Terms of Business
These Terms of Business applicable from 14/05/2021 set out the general terms under which we will provide business services to you and the respective duties and responsibilities of both ourselves and you in relation to such services. Please ensure you read these terms thoroughly and if you have any queries, we will be happy to clarify them. If any material changes are made to these terms, we will notify you.
Authorisation and Codes of Conduct
Focus Life & Pensions Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Our authorisation can be checked on the Central Bank of Ireland registers website at www.centralbank.ie or by calling them on 1890 777 777 to verify our credentials. Our reference code is C3504. We are also subject to the Consumer Protection Code, Minimum Competency Code and Fitness & Probity Standards which offer protection to consumers. These Codes can also be found on the Central Bank’s website.
Our Services
We are an Insurance and Investment Intermediary. Our principal business is to provide advice and arrange transactions on behalf of our clients in relation to life, pensions & investments. We are not under a contractual obligation to conduct Insurance distribution business exclusively with one or more Insurance Undertakings and do not give advice on the basis of a fair and personal analysis, we do however provide advice from the selection of products provided by the Companies we have agencies with. We recommend the product that in our professional opinion, is best suited to your needs and objectives from this selection of products.
As part of the process when giving our clients advice on Investments we will need to gather information with regards your investment knowledge and experience, if this information is not provided, we will not be in a position to determine whether the product is appropriate for you.
List of Providers we have an agency with listed below;
Disclosure of information
We act as your representative to the companies we have agencies with, and we will provide assistance to you for any queries you may have in relation to the policies or in the event of a claim during the life of the policies and we will explain to you the various restrictions, conditions and exclusions attached to your policy. However, it is your responsibility to read the policy documents, literature and brochures to ensure you understand the nature of the policy cover. Material information about medical history, nonsmoker status, occupation category and any hazardous pursuits are central to underwriting decisions and it is imperative that all information you provide to the insurer is accurate and complete. You are under a duty to answer all questions posed by the insurer or ourselves on your behalf, honestly and with reasonable care. It is presumed, unless the contrary is shown, that you would know all questions in an application or at renewal are material to the risk undertaken by the insurer or the calculation of the premium by the insurer, or both. Any failure to disclose material information may invalidate a claim and render your policy void. You must inform and disclose any material information including any material changes that might take place between the time you complete an application form and the time you pay the first premium. To assist us in providing you with a comprehensive service and to keep our records as up-to date as soon as possible, please notify us of any changes to your personal circumstances, e.g., name change, change of address, etc.
Remuneration
Focus Life & Pensions Ltd is remunerated by commission and other payments from product producers on the completion of your business. You may choose to pay in full for our services by means of a fee. Where we receive recurring commission, this forms part of the remuneration for ongoing advice with regards to the business we advise you on and we will provide you with an annual update on your Investment business. We reserve the right to charge additional fees if the number of hours relating to on-going advice/assistance exceeds 3 hrs.
If we receive commission from a product provider, this will be offset against the fee which we will charge you. Where the commission is greater than the fee due, the commission will become the amount payable to us unless an arrangement to the contrary is made.
Additional fees may be payable for complex cases or to reflect value, specialist skills or urgency. We will give an estimate of this rate in advance of providing you with services.
Although we will not be considering adverse impacts of investment decisions on sustainability factors in our investment and insurance-based Investment advice, we will keep an eye on the changes the Product Providers put in place and note any adverse effect on the cost to you if any.
A summary of the details of all arrangements for any fee, commission, other reward or remuneration paid or provided to us by the product producers” is available on our website or in our offices. If you need further explanation on this information, please do not hesitate to call us.
Adverse Sustainability Impacts Statement
After due consideration with regards the legislation onSustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, due to our size and the type of business we transact with our clients, we have decided not to consider adverse impacts of investment decisions on sustainability factors in our investment and insurance-based Investment advice. The reason we have decided this course of action is because we do not produce these investments, it is the Product Producers we have agencies with who build the Investment Products we advise on. Within the next year we will consider whether we will continue with this view, to ensure we stay within the guidelines of the legislation. All information re Sustainable Finance Disclosures will be adhered to by the Product Producers and their brochures and documents will outline their disclosures.
If any of the investments we provide advice on have a Sustainability Finance Disclosure, these investments will be produced by the product providers we have agencies with, and their brochures and documents will have full details of the areas that are considered.
