Financial Services Handbook

Quick start guide
1: Viewing the Handbooks online
2: Navigation from the home page: Menu: Home; Menu: Handbook; FCA Handbook; PRA Handbook; Combined View; Menu: What's new; Menu: Instruments/Guides; Menu: Log in; Menu: Help; Menu: Contact us
3: Navigation in the Handbooks: Table of contents; Cross references and hyperlinks within the text; Icons next to a paragraph of text; Icons at the top of the text; Time travel - future
4: Searching the Handbooks: Simple search; Search tips; Advanced search; Search results list; My searches
5: Copying and printing
6: Combined View alerts: What's new; Watch topic

For an introduction to the structure and content of the Handbook, please see the Reader's Guide.

Quick start guide to the Handbook online

How do I know the FCA and PRA Handbooks are up-to-date?
The FCA and PRA Handbooks are updated daily. When the 'Handbook at' calendar is set at today's date, it shows all the amendments that have come into force on or before today's date. The FCA and PRA Handbooks published on our website are the definitive version. (See Part 1: Viewing the Handbooks online/ Menu: Handbook)
What can I do through logging into the Combined View site?
By logging into the Combined View website - which shows both the PRA and FCA Handbooks in a single view (to do this select 'log in' on the toolbar) - in addition to having access to the FCA and PRA Handbooks, guides and instruments, you will be able to:
- receive e-mail notifications of any changes made to the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks, guides and instruments
- set up 'Watched topics' so that you can receive an e-mail alert when changes occur to specific modules and sections of the Combined View
(see Part 1: Viewing the Handbook online/ Log in - Personal Options)
Can I see how the FCA and PRA Handbooks will look at a date in the future?
You can view the FCA or PRA Handbooks with changes that have been made by the Regulator, and which are due to come into force on or before a specific date in the future, by changing the date in the 'Handbook at' calendar at the top of the screen (See Time Travel - future).
How can I see what changes have been, or are due to be made, to the Handbook?
You can view changes which have been or are due to be made to a section or chapter of a Handbook module (manual or sourcebook), by entering the required section or chapter and clicking on the instruments icon next to the heading. This will open a temporary window which lists the dates in reverse chronological order showing when the rule has or will be amended with a link to the corresponding instrument. (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbook/Icons at the top of the text/Instruments)
How can I see what changes have been - or are due to be - made to the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks?
You can view what changes have been - or are due to be - made to a section or module of the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks, by entering the required section or module and clicking on the instruments icon next to the heading, which is denoted with a yellow 'I'. This will open a temporary window which lists the dates in reverse chronological order showing when the rule has been or will be amended, with a link to the corresponding instrument (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbooks/Icons at the top of the text/Instruments).
How do I keep up to date with changes to the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks?
You can keep up to date with all changes that have been made to the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks in the last month by clicking on 'What's New' on the toolbar and then selecting Instruments in the following menu. You can also receive an e-mail to alert you of these changes by clicking on this option when you log in (see Part 6: Handbook Alerts/What's New).
How do I track changes made to a specific topic in the Combined View (i.e.module or section)?
When in a module or section in the Combined View (and you have logged in), you can 'watch a topic' by clicking on the 'binoculars' icon at the top of the window marked 'Manage Alerts' and following the instructions. An e-mail alert will be sent to you every time a change is made to that topic (see Part 6: Handbook Alerts/Watch Topics).
How can I see a list of the topics I receive e-mail alerts for?
You can view and manage your list of 'watched topics' by clicking on 'Alerts' under 'Personal Options' on the toolbar once you are logged-in (see Part 6: Handbook Alerts).
How can I navigate around the Handbooks?
You can navigate within the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks or Combined View by using the table of contents on the left of the screen. By clicking on the '+' and '-'you can expand and contract a heading to show or hide the contents underneath it (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbooks/ Table of Contents). You can navigate between the Handbooks by using the drop-down menu below the 'Handbook' tab at the top of the page.
What happens if I click on a cross reference or a link?
The cross references are coloured green for links to provisions in another part of the same sourcebook and blue for links to another part of the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks or Combined View. Clicking on a term that is italicised and hyperlinked takes you to a glossary definition for that term, opened in a separate temporary window. Use the cross references and links to jump to other sections or modules in the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks or Combined View (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbooks/Cross references and hyperlinks within the text).
