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Pension simplification is acting as a catalyst for change in the corporate market, according to the UK's leading IFAs. Developments in the employee benefits arena, which has been traditionally the […]

Like Channel Islands' detective Jim Bergerac, it looks like director of investment business for the Guernsey regulator Peter Moffat was always ahead of the game, raising the alarm on split […]

Brokers are finding it increasingly difficult to sell offset mortgages and more complicated products because of difficulties with key features illustrations. Mortgage intermediaries are reporting inaccuracies in flexible product KFIs, […]

Steelworkers who lost their pensions when their company went bust have been given the go-ahead to sue the Government in the European Court of Justice Community--formerly union ISTC--which represents the […]

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme has highlighted four key areas of mortgage advice it anticipates will give rise to complaints from consumers in the future. The areas are: * Where […]

Regulation has finally arrived for the mortgage industry but we will have to wait to find out how much the distribution landscape has changed. Several of the traditional IFA networks […]

The multitude of small mortgage networks that have sprung up will be forced to consolidate, according to a leading mortgage expert. Purely Mortgages chief executive Mark Chilton says consolidation will […]

Niche investment group Premier Asset Management is targeting IFAs with a new fund which offers exposure to undervalued high-performing stocks in Europe. Former Solus European growth and UK special situations […]

The House of Lords has voted for a crucial amendment to the Pensions Bill that would see the Pension Protection Fund take on a de facto regulatory role. The change […]

A Surrey IFA is offering a new lead-generation business that will rival IFA Promotion. Professional Directory managing directory Barry Sears is aiming to recruit 1,000 IFAs to the service within […]

Bristol & West is offering a four-in-one guaranteed portfolio bond linking stockmarket and property investment. The six-year bond features monthly income of 7 per cent gross and will be available […]

Standard Life Bank is cutting commission on mortgage products and axing trail payments on personal savings due to the cost of regulation. Mortgage business commission is cut by 0.02 per […]

Whitechurch Direct is calling on HM Customs & Excise to allow more companies to gain VAT exemption for single-charge IFA support services. Whitechurch IFA Network chairman Kean Seager wants to […]

The FSA is straying too far into financial services design and marketing with new regulation, warns a leading marketeer. The regulator's logo and regulatory message are set to dominate the […]

Mortgage brokers were thrown into confusion on M-Day this week as they were unable to process applications because of sourcing system difficulties and lender website problems. Brokers had problems accessing […]

A new mortgage portal is being set up this month, bringing technology standards to the sector for the first time. Money Marketing can exclusively reveal details of a plan to […]

If a sale of IFA portal The Exchange goes ahead, it could see the industry's most widely used technology solution owned by a small group of major life offices. A [...]

Some life insurers are finding it harder to get repeat business from IFAs, according to data from financial research company Henry Samuels Marketing Services. Most life companies gain high penetration […]

Most IFAs will stay independent after depolarisation, according to technology solutions provider Focus Solutions. Eighty-two per cent of 840 IFAs questioned by Focus in August said they will stay independent […]

A big number of IFA groups are already asking advisers to use independent transfer value analysis systems and more will do so in the future, says TVAS provider O&M Systems. […]

Contracting out regulated activities such as compliance services will cause unnecessary confusion for brokers after M-day, warns Purely Mortgages chief executive Mark Chilton. He says brokers which farm out compliance […]

Mortgage firms which fail the FSA authorisation process can continue Wading for another 12 months while they wait for an appeal. Under a Treasury ruling, mortgage firms applying for authorisation […]

Berkeley Independent and Positive Solutions are the IFA service providers most highly rated by members, according to research from Henry Samuels Marketing Services. Highest-rated networks are Berkeley Independent and, although […]

Under half of intermediaries are using mortgage-sourcing systems, according to consultancy Huntswood. Speaking at a Huntswood Outsourcing round table meeting, Council of Mortgage Lenders director general Michael Coogan expressed concern […]

DBS founder Ken Davy has slammed providers for creating a "multi-tie madhouse" ahead of depolarisation. Simply Biz chairman Davy has hit out at reports that Prudential plans to take 25 […]

