Blog

Last week's publication by the FCA on its thematic review of Appointed Representatives (ARs) has been much commented upon in the trade press this week.

Without reflection, meaningful development can be hard to achieve.

Hopefully by now, all the changes in the various facets of the new complaints rules have been embedded in your procedures. So, it is a good time to address what has now become a common question. Is a negative review or comment on a social media site or similar review sites a complaint?

We have recently commented on the need to perform DBS checks on all new candidates for Approved Person status and noted the FCA expectation that such checks will be performed on an Enhanced basis.

For most general insurance brokers, new Approved Persons will be potential new directors or partners.

Over the years, I have been fortunate to be welcomed into businesses as a trusted coach, consultant and facilitator of learning interventions and process optimisation.

For many firms, the appraisal system (or performance review) is often just another form filling exercise. The most frequent complaint (from employees) is that although they ‘go through the motions’ annually, nothing ever comes of their appraisal.

These new rules will replace the current data protection rules which go back to 1995. These new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) are designed to give individuals more control over their own private information.

As we know, it is a criminal offence to offer any financial service to a known or suspected terrorist. Hence the reason to ensure that all clients are subject to financial sanctions checks at new business and renewal stages.