Template Compliance Manual

OK, So Why Should I Need A Compliance Manual?

For any Compliance Officer, Compliance Manager or SMF16/CF10 who has been in the UK financial services industry for any more than a year, they will know that one of the first documents that they have to read and attest to having done so, is the Company Compliance Manual.

Although this is not a regulatory requirement, it is a regulatory expectation as there are a number of elements that the regulators not only expect to be documented, but also somewhere that explains the rationale behind the way that company’s manager their risks. This would clearly be best summarised in a regulatory Operational or Compliance Manual.

The Regulator expects a firm to have a personalised and firm-specific compliance or operational manual pertinent to the firm and embedded within its procedures and culture.

Most on-line and centrally maintained manuals offered by some consultants are considered NOT to be personalised, firm specific OR relevant enough to the individual firm.

As bought by IFAs, Private Banks, GI Brokers, Payment Providers, Portfolio and Asset Managers and others!

An additional function is where the firm can articulate how they expect the advisers to operate and the standards that they are expected to adhere to.

But what do I put in it?

Often Compliance Manuals can be used to document the sales process for adviser’s to follow including, for example, transaction only clients (there is no execution only anymore unless it is a self-trade) and clear distinction for specific procedures and, for example when to assess a client for appropriateness when they refuse to provide sufficient details for suitability.

Whereas we do not suggest you fill your Compliance Manual with processes it is a valuable place to store certain policies such as the Data Protection Act, Bribery Act, Outsourcing Policy and Whistleblowing protocols as well as pointing to other documents that are more likely to need constant updating such as the Anti-money Laundering and Terrorist Financing or even areas such as your Approved Persons Policy or changes to the Mortgage Sales Policy post MMR (and possibly additional changes from Euroland).

Who Made This Manual?

Lee Werrell is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (Chartered FCSI) which is a QCF Level 6 qualification, and he has drawn the document together for all to use. Lee has compiled the manual from interpreting the regulators requirements and experience from setting up new banks, advising stockbrokers and fund managers as well as wealth managers and IFAs, CCA transition firms, payment services providers and other financial institutions. Lee has over 28 years experience in financial services and compliance.

What Content is Valid?

The content of your Compliance Manual has to be relevant and accurate as well as reader friendly. We do not update the manual and dictate to you what you should update (as it may not be relevant or pertinent to your business model) and therefore we do not charge update fees. We do not sit down and write your manual from scratch (an exercise that is expensive in both cost and management time).

Once purchased, the Compliance Manual is yours to updated and amended as you see fit, updating and amending what you need to on issues and areas that you feel are important.

We do not feel that keeping your manual updated year on year is beneficial to you as the FCA and PRA consider that The key to an effective the Compliance Manual is that it must be bespoke to the firm.

And don’t forget, our Template Compliance Manual is so flexible that has been bought by IFAs, Private Banks, GI Brokers, Payment Providers, Portfolio and Asset Managers, stockbrokers (execution only and advisory), some foreign company’s with UK interests but mainly domestic small to medium sized firms, including IFA Networks and local council lending initiatives!

Check out the Video for the simplicity and logical layout of the manual and see the headings we list.

The contents that are covered in the Compliance Manual covered (alphabetically) are: (new sections are italicised)

• Advertising for New Business
• Anti-Money Laundering
• Breaches, Discipline & Enforcement
• Bribery, Facilitation and Unethical Payments
• Business Continuity
• Client classification
• Company introduction and areas of business
• Company’s compliance structure
• Complaints handling & procedure
• Complaints Sample Logs (General, 3 Day & RFCs)
• Compliance Monitoring
• Conduct Risk implications
• Conflicts of Interest
• Controlled Functions and Governance
• Customer Assets
• Data Protection
• Data Protection & Employees Rights
• Dealing with Customers
• Document Retention Policy
• FCA/PRA Principles for Business
• Financial Promotions
• High Level Regulatory Requirements
• Inducements/Gifts and Entertaining
• Introduction and responsibilities of staff
• Market Abuse & Insider Dealing
• Notifications to the FCA/PRA
• Order Execution Procedure
• Outsourcing
• Principles & Code of Practice for Approved Persons
• Record Keeping
• Regulatory environment and Scope of permissions overview
• Remuneration
• Risk assessment
• Senior Management Systems and Controls
• Senior Staff/Management listing
• Specific Permissions for company
• Stewardship Code
• Terms of Business
• Trade Monitoring Procedure
• Training & Competence
• Transaction Reporting Requirements
• Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) – Application
• Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) – Overview
• Version Control log
• Whistle-blowing
• Plus an extra section with ACTIVE hyperlinks (see below) to current rules and legislation, categorised for ease of your reference

Our Template Compliance Manual has almost 130 pages of areas that are best concisely explained or stated in this central reference point in a logical and cumulative layout. We use plain English and reference the rules where needed. This allows whole policies, or high level documentation to be used by new staff members as a earning tool, existing staff as a reference and everyone as a regulatory guideline and company standard.

The Active links in the Bibliography take you to sections of the regulator’s handbooks and other relevant reference material, and as these documents are not written into the manual as hard copy, whenever they are updated by the regulator, you always access the latest material. The sections covered are;

• Compliance Oversight and the Compliance Function,

• Conduct of Business,

• Sourcebook and Client Assets,

• Regulatory Approach to Risk Management,

• Compliance and Ethics,

• Anti-Money Laundering &

• PRA Links

You get a Fully Customisable Document with an editable Cover Sheet and Fully Editable Contents with a list of specific highlighted areas for you to make amendments appropriate to your company setup.

To anyone with a modicum of MS Word skill, the Table Of Contents is easily updateable with just three clicks of your mouse.

Our Compliance Manual is written in simple English, encapsulating the requirements in such a way that it enables Senior Management, Advisers and Administrative Staff to fully understand what the requirements are AND what they mean in practice as well as how you apply them to achieve and maintain compliance.