New Advice Guidance Documents Available on Bankhall Online

Date: 18th Sept 2025

Author: Andrew Spedding, Regulatory Advice Review Manager, Sesame Bankhall Group

We’re pleased to highlight several resources that have been added to the Document Library on Bankhall Online over the past few months. These documents are designed to support firms in constructing more compliant advice files and improving file review outcomes.

What’s new?

A dedicated section titled Advice Guidance Documents has been created to house tools and templates that directly support the advice process. Here’s what you’ll find:

📊 Product Area Flowcharts

These dynamic flowcharts are tailored to various advice areas and help advisers and paraplanners consider the key elements required to build a compliant file. While they don’t guarantee suitability, they act as a practical checklist to guide your recommendation process and ensure critical factors are considered.

📋 IHT Frequently Asked Questions

This document supports advisers in gathering the right Know Your Client (KYC) information when providing inheritance tax planning advice. It outlines the essential questions to ask during the fact find stage, helping ensure recommendations are well-informed and robust.

📚 Compliance Guides

Our existing compliance guides have now been relocated to this section, bringing all documentation related to Advice Review into one convenient location.

Enhancements in the Systems & Controls Section

🧮 Case Monitoring Calculator

This new tool helps firms determine the appropriate proportion of business to check—either internally or externally. It allows you to categorise products by risk level (high, medium, low) and apply checking parameters accordingly. With pre-set defaults based on Bankhall recommendations, you can input your business volumes and generate monthly or annual review targets. This tool aligns with FCA expectations and supports good practice in file monitoring.

🧠 Vulnerability Checklist

Designed to accompany KYC documentation, this checklist helps advisers clearly record any indicators of client vulnerability. It supports firms in identifying whether additional support is needed and documents how vulnerabilities have been addressed, in line with the FCA’s four key drivers of vulnerability.

Why this matters

These resources are more than just templates—they’re practical tools to help you:

• Strengthen your advice files
• Improve your file review grades
• Demonstrate regulatory compliance
• Support better client outcomes

As discussed in the May webinar, common failings often stem from insufficient KYC, unclear objectives, and lack of rationale in suitability reports. These new documents are designed to help you avoid those pitfalls and build stronger, more defensible advice files.

Next steps

Visit the Document Library on Bankhall Online to access these resources today. If you have any questions or feedback, or would like bespoke training based on your firm’s file review outcomes, please get in touch with the Advice Review team by emailing [email protected].

Let’s continue working together to raise standards and deliver great advice.