The Financial Conduct Authority’s flagship regulation ‘Consumer Duty’ is introduced this year. Stellar, as a regulated business, is already consumer-focused in our principles and beliefs. However, here are some of the initiatives that we are undertaking to further enhance our proposition.
Service Review Process
We are enhancing our review process for the Services we offer to ensure that we continue to meet your needs and those of your clients.
Target Market Statements – Due April 2023
We will provide Target Market Statements for all of our Services. We aim to have these available to advisers in good time before the April 2023 deadline.
Distribution Strategy – Due April 2023
We will be sharing a document that summarises our strategy for distributing our Services.
This will include how we ensure that what we offer is appropriate for the target market of each Service and how we ensure it is distributed to the identified target market. We aim to have this available to you in good time before the April 2023 deadline.
Price and Value
Fair Value Statements – Due April 2023
As part of the Consumer Duty rules we will produce a statement that provides details of Value Assessments that we have conducted on each of our Services.
This will include details such as the benefits and limitations of each Service and our charging structures. Again, we aim to have this available to you in good time before the April 2023 deadline.
Consumer Support
Service Levels
Our service levels and terms of business have always been a significant area of focus at Stellar. This remains the case and we continue to look at ways in which we can improve our support to you and our mutual clients.
Vulnerable Clients
A significant area of focus of the FCA over the last few years is the support that the industry offers to those clients that are deemed vulnerable. We will continue to make further enhancements as part of our Consumer Duty work.
Consumer Understanding and Support
Communications Review
We appreciate that we interact with you and your clients in many ways. We are undertaking a comprehensive review of our communications to make sure that we provide each respective audience with the clearest view of the Services we offer.
We are seeking to ensure that we improve consumer understanding and provide the customer support that you and your clients need to meet their financial objectives.
If there are any specific client communications from us that you believe could be improved, please do let us know by contacting enquiries@stellar-am.com or use the chat/support button below.