The APCC is pleased to announce that its 2010 London forum will take place on Tuesday 9th March.

The APCC's London forum will take place on Tuesday 9th March 2010 at Grays Inn.  Registration is now open for this event.  As before the Compliance Consultants Forum Event is open to all compliance consultants and includes speakers from the FSA and industry with question and answer sessions on Key Regulatory issues, including:

•    a keynote address from the FSA focusing on the intensive supervision strategy for small firms
•    developments within the authorisations and permissions department
•    financial crime
•    the FSA’s compliance consultants training programme
•    dealing with FSA enforcement in 2010
•    PI insurance for consultancy firms and for their clients
•    a report from the chairman of the Association, including professional standards
•    the 2010 annual general meeting of the Association


Following the close of the formal part of the event the APCC will be hosting a networking session at a local hostelyfor all delegates.

Set out below are the summary details and links to the FSA's events as notified to the APCC

Seminars
Seminars for Compliance Consultants/Officers, January - March 2010, Edinburgh, London and Manchester
Sessions available are: What does a good firm look like; and General investments. Further information and booking details are available here.

Briefings
ARROW® II breakfast briefings - ask the regulator, February - May 2010, London Limited to a maximum of 10 participants, this is your chance to ask the ARROW team straight questions and get straight answers on any aspect of ARROW® II. Further information and booking details are available here.

CONFERENCES
Insurance sector conference, 18 March 2010, London EC1
This full day conference is an opportunity for the FSA to set out its regulatory priorities for the sector and answer the industry's questions. The conference offers delegates the opportunity to hear from the senior management team at the FSA as well as from senior industry practitioners and wider market commentators. Confirmed FSA speakers/panellists include: Jon Pain, on intensive supervision; Sally Dewar, on Solvency II; and Dan Waters, on conduct risk. Further information and booking details are available here.

Enforcement conference, 22 June 2010, London EC1
A one-day conference exploring the effect of FSA enforcement and how it changes the behaviour of the firms and individuals regulated by the FSA. This conference will evaluate progress against the FSA's credible deterrence objective and examine the role of enforcement in ensuring regulatory compliance. It will include panel discussions and debate around how enforcement action affects the way firms do business, the merits and effectiveness of sanctions in retail and wholesale markets and the priorities for the FSA's Enforcement division in 2010 and beyond. Confirmed speakers include: Hector Sants (Chief Executive, FSA) and Margaret Cole (Director of Enforcement and Financial Crime Division, FSA). Further information and booking details are available here.

WORKSHOPS
Liquidity reporting workshops, January - March 2010, various locations
The FSA recently published new rules on liquidity which put further requirements on firms - including providing the FSA with additional data relating to a firm's liquidity risk. The FSA is offering a series of half-day workshops for basic products and advanced products to help you identify the relevant data items, frequency and submission deadlines that apply to different categories of firms at solo, group and whole firm levels. They will also provide you with the opportunity to learn more about the new data items with particular emphasis on worked examples of how to report typical product types. Further information and booking details are available here.

Risk Management Symposium
Sunday 11 - Tuesday 13 July 2010, St John's College Cambridge
Residential event led by Lyndon Nelson, Director - Risk Management, Financial Services Authority.  The event begins on Sunday 11 July with a formal dinner and keynote address from Sally Dewar, Managing Director, Risk Business Unit. It is intended to bring together risk specialists, regulators and industry practitioners to discuss current issues in risk management - such as valuation, stress-testing and governance. To register interest contact kathy.mccall@fsa.gov.uk

For full details of all FSA events please visit: http://www.fsa.gov.uk/Pages/Doing/Events/index.shtml

The FSA has confirmed to the APCC that there are currently delays both in allocating case officers and in processing applications and variations of permissions.

In a letter dated 6 November the new Head of Permissions Department at the FSA, Sharon Campbell, confirmed that due to the increased volumes of complex applications and the more intrusive approach being adopted by the FSA to these applications the FSA is experiencing delays both in allocating case officers to, and in dealing with, applications and variations of permissions.

The FSA does expect this to be a temporary situation and does appreciate that this is frustrating both for applicants and their advisers.  In the meantime the FSA is asking compliance consultants to bear with them during this period.

Institutional Business - Compliance Consultants Forum

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COMPLIANCE CONSULTANTS AND EXPERTS TO DISCUSS TOPICAL ISSUES

This half day event was held on October 12, 2009 at the offices of Smith and Williamson, London. The presentation slides for this event are now available from the members area of the APCC website. 

We would like to thank Stephenson Harwood, SOCA, Smith and Williamson and the FSA for providing speakers for this event.  We would also like to thank Smith and Williamson for provding an excellent venue for the forum.

This consultants forum focussed on issues for consultants who advise institutional clients.  The event was open to all compliance consultants and includes:

•   presentations on topical regulatory issues, including ICAAP, financial crime and market abuse
•   an opportunity to ask questions directly of the speakers
•   networking with other professional consultants and meeting representatives of the APCC

A light lunch followed on from the formal part of the forum at which consultants were able to:

•    Network with other professional consultants and meet representatives of the Association
•    Discuss and debate current issues with other delegates and the speakers

The cost including VAT was £57.50 (£50 plus VAT) for delegates from member firms and/or the Compliance Institute and £115 (£100 plus VAT) for all other delegates. 

Towergate Risk Solutions and Hiscox Insurance Company Limited have teamed up to create an enhanced professional indemnity facility for APCC members.

The competitive premiums which are available to all APCC member firms include professional indemnity, public and employer liability.  D&O cover is also available, again at competitive rates, to corporate APCC member firms.

For further information and a proposal form please e-mail charles.wintour@towergate.co.uk.

This financial promotion has been approved by Towergate Underwriting Group Limited.  Towergate Risk Solutions is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.