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Last Updated:  22nd February 2022  (Version V2022 1.1)

Remuneration for OBN Financial Services

We, OBN Financial Services act as intermediary (Broker) between you, the consumer, and the product provider with whom we place your business.

The Background?
Pursuant to provision 4.58A of  the Central Bank of Ireland’s September 2019 Addendum to the Consumer Protection Code, all intermediaries, must make available in their public offices, or on their website if they have one, a summary of the details of all arrangements for any fee, commission, other reward or remuneration provided to the intermediary which it has agreed with its product producers. 

What is Remuneration?
Remuneration is the payment earned by the intermediary for work undertaken on behalf of both the provider and the consumer.   The amount of remuneration is generally directly related to the value of the products sold.

What is Commission?
Commission is payment that may be earned by an intermediary for work undertaken for both provider and consumer.

There are different types of remuneration and different commission models:

• Single commission model (Initial): Where a payment is made to the intermediary shortly after the sale is completed and is based on a percentage of the premium paid/amount invested/amount borrowed.
• Trail/Renewal commission model:  Further payments at intervals are paid throughout the life span of the product.
• Indemnity Commission
  Indemnity commission is the term used to describe a commission payment made before the commission is deemed to be ‘earned’. Indemnity commission may be subject to a clawback (see below) if the consumer lapses or cancels the product before the commission is deemed to be earned.
  
  Other forms of indemnity commission are advances of commission for future sales granted to intermediaries in order to assist with set up costs or business development.

Sustainability Factors- Investments/IBIPs/Pension Advice
When assessing products, we will consider the different approach taken by product providers in terms of them integrating sustainability risks into their product offering.  This will form part of our analysis for choosing a product provider.

Profit Share Arrangements
In some cases, the intermediary may be a party to a profit-share arrangement with a product provider and will earn additional commission.  Any business arranged with these product providers on a client’s behalf will be placed with the product provider because that product provider is at the time of placement, the most suitable to meet the client’s requirements, taking all the client’s relevant information, demands and needs into account.

Life Assurance/Investments/Pension Products
For Life Assurance products commission is divided into initial commission and renewal commission (related to premium), fund based or trail (relating to accumulated fund).
Trail commission, bullet commission, fund based, flat commission or renewal commission are all terms used for ongoing payments. Where an investment fund is being built up though an insurance-based investment product or a pension product, the increments may be based on a percentage of the value of the fund or the annual premium. For a single premium/lump sum product, the increment is generally based on the value of the fund.

Life Assurance products fall into either individual or group protection policies and Investment/Pension products would be either single or regular contribution policies.  Examples of products include Life Protection, Regular Premium Life Assurance Investments, Single Premium (lump sum) Insurance-based Investments, and Single Premium Pensions.

Investments
Investment firms, which fall within the scope of the European Communities (Markets in Financial Instruments) Regulations 2007 (the MiFID Regulations), offer both standard commission and commission models involving initial and trail commission. Increments may be based on a percentage of the investment management fees, or on the value of the fund.

Clawback
Clawback is an obligation on the intermediary to repay unearned commission. Commission can be paid directly after a contract is concluded but is not deemed to be ‘earned’ until after a specified period of time. If the consumer cancels or withdraws from the financial product within the specified time, the intermediary must return commission to the product producer.

Fees
The firm may also be remunerated by fee by the product producer such as policy fee, admin fee, or in the case of investment firms, advisory fees. 

Other Fees, Administrative Costs/ Non-Monetary Benefits
The firm may also be in receipt of other fees, administrative costs, or non-monetary benefits such as:

• Attendance at product provider seminars
• Assistance with Advertising/Branding

The commission options chosen by OBN Financial Services are displayed as a range, showing the maximum amount which can be received. The level of commission depends on individual circumstances, based on the following factors: 

• Intermediary discretion
• Whether the level of commission is negotiable
• Personal Circumstances / Client relationship
• Length of time of the policy
• Amount of investment
• Length of investment
• Commercial decision
• Complexity of the case
• Product constraints by the product provider

Click on a link below to access a summary of the commission structures from the various companies we hold agencies with:

• Aviva Life & Pensions    
• Zurich Life 
• New Ireland Assurance 
• Royal London
• Irish Life
• Standard Life 
•     Standard Life Top Up Range
• Independent Trustee Company
• Newcourt Retirement Fund Managers
• Davy's 
• Cantor Fitzgerald

** The above information is correct as at Feb 2022.  We continue to formulate information when issued by the Life Companies.  Any summary documents missing will be uploaded in due course. 

For questions on any aspect of the above information please contact Louise O'Donnell on 071 9671522 (OBN Financial Services)

OBN Financial Services Ltd are Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland