Chapter 4: The FCA’s Conduct of Business and Client Assets Sourcebooks Flashcards
What is the main approach of COBS?
To focus on outcomes rather than compliance with detailed rules
When does COBS apply?
to UK firms conducting MiFID business for UK clients within the UK
From the UK
Overseas firm carries business in UK with client
What happened with COBS post brexit?
COBS Handbook no longer applies to MiFID business of a UK MiFID firm carried on from an establishment in an EEA member state
What is the exception regarding investment research and personal account dealing for COBS?
Rules apply on a home state basis only. This means COBS applies to UK firms, regardless of where they are conducting business
What are the 3 main activities subject to COBS?
investment business
long-term insurance (life policies)
accepting deposits
Do COBS rules apply to eligible counterparties?
No some are excluded
Why are appointed representatives exempt?
They can carry out a range of regulated activities under the umbrella of the principal firm
What do firms need to be cautious of with representatives and promotions?
They are responsible for any promotions that the appointed representatives do, and they must be in line with COBS.
What must a firm make sure if storing information on a website?
Client has access to internet
Consent to having it stored on website
notified of address and where it is stored
must be up to date
needs to be accessible continuously
If a firm carries MiFID and non-MiFID business, by how must it categorise its clients?
In accordance with MiFID standards
What are the 3 client categories?
Retail
Professional
Eligible counterparty
What are the two types of professional client?
Per se and elective
What is a Per se Professional client
And entity required to be authorised to operate in the financial markets
Company with a large balance sheet
(MiFID EUR 20m balance sheet, turnover 40m or own funds of 2m)
Governments, central banks, supranational bodies
Institutional investors
What is defined as a large undertaking for non-MiFID business?
£5m share cap
EUR12.5m balance sheet or 25m turnover or 250 employees
net assets of >£5m (partnership)
had assets of >£10m in last two years (trust)
50 members, >£10m assets (pensiosn)
For what business can a client be categorised as an ECP?
executing orders
dealing on own account
receiving/transmitting orders
What are the two exceptions to the agent rule?
If firm has agreed the underlying client should be treated as a client
If the agent in place is mainly for reducing the firms duties to the underlying client, they should be treated as a client
When can a retail client be treated as an elective professional client?
Qualitative test - Firm assessed the expertise, experience, knowledge and understand risks involved
and for MiFID - Quantitative test (any two are true)
10 significantly sized transactions over last 4 quarters
port exceeds 500k EUR
worked in financial services sector for at least a year
When can a professional client be treated as an elective ECP?
It is a per se professional client (unless inst investor)
Request to be treated as an ECP
What are local authorities/municipalities treated as by default
Retail clients
Need to be pass qualitative and quantitative to be treated as professional
When do client agreements not apply?
For insurance firms issuing life policies as principal
When must firms provide a client agreement?
In good time before client is bound by agreement or before the provision of investment services (whichever is earlier)
How long must client agreements be maintained for?
Whichever is longest of
5 years
duration of relationship
for pension transfers, pension opt-outs or voluntary contributions INDEFINITELY
When must firms doing non-MiFID business provide information about the risk and nature of investments to retail clients?
When doing business in relation to derivatives, warrants or stock lending activity
When must a firm provide a benchmark to a client?
When it manages an investment for a client, it must provide a comparison to a meaningful benchmark based on their investment objectives
What is the difference for ECPs and professional clients when it comes to requesting details on costs and charges?
There is no regulatory obligation to do so
When can information be provided AFTER the provision of services?
if the agreement was concluded using distance communication
firm complies with voice telephone communications
What is a firm obligated to do in regards to compensation?
Make available to client the information of the compensation scheme.
What is restricted advice?
Where an adviser can only select instruments from a small range of instruments
Who can advisers be remunerated by?
Only the consumers, cannot be by the product provider
If a firm is relying on a third party for information or recommendations who is responsible for the completeness and accuracy or appropriateness of recommendations?
The third-party firm
What are the exemptions for financial promotion?
home purchase or reversion plans
non-investment insurance contract
unregulated CIS
credit agreements
When do financial promotion rules apply in general?
firm that carries on business with, or communicates a financial promotion to, a client in the UK (including where this is done from an establishment overseas).
Are HNWI exempt from financial promotion rules?
Yes
What defines a HNWI?
income of 170k or net assets of 430k
What are the four methods of communication?
real time - face-to-face meetings, calls, presentations
unsolicited real time - cold calls
non-real-time - emails letters websites
direct offer financial promotions - enter into agreement for responses
What is a prospectus advertisement?
Any type of communication that specifically promotes the offer to acquire securities
What four requirements must a prospectus advertisement have?
prospectus needs to be accessible by investors
clearly recognisable as an advertisement
accurate information
consistent with the information of the prospectus
What new rules did the FCA add in 2020 for illiquid securities?
mini-bonds and preference shares cannot be marketed to retail investors
How long should risk summaries take to read?
