Reference Case Number: FOI10320
Freedom of Information: Right to know request:
Within the 'the retail intermediary market 2021' underlying data table 11 splits out mortgage brokers by adviser numbers. However, is it possible to obtain a more detailed split of the firms within the 6 to 50 adviser bracket as it is a very wide threshold and difficult to understand market size.
FCA response:
We can confirm that we hold the requested information, and the information we are able to provide to you is set out in the attached Annex A.
Please note that we are not able to provide the data for the ‘26-50 advisors’ range in bandings of 5 and have therefore grouped them as ’26-35 advisors’ and ‘36-50 advisors’. This is because, where the number of firms within a band is low (e.g. five to ten firms), disclosure of the information at such a granular level could lead to the identification of the firms in question.
Therefore, we are prohibited from disclosing these details to you as they constitute, or contain, ‘confidential information’ for the purposes of section 348 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), which the FCA has received in the discharge of its public functions. We are therefore exempted from the duty to disclose this information under section 44 of FOIA. For more information on why this exemption applies, please see Annex B below.