How do I keep track of where I am in the system when following the cross references?
You will always know where you are in the system as the table of contents on the left hand side of the screen automatically 'expands' to reflect the sourcebook provision you are currently looking at (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbook/ cross references & hyperlinks in the text).
How do I find the meaning of a term?
Defined terms are hyperlinked and in italics, that become underlined when the cursor is rolled over them. A definition will appear in a temporary window when you click on the term. A full Glossary of definitions can be found in the table of contents on the left of the screen (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbook/ Glossary of Definitions).
What do the icons at the top of the text mean?
The following icons appear at the top of the text:
- 'Binoculars'
  Manage Alerts and watch topics (see Part 6: Combined view alerts)
- 'Related Documents'
  Access documents relevant to that part of a Handbook (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbook/Icons at the top of the text/Useful documents)
- 'Letter'
  E-mail a link to a module or section (see Part 5: Copy & Printing\Print & Download Options\Download a module or section of the full Handbook)
- 'View as PDF'
  View module or section in PDF format (i.e. the format of the printed versions of the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks or Combined View (see Part 5: Copy & Printing\Print & Download Options\PDF Reader)
- 'Printer'
  Print module or section (see Part 5: Copy & Printing \ Print & Download Options \ Printing chapter or section in HTML)
What do the icons next to section heading mean?
The following icons appear next to the module or section heading:
- 'Hide'
  Hide / Show all guidance and superscript numbers (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbook/Icons at the top of the text/Hide Guidance)
- 'Instruments'
  View the amending instrument history and future of the section you are in. (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbooks/Icons at the top of the text/Instruments)
What do the icons next to a paragraph mean?
The following icons appear next to a paragraph of text:
- Indicate the status of the paragraph (see Reader's Guide)
- Means the paragraph is substantially derived from an EU Directive (see Part 3: Navigation in the Handbooks/Icons next to a paragraph of text/Directive)
- FCA PRA
  Indicate whether the paragraph is present in the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks.
How do I save the results of searches I have conducted?
You can save the results of a search by clicking on 'save search' in the results list and following the instructions. To view and manage the results from previous searches you have conducted, click on 'My searches' in the toolbar. (see Part 4: Searching the Handbooks/Save searches)
How can I copy and paste information from the Handbook online to another application?
Before copying and pasting information from the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks or Combined View into your own application, you must read our copyright policy (see Legal Information). You can copy and paste information from the normal text view, not the PDF view, to another Windows application by using the 'Paste Special' option and selecting 'Unformatted Text' in the dialog box (see Part 5: Copying & printing/Copy & paste).
Can I download a module or section of the Handbooks?
Before downloading a module or section of the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks or Combined View, you must read our copyright policy, which can be accessed by clicking on 'Legal Information' at the bottom of each page (see Legal information). A PDF version of the section can be downloaded by clicking on the 'View as PDF' icon at the top of the page. Please note however, you must be viewing the page at today's date (by using the Handbook at Calendar) in order to utilise the 'View as PDF' function. You can e-mail a link to a module or section to yourself or to another e-mail address by clicking the 'E-mail Link to this page' icon (see Part 5: Copy & printing\Print & download options\Download a module or section of the full Handbook).
How can the printed-version format of the FCA or PRA Handbooks or Combined View be adopted for printing out a module or section from the Handbooks online?
You can download a PDF version of the module or section by clicking the 'View as PDF' icon which downloads the section of module in the same format as the printed version of the Handbooks. This view is printable, but again please note, this function is only accessible when viewing the Handbooks at today's date. (see Part 5: Copy & Printing\Print & Download Options\PDF Reader).

Part 1: Viewing the Handbooks online [Back To Top]

The Handbooks online are designed to work with all capable browsers and are best viewed in Internet Explorer at a screen resolution of 1280 x 1024.

Your web browser must be capable of using 128-bit encryption technology.

To check which type of web browser you are currently using, please click the 'Help' menu in the web browser and look for the 'About' option in the drop-down list.

