Retaining an independent stance

depolarisation

Six months after the introduction of depolarisation, many intermediaries have remained independent although the number of multi-tie operations is on the rise, driven in the main by banks

In October, the Association of Independent Financial Advisers (Aifa) published the results of a survey of its members conducted in August. This revealed some 72% of intermediaries advising on investments were still conducting business on an independent basis. Only 1% to 2% of such transactions were being conducted on a multi-tied basis, and 27% of business was being offered on a whole of market basis, advising across the market but not offering clients a fee remuneration option. In November, the FSA also reported a general preference among advisers for remaining independent, providing whol...