Regular reviews
It is in your best interests you review, on a regular basis, the products which we have arranged for you. As your circumstances change, your needs will change. Please advise us of those changes and request a review of the relevant policy so we can ensure you are provided with upto-date advice and products best suited to your needs.
Conflicts of interest
It is our policy of to avoid conflicts of interest in providing services to you. However, where an unavoidable conflict of interest arises, we will advise you of this in writing before providing you with any service. As per above we receive commission from the lenders and companies we have agencies with for the business you transact.
Default on Payments by Clients
We will exercise our legal right to receive payments due to us from clients (fees) for services provided. Product producers may withdraw benefits or cover in the event of default on payments due under policies or other products arranged for you. We would refer you to policy documents or product terms for the details of such provisions.
Client Monies & Receipts
We request all cheques or negotiable instruments are made payable to the appropriate Product Provider for Life, Pensions, Investment business. We shall issue a receipt for each payment received. These receipts are issued with your protection in mind and should be stored safely. Every effort is made to ensure our clients’ money is transmitted to the appropriate Product Provider without delay. We are not authorised to accept cash. The acceptance by Focus Life & Pensions Ltd of a completed proposal DOES NOT in itself constitute the effecting of a policy. It is only when the Provider confirms the policy is in place and your policy is live.
Complaints
We have a complaints procedure in place which is available on request. Your complaint can be in writing, email, telephone or face to face. If your complaint is face to face or by phone, we will write to you to confirm our understanding of your complaint. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days, advising you of the name of the person dealing with your complaint on behalf of the company. Please address any complaint to Focus Life & Pensions Ltd. If in the event, a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of our investigation, you are entitled to refer the matter to the Financial Services & Pensions Ombudsman, Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, 01-5677000 email info@fspo.ie.
Data Protection
Focus Life & Pensions Ltd complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Regulation. The data will be processed only in ways compatible with the purposes for which it was given. We will provide you with a separate Data Privacy Notice which will outline exactly how, what and where we use your data. We may receive referrals from partner firms and may advise them of any transactions arranged for you.
Compensation Scheme
We are members of the Investor Compensation Scheme operated by the Investor Compensation Company Ltd. The Investor Compensation Act, 1998 provides for the establishment of a compensation scheme and the payment, in certain circumstances, of compensation to certain clients (known as eligible investors) of authorised investment firms, as defined in the Act. Compensation may be payable where money or investment instruments owned or belonging to clients and held, administered or managed by the firm cannot be returned to those clients for the time being and where there is no reasonably foreseeable opportunity of the firm being able to do so. A right to compensation will arise only: If the client is an eligible investor as defined in the Act; and if it transpires that the firm is not in a position to return client money or investment instruments owned or belonging to the clients of the firm; and to the extent that the client’s loss is recognized for the purposes of the Act. Where an entitlement to compensation is established, the compensation payable will be the lesser of: 90% of the amount of the client’s loss which is recognised for the purposes of the Investor Compensation Act, 1998; or Compensation of up to €20,000. For further information, contact the Investor Compensation Co Ltd. at (01) 224 4955.
Governing Law and Business Succession
These Terms of Business shall be governed by and construed in all respects according to the laws of the Republic of Ireland and will be deemed to cover any successors in business to Focus Life & Pensions Ltd.
DECLARATIONS
I/We acknowledge that I/We have been provided with Terms of Business and Data Privacy Notice for Focus Life & Pensions Ltd and confirm I/We have read and understand them.
DIRECT MARKETING
I/We consent to Focus Life & Pensions Ltd making contact with me/us in relation to marketing for a range of services provided by ourselves or our associated or partnership companies which we feel may be of interest to you and to the sharing of relevant information. We will still be allowed to contact you in relation to the business we have advised you on, even if you opt out of marketing material. You have the right to be removed from our marketing lists in the future, by contacting us and requesting same.
If you wish to avail of these services, please tick here.
(Otherwise, you will not be on our mailing list).
Post: ___ Phone: ___ Email: ___Text:___ Social Media:____
We may also use automated data processing or profiling to allow us to give you quotes etc., and for marketing purposes, by signing these terms of business you are also agreeing to us using these systems on your data.
Client 1: _________________________________________
Client 2: _________________________________________
Date: ___________________________