Terms of business

about our services   1st Class Mortgage Services Ltd 100-102 Market Street Droylsden, Manchester M43 6DE

1. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) The FSA is the independent watchdog that regulates financial services. This document is designed by the FSA to be given to consumers considering buying certain financial products. Use this information to decide if our services are right for you.

2. Whose products do we offer? Insurance We offer products from a range of insurers for Term Assurance, Mortgage Protection Assurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Private Medical Insurance, Permanent Health Insurance, Buildings and/or Contents Insurance, Accident, Sickness and Unemployment Insurance. We only offer products from a limited number of insurers. We only offer products from a single insurer. Mortgages We offer mortgages from the whole market. We only offer mortgages from a limited number of lenders We only offer mortgages from a single lender.

3. Which service will we provide you with? Insurance We will advise and make a recommendation for you after we have assessed your needs for Term Assurance, Mortgage Protection Assurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Private Medical Insurance, Permanent Health Insurance, Accident, Sickness and Unemployment Insurance. You will not receive advice or a recommendation from us in relation to, Buildings and/or Contents Insurance. We may ask some questions to narrow down the selection of products that we will provide details on. You will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed. Mortgages We will advise and make a recommendation for you after we have assessed your needs. You will not receive advice or a recommendation from us. We may ask some questions to narrow down the selection of products that we will provide details on. You will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed.

4. What will you have to pay us for our services? Insurance A fee. No fee for Term Assurance, Mortgage Protection Assurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Private Medical Insurance, Permanent Health Insurance, Buildings and/or Contents Insurance, Accident, Sickness and Unemployment Insurance. You will receive a quotation which will tell you about any other fees relating to any particular insurance policy. Mortgages No fee. We will be paid by commission from the lender. A fee of £XXX for arranging the mortgage payable at the outset and X% of the loan amount payable on confirmation of the mortgage offer, for example if you take out a loan of £100,000 you will need to pay £XXX. If you choose this option we will refund to you any commission we earn from the lender A fee of £399.00 for arranging the mortgage, payable on completion of the mortgage offer. This is in addition to any commission we may receive from the lender. You will receive a key facts illustration when considering a particular mortgage which will tell you about any fees relating to it. Refund of fees If we charge you a fee, and your mortgage does not go ahead, you will receive: A full refund if the lender rejects your application. A refund of £XXX, if your application falls through. No refund if you decide not to proceed.

5. Who regulates us? 1st Class Mortgage Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Our FSA Register number is 472024. Our permitted business is advising on and arranging insurances such as Term Assurance, Mortgage Protection Assurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Private Medical Insurance, Permanent Health Insurance, Buildings and/or Contents Insurance and Accident, Sickness and Unemployment Insurance and mortgages. You can check this on the FSA’s Register by visiting the FSA’s website www.fsa.gov.uk/register or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.

6. What to do if you have a complaint If you wish to register a complaint, please contact us: In writing: Write to 1st Class Mortgage Services Ltd, Complaints Department, 100-102 Market Street, Droylsden, Manchester, M43 6DE By phone: Telephone: 0161 370 9984 If you cannot settle your complaint with us, you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

7. Are we covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)? We are covered by the FSCS. You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme if we cannot meet our obligations. This depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim. Insurance Insurance advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the first £2,000 and 90% of the remainder of the claim, without any upper limit. For compulsory classes of insurance, insurance advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the claim, without any upper limit. Mortgages Mortgage advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the first £30,000 and 90% of the next £20,000 so the maximum compensation is £48,000. Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS.

Our relationship

Any advice or recommendation that we offer to you, will be based on your stated objectives, circumstances and take into account any restrictions that you wish to place on the type of products you would be willing to consider.

With very few exceptions, we will confirm to you in writing the basis of our reason for recommending the products arranged on your behalf.

Your stated objectives will be reiterated in the Suitability Letter, which we will issue to you following our recommendation, along with details of any special risks associated with the product recommended. Unless confirmed in writing, to the contrary, we will assume that you do not wish to place any restrictions on the advice we give you.

Full details of the products we may recommend to you including, for example, the minimum duration of the product, information on the right to cancel or whether no right to cancel arises, and any other early termination rights and penalties, will be covered in the relevant product disclosure information you will receive before conclusion of any contract.

Any products we have arranged for you, will not be kept under review but we will advise you upon your request. However, we may contact you in the future by means of an unsolicited promotion should we wish to discuss the relative merits of a particular product or service which we feel may be of interest to you.

1st Class Mortgage Services Ltd is not permitted to handle client money for mortgages and insurances AND we cannot accept a cheque made out to us (unless it is in respect of an item for which we have sent you an invoice) or handle cash.

You or we may terminate our relationship at any time without penalty. However, where we have undertaken work on your behalf for which a fee is due, we reserve the right to charge you that fee.

Your protection

Circumstances can arise where we or one of our other customers may have some form of interest in business being transacted for you. If this happens or we become aware that our interests or those of one of our other customers conflict with your interests, we will write to you and obtain your consent before we carry out your instructions, and detail the steps we will take to ensure fair treatment.

In most cases you can exercise a right to cancel, by withdrawing from the contract recommended to you. In general terms you will have a 30 day cancellation period for a pure protection policy and a 14 day cancellation period for a general insurance policy. Please note that in most instances you will not be able to exercise a right to cancel a mortgage contract, unless the contract is concluded at a distance (i.e. no face to face advice), at which point you will have a 14 day cancellation period. Additionally, any contracts arranged at your explicit consent (normally referred to as “execution only”) do not provide cancellation rights.

The start of the cancellation period will normally begin, for pure protection policies, when you are informed that the contract has been concluded or, if later, when you have received the contractual terms and conditions. In other cases, the cancellation period will begin on the day the contract is concluded or, if later, the day on which you receive the contractual terms and conditions. Instructions for exercising the right to cancel, if applicable, will be contained in the relevant product disclosure information which will be issued to you.

All Policy Documents or Lender’s Offer Documents will be forwarded to you as soon as practicable after we receive them. If there are a number of documents relating to a series of transactions, we will normally hold each document until the series is complete and then forward them to you.

Data protection

Some services are provided to 1st Class Mortgage Services Ltd by third parties such as processing business or obtaining compliance or regulatory advice, which warrant the disclosure of more than just your basic contact details. You agree that personal information held by 1st Class Mortgage Services Ltd may be disclosed on a confidential basis, and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, to any such third parties. You also agree that this information may be transferred electronically, e.g. email and you agree that ourselves, or any such third party, may contact you in future by any means of communication which we consider appropriate at the time.