If your screen does not refresh or appears stuck on one page, you may be experiencing 'caching' problems. To overcome this, press the Control key along with the F5 key simultaneously. If this does not resolve the issue, please contact Technical Support.

To increase the amount of text you can see on the screen, press the F11 key. Press again to return to your usual view.

Part 2: Navigation from the home page [Back To Top]

Menu: Home

Bookmark Page

To add a page to your Favourites folder, simply select Bookmark from the drop-down menu below the Home tab. This will open your Favourites window and give you the option to name the page and add it to your Favourites list.

Home

You can select 'Handbook online home' at any point to return to the home page.

Menu: Handbook

FCA Handbook, PRA Handbook or Combined View

Select FCA Handbook, PRA Handbook or Combined View from the drop-down menu to go to the consolidated version of the respective Handbook, which contains the relevant rules and guidance.

The consolidated versions of the FCA and PRA Handbooks incorporate all amendments that have been made, and are updated daily. The Combined View shows all provisions made by both Regulators. When the 'Handbook at' calendar in the grey bar is set to today's date, it shows all the amendments that have come into force on or before today's date. You can also view future consolidated versions by changing the date in the 'Handbook at' calendar to a future date (see Time travel below). If we have not yet been able to consolidate a particular instrument, we will publish a clear warning on the online home page.

Please be aware that the definitive version of the FCA and PRA Handbooks for legal purposes (including for actions brought by third parties) remains the FCA and PRA instruments as published on our website.

Menu: What's new

Click on the 'What's new' toolbar link to see a list of developments relating to the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks over the last month, including (but not limited to):

Instruments
Handbook publications
Consultation Papers, Discussion Papers, and Policy Statements
Changes made to Handbook text and guides

Menu: Instruments

Select 'Instruments' from the drop-down menu below the Instruments/Guides tab at the top of the page, to access the full range of Handbook instruments.

This part of the website fulfils our duty under Section 153 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to exercise our rule-making powers in writing and to publish the rule-making instruments, including those instruments we have amended.

Taken together, the PRA instruments (but not the non-Handbook instruments) constitute the definitive version of the PRA Handbook at any particular time and the FCA instruments (but not the non-Handbook instruments) constitute the definitive version of the FCA Handbook at any particular time.

We put instruments on our website as soon as possible after they have been made by the respective boards of the FCA and PRA.

For details of the non-legal changes made to the Handbooks, see the list on the What's new page.

Menu: Guides

Select 'Guides' from the Instruments/Guides drop-down menu on the toolbar to access the full range of Guides to the Handbook. The Guides are not updated daily.

Handbook Guides

These guides point particular types of firm to the material that is most relevant to them.

Regulatory Guides

These are guides to specific regulatory topics.

Reader's Guide

The Reader's guide is an introduction to the structure and content of the FCA Handbook, PRA Handbook and Combined View, with advice on how to use them.

Guide to Designation

Information on how the FCA and PRA Handbooks were formed.

Menu: Log in / personal options

Select 'Log in' from the toolbar menu to log in to Handbook online, by simply entering your email address and password. You can then receive alerts about changes to the Combined View and will be able to save searches. The menu button changes to 'Personal options' when you are logged in.

Menu: Help

The Help option on the toolbar gives you access to this User guide and to Useful links within the Handbooks website and externally.

User Guide

This provides general help for all those using the online Handbooks.

Menu: Contact us

Select Contact us to:

give feedback on the content or function of online Handbooks, or provide other comments or suggestions, using a simple feedback form;
ask questions about the use of the service or the content of the online Handbooks; or
for subscription related and other enquiries

Part 3: Navigation in the Handbooks [Back To Top]

Select the module you would like to see using the table of contents which appears on the left of the screen.

The table of contents expands and minimises to reflect the content of the sourcebook that you are presently viewing. To get an idea of how it works, first pick the Handbook version you require - such as the Combined View - from the Handbook tab at the top of the screen. Next, look at the table of contents for the sourcebook heading that you require.

Click '+' to expand a heading

Click '-' to contract a heading

When you follow a cross-reference, and after searching and then viewing a specific search result, the table of contents automatically 'expands' to reflect the text you are looking at, showing where you are located in the online Handbooks.

