Complaints

Do I need to raise a complaint?

Professionals working in securities and investment owe important duties to their clients, the market, the profession, and society at large. Where these duties are defined by law or regulation, members are expected to comply fully, openly, and transparently. A material breach of the Code of Conduct may be incompatible with continued membership of the CISI.

Scope of Our Complaints Process

Allegations brought to the attention of CISI regarding potential breaches of the Membership Regulations or the Code of Conduct by members will be assessed and, where appropriate, investigated. Members subject to complaint will be given a fair opportunity to respond.

Please note:

CISI does not have regulatory jurisdiction or formal investigatory powers so does rely on the outcome of completed investigations, by firms, legal authorities, and regulators.
A complaint to CISI is not a substitute for using a firm’s established complaint-handling process. Concerns about the delivery of professional services should first be addressed directly with the service provider in accordance with their terms of business. If unresolved, complaints may be escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), or the relevant international regulator where applicable.
CISI does not regulate firms, so is unable to provide assistance in regards to complaints seeking financial redress. It is recommended to contact the relevant regulator.

Complaints Review Policy

To ensure the integrity and fairness of our disciplinary process, we have established the following guidelines for submitting complaints:

We do not accept anonymous complaints. All submissions must include the complainant’s full name and contact details.
Complaints must be based on clear, specific information regarding the alleged conduct and substantiated evidence and documentation must be provided to support the allegation(s). Unsubstantiated claims will not be considered.

We reserve the right to decline to investigate any complaint that does not meet these requirements.

Please note, we are unable to accept complaints that:

Are currently under review by or have already been determined and not upheld by the FCA, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), or international regulator.
Relate to matters involved in ongoing litigation or unresolved legal proceedings.
Involve claim disputes, which fall outside the scope of our disciplinary review process.
Are seen to be defamatory, malicious, or deemed vexatious.

The CISI can only discipline members breaches of the CISI Membership Regulations, and Code of Conduct. It may be more appropriate for you to refer your complaint to another regulatory body, for example the FCA.

Have you spoken to the individual's employer?

Yes No

It may be possible to address the issue quickly by talking to the person involved, or their employer. This gives them the chance to look into the matter and put it right. Details of how to make a complaint should be available on the firm's website.

Should you still wish to raise a complaint, you can do so here.

Was your complaint handled to your satisfaction?

Yes No

If you are not happy with the response, the individuals employers rejects your complaint or you do not hear from them within 8 weeks, the Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to help you.

Should you still wish to raise a complaint, you can do so here.

Please advise us of the outcome using the complaints form.

Restart

How do I raise a formal complaint with the CISI ?

If you wish to submit a complaint against a CISI member, please email your complaint to the Professional Standards team at standards@cisi.org. Please ensure that you provide all relevant documentation to provide us with the necessary basis to consider the matter, in line with our procedures.