Funeral Partners welcome the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) announcement
From 29th July 2022, all Funeral Plans in the UK are regulated by the FCA. We believe this will give customers even more confidence and transparency when they purchase a Choice Funeral Plan, as well as the reassurance that money invested in our plans is protected. For security of our Funeral Plan funds, we work only with UK-based life assurance companies who are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the FCA and the PRA.
Steve Coyle, Director of Preneed ‘We have been working hard to develop our product ready for the regulated environment. We are delighted to receive formal notification of our business now being regulated by the FCA. We have been preparing the business by investing in training, with over 520 team members now able to offer our Funeral Plans, we have a new website, new marketing literature and we are investing heavily in monitoring our regulated activity in order to ensure we have compliant processes, training, and coaching of our teams as we move into operating under the new regulatory regime’.
Sam Kershaw, Chief Executive Officer of Funeral Partners commented ‘FCA regulation of the Funeral Plan market is welcomed by Funeral Partners and the Industry as a whole. Our primary concern, and always has been, is that Funeral Plans are sold fairly and transparently, so what the customer has bought is what the customer expects, providing security of invested funds and the potential for peace of mind when it comes to later life planning.’
We would like to assure all our existing customers who have purchased a Choice Funeral Plan via our Funeral Partners network or approved partner, prior to the 29th July, your plan is safe and you do not need to take any action. If you have any questions please contact info@choiceplan.co.uk
To plan your funeral your way and for more information on our Funeral Plans, speak to one our friendly team in a Funeral Partners branch or visit our website www.choiceplan.co.uk
Funeral Partners are the third largest provider of funeral services in the UK with over 230 funeral homes, 130 brands across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and we continue to grow. Our pre-paid Funeral Plan is called Choice, and all Choice funeral plans are provided by the Alternative Planning Company Limited (APCL), which is now authorised and regulated by the FCA with firm reference number 965282. APCL is part of the Funeral Partners Group.
To find out about the status of all other Funeral Plan providers please check at Funeral plan providers: what you need to know | FCA
