Ongoing advice remains high on the regulator’s radar

The FCA remains focused on ongoing advice and is expected to continue engaging with firms to assess how effectively they deliver and evidence ongoing review services.
Ongoing advice TCC

What happened?

TCC Group recently featured in Money Marketing’s article, which explored the FCA’s ongoing scrutiny of advice firms and their delivery of ongoing advice services. Speaking at Intelliflo’s Innovate conference, TCC Technical Director Jason Wintie highlighted that the FCA is expected to follow up with the 22 firms already reviewed and may widen its information requests to more firms. He also noted that lessons from remediation activity and Section 166 reviews could influence future regulatory changes.

Why does it matter?

The FCA’s focus has moved beyond whether annual reviews took place and now extends to how firms evidence the quality, consistency and value of ongoing advice. Firms are expected to maintain robust systems, clear standards, effective client engagement processes and comprehensive records that demonstrate reviews have been delivered in line with regulatory expectations. With Consumer Duty continuing to shape supervisory activity, firms that cannot evidence ongoing advice delivery may face increased scrutiny, remediation requirements and potential customer harm risks.

Supporting sources

  1. Ongoing advice still on the regulator’s radar

Frequently asked questions

Why is the FCA focusing on ongoing advice?
The FCA wants to ensure that clients paying for ongoing advice services are receiving the reviews, recommendations and ongoing support they have been promised, while achieving good customer outcomes under Consumer Duty.
What evidence should firms maintain for ongoing advice reviews?

Firms should retain clear records showing reviews were completed, client circumstances were updated, risk profiles were reassessed where appropriate and suitable recommendations were provided.

What are the key risks for firms?

Common risks include missed or delayed reviews, poor record keeping, weak governance oversight and an inability to demonstrate that ongoing advice services are being delivered consistently and providing value to customers.

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