time of day
What is the definition of a Cold Call?
An unwritten promotion which i…..
An unwritten promotion that is not expressly requested or initiated by the client
When are Cold Calls permitted?
What are the conditions that need to be met? - What products does this include?
- An existing client that envisages a call
- All retail clients where the promotion relates to: Generally marketable packaged product (not a high volatility fund) and services relating to readily releasable securities other than warrants
In relation to information disclosure, what information must be provided to ALL CLIENTS?
6 points, try and write them down
- Name and adress of firm
- Method and language of communication
- Name and contact details about the competent authority
- Nature, frequency and timing of performance reports
- If a common platform the COI policy
What must a client agreement set out?
To all customers (not ECs) ? The rights…..
Sets out the essential rights and obligations of the firm, and of the customer
With Regards to the Retail Distribution Review to retail clients (retail products), what must be set out?
They must be either indep…..
Firms making personal recommendations to retail clients, must be either independent or restricted