No more than 2 mins
Can firms coach investors to pass the appropriateness tests?
No
What is a qualifying crypto asset?
Any cryptographically secured digital representation of rights/value that si transferable and fungible
Does not include “electronic money”
What is the bespoke exemption for cryptoasset businesses?
Firms registered with the FCA under MLRs (Money Laundering) but are not authorised persons can communicate financial promotions to UK consumers
What is the minimum time that past performance must be covered?
5 years, or entire lifespan if less than 5 years
must show complete 12-month periods
What must simulated past performance be based off?
Investments/indices that are the same as the investments being simualted
What must be mentioned in direct offers with more that two investments or services?
If risk is increased holding both, this must be mentioned in the offer
When can an unwritten promotion be done?
Appropriate time of day
Identifies themselves and the firm
Clarifies is client would like to continue with communication
Firms must not cold call, unless;
existing client relationship with firm
general marketable product - not high vol or life policy linked to high vol fund
relates to a controlled activity other than warrants
What must be included on overseas promotions that are communicated by UK firms
investor protection does not apply
if UK compensation will apply
details on overseas compensation
What will happen once the “gateway” comes into effect?
All firms that want to be able to approve financial promotions for third parties will need to apply to the FCA for permission to do so
What must an authorised firm do when approving a financial promotion from an unauthorised person?
Firms must confirm that it complies with the financial promotion rules
If it no longer applies, they must advise anyone impacted
Can firms approve real time financial promotions?
For example a cold call or a in person visit they cannot approve these
When do COBS rules on suitability apply?
Personal recommendations relating to designated investments
Managing investments for retail clients
Managing assets of pension
What is churning?
The act of over-dealing or trading more frequently for a client to generate additional fees for firm
What is switching?
Selling one investment and replacing it with another
Why do suitability rules exist?
To ensure that authorised firms take reasonable steps to ensure recommendations are suitable to client needs
What information is needed to assess suitability?
knowledge/experience in investment field
financial situation
investment objectives and risk profile
What must a firm provide to a client when making a personal recommendation?
A suitability report
What are the exceptions to provide a suitability report?
regulated CIS
outside the UK
small life policy, premium not over £50 a year
if increasing premiums on an existing contract
When must a suitability report be provided?
Life policy - before contract concluded
Pensions - within 14 days of concluding contract
Anything else - before contract concluded
What must the suitability report of a sale of life policy by telephone have?
- comply with the Distance Marketing Directive (DMD) rules
- be provided immediately after conclusion of the contract, and
- be in a durable medium.
What is fact-finding?
A firm gathering the information about a client to assess suitability
What happens if a firm does not obtain the information it needs to assess suitability?
It must not make a personal recommendation
How is suitability assessed for professional clients?
A firm can assume that professional clients have all required knowledge
A per se professional client can be assumed to financially bear any investment risks
You cannot make the same assumption for elective professional clients
What is an insistent client?
Going against a personal recommendation
What needs to be done before an insistent clients order is executed?
Gain acknowledgement from client
What is the purpose of appropriateness test?
To provide a degree of protection for non-advised transactions
To what firms do rules on non-advised sales apply?
providing MiFID investment services, aside from personal recommendations
arranging deals in warrants and derivs for retail clients in response to direct offers
What must a firm do when providing a non-advised sale?
It must ask the client for information about their knowledge and experience in relation to the field of the product
When are firms not required to assess appropriateness?
execution only, for the receipt and transmission of client orders
client informed that firm is not required to do so
client will not get the benefit of the protection
What must authorised fund managers who manage UCITS do?
Produce a KIID Key Investor Information Document
What are the exceptions for producing KIIDs?
another firm is preparing
KIIDs are not needed for certain types of schemes
reinsurance/pure protection insurance
For what products is a Key Feature Document prepared for?
each packaged product
* cash deposit ISA
* cash deposit child trust fund (CTF), and
* a key features illustration for each packaged product it produces.
What is independent advice?
a personal recommendation to a retail client
what must a form ensure it has to give independent advice?
a large range of products so that
meet varied investment objectives
not limited to its own products, or ones it has relationship with
What are the four groups of Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs)
investment funds
insurance-based investment products
retail-structured securities
structured term deposits
What is a PRIIP manufacturer required to do?
- prepare a KID for each PRIIP that they produce, or
- publish each KID on their website.
What is the max length of a KID?
3 A4 pages
What is PRIIPs being replaced by in the UK?
‘Consumer Composite Investments (CCIs)
FCA supervision instated
What are cancellation rights?
Provided to retail customers when they do investment business with a firm
Customers can reconsider their decisions within a certain period of time and can cancel the transaction
To which firms do cancellation rules apply to?
firms providing products based on investments or deposits
firms entering into distance contracts with consumers for the same
What are the cancellation rights periods?
life and pension products – 30 calendar days
* cash deposit Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) – 14 calendar days
* non-life and pensions products – 14 calendar day