A Pensions Bill amendment could see people who have made additional voluntary contributions lose their money to fat-cat directors, warns an occupational pension consultancy. The amendment, made by the House […]

IFAs believe commission will become less important in a depolarised market. Speaking at a marketing round table meeting last week organised by Money Marketing and advertising agency Teamspirit IFA, Punter […]

Life offices and IFA firms should share their data to build more accurate databases and allow them to plan marketing strategies, the meeting heard. Bestinvest head of marketing Justin Modray […]

The influence of product providers in the IFA sector is diminishing ahead of depolarisation. That was the message at a round table last week, at which marketers said they believed […]

Rebel Labour backbencher Kate Hoey is proposing an early day motion urging the Government to link the state pension to earnings. The EDM has gained 77 cross-party signatures, including 55 […]

Mortgage introducers who get a fee for referring clients on to an intermediary or network could face VAT bills. The position has been clarified for appointed representatives who will not […]

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has raised concerns that brokers will be able to continue trading after they have been refused authorisation. The Treasury has revealed that mortgage firms which […]

Mortgage experts are concerned that many companies which have outsourced compliance believe that they will not be liable for any regulation breaches after M-Day. Mortgage force managing director Rob Clifford […]

Marlborough Stirling is understood to have held talks with four product providers to negotiate a consortium purchase of its IFA portal The Exchange. Four product providers, including Norwich Union, Standard […]

Sesame's decision to stop paying renewal commission on general insurance products to former members could lead to churning, says a rival network. Whitechurch Network managing director Ian McIver believes Sesame's […]

The Financial Services Consumer Panel has called for a centralised European compensation fund to be set up. Speaking at a Treasury select committee meeting on the EU single market in […]

Prime Minister Tony Blair disappointed pension experts by shying away from a significant announcement on third-term pension policy this week. Blair's Opportunity Society speech in London on Monday--the day before […]

Sesame is stopping advisers using life office transfer value analysis service reports, saying there is a risk that they are not accurate enough. The network giant wants members to use […]

The Office of Fair Trading is looking into whether life offices have collaborated to raise indemnity commission discounts simultaneously. The investigation follows a complaint by Berkeley Morgan chairman Jon Pardoe, […]

The new Work and Pensions Secretary has admitted that the pension credit needs to be reviewed because it is likely to affect increasing numbers. Speaking at an ABI fringe event […]

Serious underestimations of future life expectancy by actuaries are one of the main causes of the pension crisis, claims Pensions Commission chairman Adair Turner. Speaking to an ABI fringe meeting […]

Employers are turning their backs on defined-contribution schemes because staff are no longer interested in them, warns Sir Peter Davis, chairman of the Employer Task Force on Pensions. The former […]

Pensioners could lose around 277m [pounds sterling] through lack of awareness of enhanced annuity products, says Just Retirement. In interviews with 210 people, the provider found that 75 per cent […]

One PI broker is known to be looking at IFA equity-release sales on a case by case basis, with others considering similar steps. The news follows an FSA warning last […]

Shadow Pensions Minister Nigel Waterson has slammed stakeholder pensions as a dismal failure and called on the Government to provide a wrapper that the industry can work with. Speaking at […]

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary David Willetts has warned that any further increase in FSA regulation will leave the poor excluded from mainstream financial services and widen the poverty gap. […]

Consumers' Association principal policy adviser Mick McAteer is not known for holding his tongue about anything. He has talked the Treasury select committee's ears off about what he believes is […]

Innovative ideas among smaller IFA firms are seeing regional practices building their own business models to deal with a depolarised market. The news that former Rickman Tooze IFA advisers have […]

The Consumers' Association is pressing the Government to carry out an investigation of the EU's proposed directive on gender equality independently of the insurance industry. The CA has welcomed the […]

Male mortality is continuing to improve more quickly than female, according to results from the Continuous Mortality Investigation Bureau. The series of reports on the mortality experience of assured lives, […]