FCA bans and fines adviser £290,000

Between 2005 and 2010, while he was an approved person at Aspire Personal Finance Limited, Mr Reynolds recommended a number of complex and high risk products to his clients, many of whom were on low incomes and had little or no investment experience. Mr Reynolds was aware that he could not justify the suitability of these products for his clients.

In some cases, Mr Reynolds’ clients were unaware that they had invested in unregulated investments and were not told of the associated risks. Suitability letters found on the clients’ files, which did explain the risks, had not been sent to the clients.

During its investigation, the FCA found that Mr Reynolds recklessly recommended high risk investment products to eight retail clients, when he was aware that he could not justify their suitability.

He was also involved in producing inflated valuations to conceal the poor performance of the investments that he had recommended, and made investments on behalf of two clients without their knowledge or authorisation.

Georgina Philippou, acting director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA said:

“People should be able to trust advisers to recommend products which will suit their needs. Today’s fine reflects the fact that we will not hesitate to take action against firms or individuals who fail to put the best interests of their clients first.”