Compliance Monitoring Officer (Contract) – Co-op Insurance October 2016 to June 2017This role within Co-op Insurance was initially on a six month contract, which was extended to nine. My duties whilst working at Co-op Insurance were primarily concerned with the delivery of the compliance monitoring plan. This involved building reviews from start to finish, from drafting terms of reference, engagement with management (up to senior level), testing controls within the company and… Show more Compliance Monitoring Officer (Contract) – Co-op Insurance October 2016 to June 2017This role within Co-op Insurance was initially on a six month contract, which was extended to nine. My duties whilst working at Co-op Insurance were primarily concerned with the delivery of the compliance monitoring plan. This involved building reviews from start to finish, from drafting terms of reference, engagement with management (up to senior level), testing controls within the company and delivering audit reports outlining the findings. Areas of review whilst working on this contract included the following;• Motor and home claims handling• Motor and home insurance sales• Product Add-ons review• Vulnerable customer review• Supplier complaint handling• Complex claims Following the testing period reports were drafted by myself and presented to the business area management with my findings. Actions and time scales were then agreed in order to rectify the issue and enhance controls where gaps were found.This role involved multiple review ownerships at any one time, excellent relationship management skills and good attention to detail in order to ensure reviews were accurate, audit trails robust and reports reflective of the nature of the findings. Show less

My most recent role was with the Yorkshire Building Society Group in the compliance monitoring function.The role was primarily concerned with the development of and fulfilment of the compliance monitoring programme and identifying control weaknesses and highlighting these risks to the business.The monitoring programme was a rolling twelve month audit programme whereby the compliance monitoring function would visit key areas of the business such as the branch network, collections… Show more My most recent role was with the Yorkshire Building Society Group in the compliance monitoring function.The role was primarily concerned with the development of and fulfilment of the compliance monitoring programme and identifying control weaknesses and highlighting these risks to the business.The monitoring programme was a rolling twelve month audit programme whereby the compliance monitoring function would visit key areas of the business such as the branch network, collections teams, product development, marketing and approval of literature, underwriting and savings teams to ensure that the company was meeting its obligations and not leaving itself open to regulatory censure where gaps were found in the systems and controls within the group.Amongst the most recent audit reports I conducted was a review of the mortgage advice suitability of Yorkshire Building Society advisers, the treatment of customers in mortgage arrears and also the advice provided by Legal & General advisers in Yorkshire Building Society branches. Reviews were also conducted into Yorkshire Building Society Groups backbook of personal loans and bank accounts.Reviews entailed the testing of the systems and controls within the group against internal processes and regulatory rules to provide assurance that the group is meeting its regulatory responsibilities. Where gaps were found these were compiled in a report which was constructed by myself and then presented to key stakeholders within the organisation. Action plans were agreed to bolster system and control mechanisms and target dates for implementation were monitored to ensure the controls were in place and effectively managing the risks to the organisation. Show less

My role with Sesame Bankhall Group was primarily reviewing adviser business, namely the following types of businessPension switchesProtectionMortgagesEquity ReleaseInvestment businessRetirement options (Drawdown / Annuities Etc)Customer due diligence checksIn this role I assessed the suitability of advice provided by network appointed representatives against internal company guidance and regulatory standards. The role involved the checking of suitability… Show more My role with Sesame Bankhall Group was primarily reviewing adviser business, namely the following types of businessPension switchesProtectionMortgagesEquity ReleaseInvestment businessRetirement options (Drawdown / Annuities Etc)Customer due diligence checksIn this role I assessed the suitability of advice provided by network appointed representatives against internal company guidance and regulatory standards. The role involved the checking of suitability reports, checking the accuracy of research undertaken such as Defaqto and O&M reports and the use of adviser systems such as Xplan and Assureweb.Where deficiencies were identified on files remedial action was requested from the adviser in order to ratify the advice provided, or on occasions the advice must be re-visited and potentially altered where unsuitable outcomes had been identified. A balance was always sought between hitting quality and quantity standards.Advisers were regularly talked through feedback and coached on good practice standards, both over the phone and occasionally face to face.Where trends or new risks which posed a regulatory threat to the network were identified, these were raised and put to internal governance and compliance forums in order to establish an ongoing monitoring plan through field training and competency visits or higher second line monitoring. Show less

As a field compliance officer, my main role was to ensure that suitable controls were in place within the regulated sales channels in order to mitigate regulatory risks to Aviva through the advice provided by its financial advisers.Various testing tools were used through audits, including;Field visitsSales file auditsSupervisor and sales management interviewsCustomer contactA report would be constructed at the end of the audit and circulated to sales… Show more As a field compliance officer, my main role was to ensure that suitable controls were in place within the regulated sales channels in order to mitigate regulatory risks to Aviva through the advice provided by its financial advisers.Various testing tools were used through audits, including;Field visitsSales file auditsSupervisor and sales management interviewsCustomer contactA report would be constructed at the end of the audit and circulated to sales management with appropriate recommendations made within it where controls have been found to be insufficient in mitigating the risks posed to the company. Show less