In December 2006, MAS released the findings from our review of FAs’ controls to monitor improper switching of investment products. The review covered 23 FAs from the banking, insurance and capital market sectors. Overall, the review found that most FAs had implemented some controls to monitor improper switching within their own firms. Controls at the point of sale were generally more robust than controls to monitor switching after sale. The quality of control measures also varied across FAs. MAS issued the following reminders, that: (i) FAs ensure that disclosure on the costs and disadvantages associated with switching are clearly presented to clients in simple language; and (ii) FAs with sizeable operations put in place more robust after sale monitoring systems to identify unusual trends. |
