The purpose of this chapter is to implement article 3.6 of the Insurance Mediation Directive in relation to insurance undertakings. The provisions of this chapter have been extended to home finance providers1 in relation to insurance mediation activity, and to insurance undertakings and home finance providers in relation to home finance mediation activity1, to ensure that firms using these services are treated in the same way and to ensure that clients have the same protection. To avoid the loss of protection where an intermediary itself uses the services of an unauthorised person, this chapter also ensures that each person in the chain of those providing services is authorised.

This chapter supports the more general duties in Principles 2 and 3, and the relevant rule in the Senior Management Arrangements, Systems and Controls sourcebook (see SYSC 3.1.1 R and SYSC 4.1.1 R).3

3The appropriate regulator regards a firm as 'using' the services of, in particular, its immediate counterparty (typically the intermediary that passed the business to the firm) and of all other persons who have been granted the right or authority directly by the firm to effect a contract of insurance or enter into a home finance transaction.

The Financial Services Register can be accessed through the FCA website under the link www.fsa.gov.uk/register/home.do