Related provisions for COBS 6.1C.20
1 - 1 of 1 items.
(1) In determining its charging structure and consultancy charges a firm should have regard to the best interests of the employer and the employer’s employees.(2) A firm may not be acting in the best interests of the employer and the employer’s employees if it:(a) varies its consultancy charges inappropriately according to product provider; or(b) allows the availability or limitation of services offered by third parties to facilitate the payment of consultancy charges to influence
A firm is likely to be viewed as operating a charging structure that conceals the amount or purpose of its consultancy charges if, for example, it makes arrangements for amounts in excess of its consultancy charges to be deducted from an employee’s investments from the outset, in order to be able to provide a cash payment to the employer or employee later.
A firm should ensure that the disclosure of its charging structure is in clear and plain language and, as far as is practicable, uses cash terms7. If a firm's charging structure is in non-cash terms, examples in cash terms7 should be used to illustrate how the charging structure will be applied in practice.
(1) A firm must agree with and disclose to an employer the total consultancy charge payable to it or any of its associates.(2) A disclosure under (1) must:(a) be in cash terms7 (or convert non-cash terms into illustrative cash equivalents);(b) be made as early as practicable and, in any event, before the employer: (i) selects a particular group personal pension scheme or group stakeholder pension scheme for the benefit of its employees; or(ii) if applicable, reviews its group
To comply with the rule on disclosure of total consultancy charges payable (COBS 6.1C.18R) and the fair, clear and not misleading rule, a firm's disclosure of the total consultancy charge should:(1) provide information to the employer as to which particular service a consultancy charge applies;(2) include information as to when payment of the consultancy charge is due;(3) if an ongoing consultancy charge is expressed as a percentage of funds under management, clearly reflect in
A firm must keep a record of:(1) its charging structure;(2) the consultancy charges payable by each employer and each of the employer’s employees; and(3) if the consultancy charge for a particular service has varied materially from that indicated in the firm's charging structure, the reasons for that difference.