Read our help text for Gabriel submission RMA-G training and competence.
The following help text is numbered according to the sequence that the fields appear on the Gabriel submission form.
17. Did the firm do any of the following regulated activities during the reporting period?
If your firm undertook any of the business activities specified in columns A - C and E, please select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ for each activity.
1. Total number of employees at the firm as at the end of the reporting period
Enter the total number of all employees that worked for the firm as at the end of the reporting period (including employees that do not carry out regulated activities as well as those who do). Do not include any employee that worked at the firm during the period but was not employed at the end of the reporting period.
2. Number of employees that give advice in each area
Enter the number of employees who give advice to retail customers in each of the business types. ‘Advice’ is given where the sale of a product is based on a recommendation given to the customer on the merits of a particular product. If you have employees who give advice in relation to more than one business type, you should include them separately in each applicable field.
26. Number of individual advisers employed by the firm
Counting each individual only once, enter the number of individual advisers employed by the firm, regardless of whether they advise in one or more areas. This should be less than or equal to total number of employees reported in Question 2.
3. Number of employees that give advice (FTE)
This should be the same data reported in Question 26, but expressed in ‘full time equivalent’ terms (reported to two decimal places). For example if the firm has 15 part-time employees that work 50% of normal hours, the figure would be 7.50.
4. Number of employees that supervise others to give advice in each area
Enter the number of staff who supervise your advisers in each of the business types. If you have supervisors who supervise advisers in relation to more than one business type, you should include them separately in each field.
27. Number of individual employees with supervisory responsibilities
Counting each individual only once, enter the total number of individual supervisors at the firm, regardless of whether they supervise in one or more areas.
5. Number of advisers assessed as competent by the firm in each area
This is a subset of the ‘number of employees that give advice in each area’ in Question 2 above.
See TC Appendix 1.1R for the detailed training and competence requirements relating to individual activities.
If employees are competent in relation to more than one business type, they should be counted in each applicable field.
The number entered in each field cannot be more than the number of employees that give advice in each area (Question 2).
30. Number of advisers assessed as competent in one or more areas
Counting each individual only once, enter the total number of individuals assessed by the firm as competent in one or more of the four business types specified in columns A-C and E.
18. Number of fully qualified advisers
Enter the total number of advisers holding appropriate qualifications to carry on retail investment activities 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 and 13 in TC Appendix 1.1.1 R (other than in relation to a Holloway sickness policy where the Holloway policy special application conditions are met). You must complete this if your firm has permission to advise on retail investment products.
19. Number of advisers holding a valid Statement of Professional Standing (SPS)
If your firm has permission to advise on retail investment products, enter the total number of retail investment advisers holding a valid SPS from an accredited body. You must complete this if your firm has permission to advise on retail investment products. The number entered cannot be more than the number of fully qualified advisers at the firm.
6. Number of advisers that hold an appropriate qualification in each area
This is a subset of the ‘number of employees that give advice in each area’ above.
In the case of certain activities, TC 2 imposes requirements on firms in relation to their employees and passing examinations.
The relevant activities to which TC applies and require employees to obtain appropriate qualifications can be found in TC Appendix 1. Then appropriate qualifications for these activities can be found in TC Appendix 4E.
If advisers have appropriate qualifications in relation to more both business types, they should be counted in each applicable field.
The number entered in each field cannot be more than the number of employees that give advice in each area (Question 2).
29. Number of individual advisers holding at least one appropriate qualification
Counting each individual only once, enter the number of individuals holding at least one appropriate qualification for advising on mortgages, acting as a retail investment adviser, or advising on second (and subsequent) charge mortgages.
25. Number of employees that left the firm during the reporting period
Enter the number of employees whose last day of employment fell within the reporting period.
7. Number of advisers that left the firm during the reporting period
Enter the total number of advisory employees whose last day of employment fell within the reporting period.
If any of these advisers used to carry out advisory activities in relation to more than one business type, they should be counted in each applicable field.
28. Number of individual advisers that left the firm during the reporting period
Counting each individual only once, enter the total number of individual advisers whose last day of employment fell within the reporting period.
Non-investment Insurance
20. Which types of non-investment insurance advice were provided by the firm in the reporting period?
If your firm has provided non-investment insurance advice in the reporting period, you should indicate on what basis it was provided. Please select from the following options:
- Fair analysis of the market
If an insurance intermediary informs a customer that it gives advice on the basis of a fair analysis of the market, it must give that advice on the basis of an analysis of a sufficiently large number of contracts of insurance available on the market to enable it to make a recommendation, in accordance with professional criteria, regarding which contract of insurance would be adequate to meet the customer's needs. (See ICOBS 5.3.3R, ICOBS 4.1.6R and ICOBS 4.1.8G).
- Restricted – multi-tie
A firm provides advice on products selected from a limited number of provider firms.
- Restricted – single-tie
A firm provides advice on products selected from one provider firm only.
Mortgages (and second and subsequent charge mortgages)
21. Which types of mortgage advice were provided by the firm in the reporting period?
If your firm has provided mortgage advice in the reporting period, you should indicate on what basis (Limited or Unlimited) your firm provided the advice. Refer to MCOB 4.4A when completing these fields.
22. What types of second (and subsequent) charge mortgage advice were provided by the firm in the reporting period?
If your firm has provided second (and subsequent) charge mortgage advice in the reporting period you should indicate on what basis (Limited or Unlimited) your firm the advice. Refer to MCOB 4.4A when completing these fields.
Retail Investment Advice
23. Which types of retail investment advice were provided by the firm in the reporting period?
If your firm has provided retail investment advice in the reporting period, you should indicate on what basis it was provided. Please select from the following options:
- Independent
For a retail investment firm to provide independent advice its personal recommendations must be based on a comprehensive and fair analysis of the relevant market, and be unbiased and unrestricted (COBS 6.2A.3R).
- Restricted
A retail investment firm provides restricted advice if:
(a) it makes personal recommendations to retail clients in relation to retail investment products which are not independent advice; or
(b) it provides basic advice.
Clawed back commission
13. Clawed back commission by number
If your firm provides retail investment advice, enter the number of policies where cancellations have led to commissions being clawed back during the reporting period.
14. Clawed back commission by value
If your firm provides retail investment advice, enter the total value of clawed back commission during the reporting period in monetary terms.
Professional Standards Data
24. Please provide the following information for each of the firm's retail investment advisers employed by the firm at the end of the reporting period
For each employee advising on retail investment products (as reported in Question 2C), you must complete a row in Question 24, starting with the last name and first name of the employee. There are then three options for completing the ‘Adviser ID’ fields.
- If the retail investment adviser (RIA) has an Individual Reference Number (IRN), please enter their IRN. You will not need to provide their date of birth, NI number, passport number or nationality.
- If the RIA has no IRN, please enter their date of birth and NI number
- If the RIA has no NI number, please provide their date of birth, passport number and nationality.
Firms with a large number of advisers to report may wish to use the XML extract and upload functionality in Gabriel to reduce the amount of re-input required. We have published a helpful guide explaining how firms can use this functionality.
Further information
RMA-G Frequently Asked Questions
SUP 16 Annex 18B: Notes for the completion of the Retail Mediation Activities Return (RMAR)