The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has issued a warning to the industry over traded life insurance policies (TLIPs).
 
The regulatory body claimed that the policies are ‘high risk, toxic products that are generally unsuitable for the majority of UK retail investors and should therefore not be promoted to them’.
 
TLIPs, otherwise known as ‘death bonds’, are policies in which investors put their money into a trust or fund that then invests in US life insurance policies, effectively betting on whether US citizens will die or not.
 
The FSA stated that many of these products have already failed, causing losses for UK investors, and has put together a guidance paper for firms to follow before recommending TLIPs to clients.
 
The risks include people living longer than expected, due to new medical advancements or incorrect actuarial assumptions, which would lead to a loss for the investor.
 
The FSA has also found liquidity issues with the products, and claimed that the opaque and complex nature of the policies made the risks unclear to investors.
 
Margaret Cole, FSA managing director, said the products pose ‘significant risks’ to retail investors.
‘The failure of these products in the past has led to significant consumer detriment and we fear new investors will suffer unless we take the necessary steps now to prevent their sale and distribution.
 
‘We are issuing a strong warning to the industry not to market these products to UK retail investors. Ultimately we aim to ban TLIPs from being marketed to UK retail investors, and we intend to consult on this next year to help erase the risks they pose,’ she added.