COBS 4.2 Fair, clear and not misleading communications

1. (1)

    The fair, clear and not misleading rule applies in a way that is appropriate and proportionate taking into account the means of communication, the information the communication is intended to convey and the nature of the client and of its business, if any. So a communication addressed to a professional client or an eligible counterparty may not need to include the same information, or be presented in the same way, as a communication addressed to a retail client.

2. (2)

   COBS 4.2.1R(2)(b) does not limit the application of the fair, clear and not misleading rule under COBS 4.2.1R (2) (a). So, for example, a communication in relation to designated investment business that is both a communication to a professional client and a financial promotion, will still be subject to the fair, clear and not misleading rule.

[Note: article 30(1) of MiFID and article 17(2) of the IDD]

Part 7 (Offences relating to Financial Services) of the Financial Services Act 2012 creates criminal offences relating to certain misleading statements and practices.

A firm should ensure that a financial promotion:

1. (1)

   for a product or service that places a client's capital at risk makes this clear;

2. (2)

   that quotes a yield figure gives a balanced impression of both the short and long term prospects for the investment;

3. (3)

   that promotes an investment or service whose charging structure is complex, or in relation to which the firm will receive more than one element of remuneration, includes the information necessary to ensure that it is fair, clear and not misleading and contains sufficient information taking into account the needs of the recipients;

4. (4)

   that names the FCA, PRA or both as its regulator and refers to matters not regulated by either the FCA, PRA or both makes clear that those matters are not regulated by the FCA, PRA or either;

5. (5)

   that offers packaged products or stakeholder products not produced by the firm, gives a fair, clear and not misleading impression of the producer of the product or the manager of the underlying investments.

A communication or a financial promotion should not describe a feature of a product or service as “guaranteed”, “protected” or “secure”, or use a similar term unless:

1. (1)

   that term is capable of being a fair, clear and not misleading description of it; and

2. (2)

   the firm communicates all of the information necessary, and presents that information with sufficient clarity and prominence, to make the use of that term fair, clear and not misleading.