Daily Revision Flashcards
unit 12(TCF) - what are the main headings of the TCF unit?
- background
- professional guidance
- matters to be considered
unit 12 - Who is TCF compliance regulated by and what is the slogan for tcf?
Regulator is the FCA
“Firms must pay due regard to interests of customers and should TCF (Treat Customers Fairly)”
unit 12 - what are the 8 inputs to ensure effective TCF delivery?
8 things firm must do:
- identify needs of customers
- understand financial capability of customers
- clear/fair/not misleading advertising/marketing/disclosure/after sales communication
- balance between increasing sales and inappropriate risks to customers
- measure/monitor/control/review risks on products for new/existing customers
- stress tests for possible risks from retail business
- Control functions to ensure delivery of strategy
- MI is timely, informative and relevant
unit 12 - what should senior management have regard to when designing tcf strategy?
all stages of product life cycle:
- design (before sale)
- financial promotions (for more sale)
- advice including remuneration of advisors (to sell it)
- PoS info (at sale)
- Aftersales treatment (after sale)
- Complaints strategy (further after sale)
unit 12 - what is specific TCF legislation for WP business? (there are 6 specific ones)
COBS
1. 20.2 (payouts) - rules and guidance on T(WP)CF, includes target ranges for payouts relative to unsmoothed AS
2. 20.3 (PPFM) - rules/guidance on production of the PPFM
3. 20.4 (CFPPFM) - rules/guidance on communication to WP customers, including CFPPFM and reporting PPFM compliance
4. 20.3.2 - involve some independent judgement in assessing compliance with PPFM and addressing conflicts of rights and interests of policyholders and shareholders (if applicable) - see another question for what this results in
INSPRU
5. 1.2 (math res) - rules requiring firm to take into account TCF
6. SUP - duties and responsibilities of the AFH and WPA including responsibilities relating to TCF
7. Insurance TAS
8. APS L1
What does COBS stand for? What does CFPPFM stand for? What does INSPRU stand for? What does APS stand for? What does SUP stand for? What does FRC stand for? What does FSMA stand for?
conduct of business sourcebook customer friendly principles and practices of financial management prudential sourcebook for insurers actuarial professional standards supervision manual financial reporting council Financial services and markets act
What’s COBS 20.3.2 related to? What does it result in?
TCF rules - independent judgement assessing compliance with PPFM
- Form a with-profits committee including independent members
- Ask independent person to report separately on the matters to WPC or governing body
How is the insurance TAS related to TCF?
Reports requiring projection of cashflows under different scenarios should state how the change in discretion exercises on the alternative scenarios is consitenct with TCF
How is APS L1 relevant to TCF?
AFH - must ensure firms management are aware at all times of AFH’s interpretation of firms obligations to TCF
WPA - must implement WPA’s interpretation of T(WP)CF, having regard in particular to PPFM
What types of product/parts of products is TCF relevant?
Those with discretionary elements
- WP e.g. bonuses
- Unit-linked variable charges
- Unit-linked unit pricing
- Non-guaranteed surrender values e.g. MVA
- Variable rate contracts e.g. yearly renewable term assurance
What expectations would policyholders have for discretionary policies (PRE part of TCF)?
- Firms behave fairly and responsibly exercising discretion
- Reasonable degree of continuity in determining variable charges/benefits
- Synonymous with equity
- Equity in WP contracts is asset share calculations
unit 12 - What are important topics in TCF?
Inputs (what a firm should do to ensure effective delivery)
Outcomes for customers of TCF (6)
Specific professional guidance (COBS/INSPRU/SUP/APS L1/Insurance TAS)
Duty of AFH and WPA
Discretionary policy relevance
Topics list
Describe the professional standards and guidance requirements in general for an actuary or student actuary in the UK?
1, Must comply with all relevant requirements under the FSMA
- Also with professional standards/guidance relevant to their particular work AND their professional body e.g. SOA/IFoA
- Where IFoA standards are in
a. Actuaries code
b. TAS’s (d/r/m/i/t) which are produced by FRC
c. APS
What are tas d/r/m/i/t
data reporting modelling insurance transformations
What are the specific tas’s?
tas i and t
What are generic tas’s?
d/r/m
they apply to any work commonly or exclusively carried out by actuaries and falling within scope of one of the specific tas’s
purpose of tas r
- information presented is clear and comprehensible
- reporting of actuarial work includes enough information to enable users to judge its relevance and implications of reports contents
purpose of tas d
- Ensure data used in prep of reports is subject to sufficient scrutiny and checks so users can relay on the results and
- appropriate actions taken where data is inaccurate or incomplete
purpose of tas m
- ensure models used in preparation of reports sufficiently repreesent issues on which decisions will be based, are fit for purpose (practically and theoretically)
- requires models to be properly documented and significan limitations and implications are reported
state the insurance tas principles?
- determination and use of appropriate and relevant assumptions
- explanation of the approach taken to determine discount rates
- allowance and explanation of future assumption trends
- explanation of analysis of changes between methods and assumptions used in related exercises
- explanation of relationship between prudent and neutral estimates
- in relation to discretion (including wp management, ul charges and unit pricing)
a. ensure any management actions modelled are consistent with tcf
b. providing indication in reports of effects of proposed action on policyholders and any estate.
When does the insurance tas apply, other than mentioning its principles?
- applies to all reserved work concerning insurance business. Where reserved work means there’s a reg/legal obligation that it’s performed by a qualified actuary
- and to any work on insurance business that’s used in reports
- Examples include work on…
a. financial statements
b. Regulatory returns
c. ev reports
d. pricing
e. business reorganisations
f. discretion relating to premiums or benefits - its purpose is to ensure management and governing bodies of insurers can understand and rely on information supplied by their actuaries and appreciate the limitations
- requires information provided to policyholders is relevant/comprehensible/sufficient for their needs
Other than the TAS’s, what other professional guidance and standards are relevant in SA2?
- APS L1 - relevant to IFoA members appointed to statutory roles e.g. AFH/WPA - “duties and responsibilities of life assurance actuaries”
- APS L2 - relevant to statutory obligation to whistleblow - FSMA 2000 (communications by actuaries) Regulations 2003
Non-mandatory resources like: - “a guide to whistleblowing”
- “a guide to conflicts of interest”
What is FSMA 2000?
- UK insurers have been subject to its regulatory requirements
- Enabling legislation, most rules made by regulator