Information on enforcement investigations into senior managers - May 2022

FOI Release Date of Release:

Reference Case Number: FOI8689

Freedom of Information: Right to know request:

As at the date of the FCA's response to this request, how many enforcement investigations does the FCA have open into: 

1. Individuals who hold Senior Management Functions. Please also provide a breakdown of this number to show which Senior Management Functions are held by individuals under investigation. Please also provide a general description of the nature of these investigations (e.g. lack of fitness/propriety or culture/governance).

2. How many investigations commenced against individuals who hold Senior Management Functions have been discontinued in the past 12 months.

3. Individuals who fall within the Certification Regime. Please provide a general description of the nature of these investigations.

4. Individuals for breaches of the COCON rules who are not senior managers or covered by the certification regime.

5. Individuals who fall within the approved persons regime.

FCA response:

In considering the information, please note the following:

  • The Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR) has applied to Senior Manager Functions (SMFs) at UK banks, building societies, credit unions, branches of foreign banks operating in the UK and the largest investment firms regulated by the PRA and the FCA since 7 March 2016.
  • SMFs at dual-regulated insurers (regulated by both the FCA and PRA) have been subject to the SM&CR since 10 December 2018.
  • The SM&CR replaced the Approved Persons Regime (APER) for SMFs from 9 December 2019 for solo-regulated firms regulated by the FCA only.
  • For banking firms, the FCA Code of Conduct (COCON) was extended to non-SMF staff from 07 March 2017. For insurance firms, COCON was extended to apply to non-SMF staff from 09 December 2019.  It was extended from 31 March 2021 for solo regulated firms. The COCON rules apply to those staff that fall under the SM&CR.

Any potential misconduct by individuals at firms prior to the dates listed above when the new regimes became effective is captured under APER. Overall, the FCA has over 370 individuals under investigation for a range of potential breaches, including but not limited to APER, COCON, Fitness and Propriety (FIT), and criminal misconduct.

As of 27 April 2022, 81,305 individuals hold Senior Manager Functions.