Cross references and hyperlinks within the text

We have provided a number of cross references and hyperlinks within the text to help you locate relevant information quickly and easily.

Glossary of definitions

Defined terms appear hyperlinked and in italics.. The defined term will be underlined when the cursor is rolled over the term and will act as a link to the definition which is opened in a new window. You can access the full Glossary of definitions by selecting the Glossary link in the table of contents on the left of the screen.

Moving to other parts of the Handbooks

Use the table of contents on the side bar on the left hand side, the Handbook tab at the top of the screen, or the green and blue section links within the paragraph text.

Linking to other websites

Click on the black underlined links to follow a cross reference outside the online Handbooks.

Icons next to a paragraph of text

Status

These letter icons (R, E, G, D, P and C) contained in the left hand margin adjacent to a paragraph, indicates the status of the respective provision; namely whether it is a rule (R), evidential provision (E), guidance (G), direction (D), statement of principle (P) or an example of behaviour not amounting to market abuse (C).

Refer to the Reader's Guide for further information.

EU or UK flags

Where a paragraph includes an EU flag in the left hand margin, this indicates that the provision is derived from EU legislative material such as an EU Directive. A UK flag next to the provision in the left hand margin indicates a provision which is directly applicable to UK legislative material, such as an Act of Parliament or statutory instrument.

Designation

The badge next to the paragraph that is marked with 'FCA' and/or 'PRA' indicates which Handbook(s) the provision is present in.

Icons at the top of the text

Instruments

Click this icon (the 'I' icon) to view historical and future amendments of the section you are viewing. Clicking the icon reveals a list of dates in reverse chronological order showing when the rule has been - or will be - amended, with a link to the corresponding instrument that particularises the amendment. The numbers in the first column of the instruments table relate to the superscript numbers in the text.

Alternatively, you can click directly on the superscript number in the text, to link straight to the amending instrument. Red superscript numbers indicate a future amendment and blue numbers indicate a past amendment.

Hide guidance

Click this icon to hide all guidance provisions and superscript numbers and view only paragraphs with the status R, E, D, P and C. Click 'Show guidance' to restore the concealed Guidance material.

Watch topic/print buttons

For details, please see below under Combined View alerts and Copying and Printing options.

Time travel - future

To view a consolidated version of the Combined View as it will be at a particular date in the future, use the 'Handbook at' calendar at the top of the text. The text will incorporate all the amendments which have been made previously and which will come into force on or before the date selected. We cannot, of course, show amendments that have not yet been approved by the appropriate Regulators.

When you are viewing the future versions of the FCA and PRA Handbooks, the page you are viewing will turn from white to pink. Click on 'Reset to today' at any time to return to the current date. The page will turn back from pink to white.

Part 4: Searching Handbook online [Back To Top]

Simple search

To run a quick search of all the content on the Handbooks online site, enter your desired search terms into the search box on the top right-hand corner of the screen. This will return all the documents containing your search terms, displayed in order of relevance.

Search tips

Relevance

Documents containing more instances of your key terms will be ranked higher than those with less. But not all key terms are weighted equally; some are considered to be of higher importance. We have determined importance by reference to the probability that the term accurately describes the content of the retrieved document, and also how rare that word is. For example, a very rare word for the FCA and PRA Handbooks - like 'weather' - will be given more weight than a frequently-used word like 'firm.'

Case

Searches are not case sensitive: searching for 'controller', 'Controller' or 'CONTROLLER' will produce the same results.

Boolean Searching

The search facility automatically lists sections and other documents from the Handbook online that contain all of your chosen search terms.

For example, entering the search: controller partnership, will find documents containing the words 'controller' or 'partnership'.
To search for words with the same prefix or suffix, simply use the *. For example, you can enter the search: main* to find manager, managing, managerial, management, and so on. Use *man* to find permanent, one-man-band; or *man for postman, dustman.
To search for a phrase, simply enclose the search term in quotation marks (' '). So, the search: 'approved person', will find documents containing only the phrase 'approved person', but not documents that contain only the words 'approved' and 'person' separately, nor 'approved persons'.
Similarly, searching for: insurer 'client money', will find documents containing the word 'insurer' and the phrase 'client money'.
To search for documents that contain any of your search terms, use the 'OR' keyword to separate your search terms. So, searching for: advising OR arranging, will find documents containing either the word 'advising' or the word 'arranging' (as well as sections that contain both search terms). (Note that the 'OR' keyword is case sensitive, and must be entered in upper case.)

