Financial Services Authority

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The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is an independent non-governmental body, given statutory powers by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. They are a company limited by guarantee and financed by the financial services industry. HM Treasury appoints the FSA Board, which currently consists of a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer, three Managing Directors, and 9 non-executive directors (including a lead non-executive member, the Deputy Chairman). This Board sets our overall policy, but day-to-day decisions and management of the staff are the responsibility of the Executive [1]

They are an independent body that regulates the financial services industry in the UK. They have been given a wide range of rule-making, investigatory and enforcement powers in order to meet four statutory objectives:

1 market confidence: maintaining confidence in the financial system; 2 public awareness: promoting public understanding of the financial system; 3 consumer protection: securing the appropriate degree of protection for consumers; and 4 the reduction of financial crime: reducing the extent to which it is possible for a business to be used for a purpose connected with financial crime.

The FSA summarises these four objectives with one overall aim:

To promote efficient, orderly and fair markets and to help retail consumers achieve a fair deal.

The Board

Notes

  1. ^The Financial Services website, FSA Home Page Last viewed 01.02.07