about our services and costs
HCF Partnership Ltd, 501 Centennial Park, Centennial Avenue, Elstree, Hertfordshire, WD6 3FG. T: 020 8236 3330 www.hcf.co.uk
1. The Financial Services Authority (FSA)
The FSA is the independent watchdog that regulates financial services. This document is designed by the FSA to be given to consumers considering buying certain financial products. You need to read this important document. It explains the service you are being offered and how you will pay for it.
2. Whose products do we offer?
Investment
We offer products from the whole market
We can only offer products from a limited number of companies. Ask us for a list of the companies whose products we offer.
We only offer products from a single group of companies.Insurance
We offer products from a range of insurers for life assurance, critical illness insurance, income protection and private medical insurance.
We can only offer products from a limited number of insurers for buildings and contents insurance or mortgage payment protection insurance. Ask us for a list of insurers we offer insurance from.
We only offer products from a single insurer.Mortgages
We offer mortgages from the whole market.
We only offer mortgages from a limited number of lenders.3. Which service will we provide you with?
Investment
We will advise and make a recommendation for you after we have assessed your needs.
You will not receive advice or a recommendation from us. We may ask some questions to narrow down the selection of products that we will provide details on. You will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed.
We will provide basic advice on a limited range of stakeholder products and in order to do this we will ask some questions about your income, savings and other circumstances but we will not:
Conduct a full assessment of your needs;
Offer advice on whether a non-stakeholder product may be more suitable.
Insurance
We will advise and make a recommendation for you after we have assessed your needs for life and critical illness insurance, income protection, buildings and contents insurance, mortgage payment protection insurance or private medical insurance.
You will not receive advice or a recommendation from us for private medical insurance. We may ask some questions to narrow down the selection of products that we will provide details on. You will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed.Mortgages
We will advise and make a recommendation for you after we have assessed your needs.
You will not receive advice or a recommendation from us. We may ask some questions to narrow down the selection of products that we will provide details on. You will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed.4. What will you have to pay us for our services?
Investment
Advice, Policy Arrangement & Implementation – Lump Sum Investments or Transfers
Should you instruct us to proceed with any of our recommendations we will act for you in the following ways:
Handle all fund and policy administration on your behalf;
Provide regular updates to keep you informed of progress;
Ensure all your documents are issued in line with your expectations;
Provide confirmation of all actions taken on your behalf in writing.
Our charge for this service is based on a percentage of the amount you invest and/or transfer. Our charge for this service is 3% and is subject to a minimum of £500.
Policy Arrangement & Implementation – Regular Premium Savings or Investments
Our charge for implementing a regular premium savings or investment plan is 50% of the first year’s premium. Please refer to the Your Payment Options section for further details.
Periodic Reviews and Changes to Existing Investments
Any on-going work, such as periodic reviews or changes to existing investments will be chargeable unless covered by your ‘our services to you’ agreement. Our typical charge is £500.
The charge listed above can be deducted from your investments or paid directly by you. You should note that when paid though the investments it may reduce your personal tax thresholds and/or exemption levels. Where this happens we will discuss it with you and confirm it in your personal recommendation report.
Your Payment Options
Our charges can either be taken from your investment upon receipt by the policy provider or paid directly by you.
1 - Settling your adviser charge in a single payment
When you buy a product you will pay us an adviser charge for our advice, recommendation, arrangement and implementation services which will become payable on completion of our work.
You will be required to settle the payment of your adviser charge on completion of our work within 7 days. We accept cheques or card payment. We do not accept payment by cash. You will be provided with a receipt upon payment.
Example; if your monthly contribution is £500 our implementation fee would be £3,000.
2 - Settling your adviser charge by installments
Settling the adviser charge for our advice, recommendation, arrangement and implementation services by installments is only available where a regular premium product is recommended.
Paying by installments through your recommended product
If you buy a regular premium product, you can choose to have your adviser charge deducted from the product through instalments. Although you pay nothing up front, that does not mean that our service is free. You still pay us indirectly through deductions from the amount you pay into your products. These deductions will pay towards settling the adviser charge. The deductions will reduce the amount left for investment.
You can pay the implementation fee through your policy. The payment will be deducted proportionally from each monthly contribution during the first year.
Example; if your monthly contribution is £500 our implementation fee would be £3,000. This will be collected by deducting £250 from each monthly contribution for the first 12 months.
Keeping up your payments
Should you decide to pay this charge through your policy and payments to the policy subsequently cease, we will calculate the total payments received to date and charge you the balance directly as a final settlement fee.
For example, if you invest £500 per month our total charge will be £3,000. We will deduct £250 from each monthly contribution until paid in full. Should payments cease after month 6 (and £1,500 has been collected) the difference
between this and the total charge (£1,500) will be charged as a direct final settlement fee.
Paying for on-going services
We have a range of on-going services we can provide to ensure that your personal recommendation is reviewed frequently and remains relevant to your changing circumstances.
Please refer to your ‘our services to you’ document for further details. Our on-going fees can be paid either by deduction from your product or directly by you. If you choose to have our on-going fee deducted from your product this deduction will take place on a monthly basis. If you pay our on-going fees directly this will be collected via standing order.
Advice without policy arrangement and implementation Hourly Rate
When you do not buy a product you will pay us a fee for our advice and services, which will become payable on completion of our work.
We will confirm the rate we will charge in writing before beginning work. Our typical charges are: Financial adviser up to £250 per hour.
Administration up to £100 per hour, with a minimum charge of £500. We will tell you if you have to pay VAT.
Insurance
A fee.
No fee for life and critical illness insurance, income protection, buildings and contents insurance mortgage payment protection insurance and private medical insurance. We will be paid commission by the product provider.You will receive a quotation which will tell you about any other fees relating to any particular insurance policy.
Mortgages
A fee of up to 0.6% may be payable at the outset (For example, a fee of £600 will be payable on a mortgage of £100,000). We will also be paid commission from the lender.
A fee of up to 1.2% may be payable when your mortgage starts. (For example, a fee of £1,200 will be payable at the start of a mortgage of £100,000).We will also be paid commission from the lender.
A fee of up to 2% may be payable when your mortgage starts. (For example, a fee of £2,000 will be payable at the start of a mortgage of £100,000).We will refund any commission received from the lender.You will receive a key facts illustration when considering a particular mortgage, which will tell you about any fees relating to it.
Refund of fees
If we charge you a fee, and your mortgage does not go ahead, you will receive:
No refund if you decide not to proceed.
5.
Who regulates us?
HCF Partnership Ltd, 501 Centennial Park, Centennial Avenue, Elstree, Herts. WD6 3FG is authorised and
regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Our FSA Register number is 500654.
Our permitted business is advising on and arranging pension, investments, insurance and mortgage
contracts. You can check this on the FSA’s Register by visiting the FSA’s website www.fsa.gov.uk/register
or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.
6. What to do if you have a complaint
If you wish to register a complaint, please contact us:
….. In writing:
Write to HCF Partnership Ltd, Complaints Department, 501 Centennial Park,
Centennial Avenue, Elstree, Herts. WD6 3FG
….. By phone:
Telephone 020 8236 3330
If you cannot settle your complaint with us, you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman
Service.
7. Are we covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)?
We are covered by the FSCS. You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme if we cannot meet
our obligations. This depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim.
Investment
Most types of investment business are covered up to a maximum limit of £50,000