Advanced search

An advanced search can be conducted by clicking on the link in the top right-hand corner of your screen. This allows you to:

search by date - on, before or after a specific date or between specific dates;
conduct Boolean searches (as for simple search) - you do not need to enter the word 'and'
search by exact phrase
search by near match
do filtered searches by 'de-selecting' the Handbooks online tick box. For example select which module you would like to search in, or choose a guide.
Order your search results:
- by relevancy (default setting);
- by order of appearance in the tables of contents (TOC);
- by date on which the paragraph came into force, or the date of publication of the document; and/or
- by document title.

Search result list

The results list displays a quick view of the sections where your search criteria were met, with a number to indicate how frequently your search terms appear. Click on the link to go to the section you wish to view first. You will see your search terms highlighted in yellow in the text.

Search results will be ordered by relevancy unless otherwise stipulated (see Advanced search above).

The 'Refine search' button takes you back to the advanced search page.

My searches

You need to log in via the tab in the toolbar to access 'My searches' (in the top right-hand search panel). You can then edit, run, and delete your saved searches.

Part 5: Copying and printing [Back To Top]

Please click the legal information link at the bottom of each section page for our copyright policy.

Copy and paste

To copy and paste text to your own application:

use the normal text view (not PDF);
click of the first letter of the first word that you want to copy;
either drag (hold the mouse button down as you move the pointer) to the last letter in the last word that you want to copy, or hold the SHIFT key down and click on the last letter in the last word that you want to copy;
select Copy from your Web browser's Edit menu or press CTRL+c;
paste the text into another Windows application by using the Paste Special option (usually under the Edit menu) and selecting Unformatted Text in the dialog box.

Print and download options

Printing a module or section in HTML

Clicking the printer-friendly icon at the top of the page will load a printer-friendly version of the page in HTML (the format will differ from the online Handbooks). You can then view or print the respective module or section.

Please note this HTML printer-friendly version will not be formatted in the same way as the Regulators' printed versions of the Combined View. If you would like to print with that formatting, please print from the PDF as described below.

Email a link to a module or section of the FCA and/or PRA Handbooks or Combined View

Click on the 'Email Link to this page' icon at the top of the page and a link to the module or section you are viewing will be sent to an email address of your choice.

View as PDF

Click 'View as PDF' icon to download and view the PDF version of the module or section you are presently viewing (the format will differ from that of the online Handbooks, and will be the same as that contained in the regulators' printed versions of the Combined View).This view is printable but only accessible when viewing the Handbooks at today's date.

Part 6: Combined View alerts [Back To Top]

You must be logged in to access this feature.

This feature enables you to receive an automatic notification each time a change is made to information you have access to in the Combined View.

There are two types of alerts:

what's new
watch topic

What's new

You will receive what's new alerts when:

we add new features to the Handbooks' publication system;
new Instruments are made;
new Handbook Notices are issued; and
new Handbook Development Newsletters are published.

This service is separate from the CP and Publications update system. If you are registered for the CP and Publications updates you still will need to register again for the Combined View alerts.

Watch topic

You are able to set up your own, bespoke alerts, using the 'watch topic' feature. When you are in the Combined View, you can elect to 'watch a topic' by clicking on the 'binoculars' icon at the top of the window;

This adds the topic you are viewing (i.e. module or section) to your 'watched topics' list, which you can view and manage at the Alerts page.

You will receive one alert email for all the topics watched, to alert you to changes in your selected topics. Links in the email take you directly to a list of the changes.

To delete a watch topic from your list follow these simple steps:

Select ‘Personal Options’ from the navigation bar;
Click on ‘Manage Alerts’;
Check those you wish to delete or choose ‘Select All’; and
Click ‘Delete Checked Alerts’.

User guide - Handbook online

Contents