What is the FCA?

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates the financial services industry in the UK. Its role includes protecting consumers, keeping the industry stable, and promoting healthy competition between financial service providers.

The FCA ensures firms put their customers at the heart of how they do business, offer them appropriate products and services, and put customer protection above the firm's own profits or income.

The FCA scrutinizes which firms and individuals are able to enter the financial markets, and make sure they meet FCA standards before they are authorised to conduct business.

It supervises how firms work and can intervene to stop regulated firms from carrying on business in financial services if they don't meet the required standards.

Intervention may mean imposing penalties, stopping firms or individuals trading or securing redress for affected consumers. It also means ensuring consumers receive the information they need in the right way, so they can make the best decisions for themselves.

FCA Regulated firms or individuals are required to abide by the FCA complaints procedure, and in the event that you can't resolve things directly with the firm in question, you can refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service who may be able to help you obtain redress.

Non-FCA Regulated Business

Although all the advisors registered on our site are all regulated by the FCA, there are some types of business that are not covered by the FCA. The FCA automatically regulates consumer lending, which includes home mortgages, but there are some mortgage and lending products that do not fall within their remit. This includes some types of commercial or investment mortgages, international mortgages, or some types of insurance business.

If you are in doubt about whether the FCA regulates the type of mortgage or financial product you are being offered, you should check before committing yourself.

For more information on the FCA, visit: https://www.fca.org.uk