Consumer Duty Still Challenging For Many Firms
StarCompliance Responds with Sales Compliance Review
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has made it clear: under Consumer Duty, firms must put fairness, transparency, and good outcomes at the centre of every customer interaction. For financial services firms, this requires consistent oversight of how products are sold, something that has often been both challenging and resource intensive.
First introduced in July 2023, Consumer Duty has continued to test the industry, and over the past few years, several indicators have shown that many firms are still struggling to meet expectations. According to a 2024 FCA review of payments firms, just over half were found to be implementing the Duty satisfactorily, while a substantial minority had only partially embedded the required standards, raising concerns about uneven oversight across the sector.
To help close these gaps, StarCompliance (Star) has launched Sales Compliance Review, a solution that brings structure, automation, and efficiency to sales oversight. Rather than relying on manual checks, firms can monitor both active and completed sales in real time, identify high-risk cases quickly, and embed accountability throughout their operations.
What Sales Compliance Review Delivers
- Customisable, rules-based reviews before and after sales
- Automated workflows that distribute tasks and ensure consistent quality
- A centralised system of record that simplifies audit readiness
- Built-in collaboration, including feedback, remediation tracking, and audit documentation
- Flexible processes that adapt to diverse business models, product lines, and sales channels
National Farmers Union Mutual (NFUM), one of the UK’s leading insurance providers, has already seen measurable impact from deploying Star’s Sales Compliance Review, achieving greater efficiency and strengthened oversight in line with Consumer Duty requirements.
“Star’s Sales Compliance Review is easy to use and has helped NFUM establish a centralised, risk-based approach to Delegated Underwriting Authority (DUA) and Quality Assurance (QA),” said Richard Edwards, GI T&C System Manager, NFUM. “Within months we were seeing the impact: review times reduced by 50%, 4,000 hours saved annually, and data flowing directly into PowerBI for early trend analysis. It has completely changed how we oversee quality across our 200+ agencies and strengthened our ability to meet the requirements of UK Consumer Duty.”
NFU Mutual implements Star’s Sales Compliance Review
Consumer Duty has raised expectations across the industry, and firms must demonstrate effective, ongoing oversight. Sales Compliance Review supports this by embedding monitoring into daily operations, surfacing risks early, and reducing reliance on manual effort.
To see how Sales Compliance Review can strengthen your oversight and support compliance with Consumer Duty, click here to schedule a demo.
