TCF Objectives Statement

‘Independent James’ are committed to ensuring that the FSA principle of treating customers fairly (TCF) is applied in all areas of our day to day business activities.

In adopting the TCF principle we recognise that fair treatment of our customers is about adding value to the service we offer by aiming to:

• Protect the interests of our customers at each stage of the product life cycle, from promotion right through to after sales service
• Meet as best we can the unique needs of each customer by offering a transparent, efficient and professional service, and constantly reviewing our service to identify areas for improvement.
• Provide clear information about the products and service we offer, including our fees and charges.
• Ask about your circumstance, needs & preferences prior to recommending a product.
• Only recommend a product that we consider suitable for you from our available options and that you can afford.
• Advise you accordingly if we cannot find a product that we consider suitable.
• Encourage you to ask us for further explanation if you do not understand something.
• If you are unhappy with our service you will have access to our formal complaints procedure.

In practical terms for the different areas of our business this means:

• Ensuring that promotional material is clear, compliant, jargon free and appropriately targeted.
• Ensuring that sales staff have thorough training on all products they advise on or sell, understand who they are and aren’t suitable for, and are encouraged to challenge product providers where they spot inconsistencies, ambiguities or potential unfairness in the product literature or product features.
• Keeping detailed records of customer instructions and profile/attitude to risk, and of the advice and options given before, during and after a sale – to help ensure we treat customers fairly and can deal with any complaints that may arise swiftly and fairly.
• Encouraging after sales contact and feedback from clients, where appropriate, to correct or improve on the service already offered.
• Ensuring that staff are kept up to date with relevant training in relation to competence, data protection and other matters directly affecting the quality of service offered to customers.


How you can help us
For us to give the most appropriate advice, we ask you to:

• Tell us as much as possible about your income and outgoings, to enable us to properly assess how much you can afford to pay.
• Tell us about changes that might affect your affordability.
• Tell us now if there is any aspect of our service or product that you don’t understand.
• Tell us if you think there are ways we can improve our service.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Independent James are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority – ref: 459851. This covers residential mortgages, general insurance and pure protection. We typically charge a fee for our advice, payable upon completion dependent on complexity of advice but on average £300.