Keeping your firm's details up to date

You need to ensure that the information we hold about your firm is correct – for example, your firm's name and contact details.

We use your firm's details to:

• communicate with you
• ensure your firm is asked to submit the correct regulatory returns
• carry out thematic analysis across sectors and groups of firms

We also publish certain firm details on the Financial Services Register[1] (FS Register).

You can use our Connect system[2] to tell us about changes to your firm's details at any time.

Firm Details Attestation (FDA)

You are subject to SUP 16.10 reporting requirements[3] if your firm is:

• authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) solely or dual regulated by us or the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)

SUP 16.10 requirements mean that, each year, you must check, amend (if required) and confirm your firm details within 60 business days of your firm’s financial year end using our Connect system[2]. 

Even if your firm's details haven’t changed from the previous year, you still need to log into Connect and confirm that the details are accurate.

The requirements are different if you’re a payments or e-money institution[4].

You are not required to attest if you are:

• an Investment Company with Variable Capital (ICVC)
• a dormant account fund operator

The details you’ll need to attest to are:

• firm details (including trading names and Companies House registration details if applicable)
• principal place of business
• registered office address (if registered at Companies House)
• head office address
• invoice address
• UK branch address
• complaint contact details
• auditor or reporting accountant details
• professional advisor details
• locum details
• actuary details
• compliance officer details
• appointed representatives
• financial year end date

If your firm is registered with Companies House, please make sure that the registered name, registered office address, and financial year end date are up to date at Companies House.

How to update or confirm your firm's details

You’ll need to be registered with our Connect[5] system and be granted permission from the principal user to use the form.

To access the form:

1. Choose ‘Start an application’ from the Connect menu.
2. Choose ‘Select firm’ next to the firm for whom you are completing the attestation.
3. Select ‘Update or attest to your firm details’ from the list of available applications.
4. Select ‘show more’ and then ‘Start application’.
5. Follow the instructions and guidance and complete the form.

We’ve made changes to the firm details attestation form to improve the data we capture and make it easier to use. The form will highlight any errors and provide instructions on how to correct them.

Please note, we don't accept paper forms.

Firms registered at Companies House

If you're changing your firm's registered name, registered office address, legal status or financial year end, then you must have registered these changes with Companies House[6] before you update your firm's details with us, as they are the official repository of this information.

The FDA form will ask you to confirm the Companies House details that we will use and publish to the FS Register.

Firms with appointed representatives

Firms who have appointed representatives (ARs) are also required to review and confirm details of their ARs within the FDA form (under SUP 12.7.7[7]).

To make changes to your ARs, use the relevant forms on Connect[6] before you complete your attestation:

• add an AR – complete the ‘add an appointed representative or tied agent’ form
• change AR details – complete the ‘appointed representative or tied agent change details’ form
• terminate an AR – complete the ‘terminate AR’ form

Find out more about principals and appointed representatives[8].

Payments and e-money institutions

If you’re a payments or e-money institution, you don't need to complete an annual attestation. However, you will need to use the FDA form to change any of the following details:

• registered name
• trading names
• principal place of business (the address displayed under ‘basic details’ on the FS Register)
• registered office (if registered at Companies House)
• website address
• telephone number
• name and address of your auditor
• financial year end

Trading names and sensitive business names

Firms can add new trading names[9] by completing the FDA Form. This helps firms that already, or wish to, trade under a name different from their registered company name.

Using certain sensitive words[10] in a business name may give a misleading indication of what the business does. You must seek our opinion before trading under or registering a business name containing these sensitive words.

Directory Persons’ Attestation (DPA)

If your firm submits Directory Persons’ data to us, your firm is subject to SUP 16.26 reporting requirements[11].

These requirements mean that you must submit a Directory Persons' Attestation (DPA) to confirm that the data we hold is accurate and up to date.

This is a different process to confirming your firm's details – you'll need to submit a separate DPA form on Connect[9].

We publish a directory of certified and assessed persons[11] on the FS Register.