Insurance Conduct Of Business Sourcebook (ICOBS) | FCA

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Insurance Conduct of Business Sourcebook (ICOBS) First published: 09/02/2016 Last updated: 05/12/2025 See all updates

Read more about ICOBS, our Handbook rules regulating general and protection insurance products sales.

The overall aim of ICOBS is to ensure that your customers are treated fairly. You should give your customers clear, fair information when you sell them insurance.

Apply ICOBS to your business

ICOBS outlines high-level standards that apply to all non-investment insurance product sales (general insurance and protection policies).

Suitability

You must ensure your advice is suitable for your customers.

Product disclosure

You must take reasonable steps to ensure your customer is given appropriate information about a policy in good time and in a comprehensible way so they can make an informed decision. This applies before and after they buy the product and it includes price. The information you give will depend on the customer, the policy's terms and its complexity.

Claims handling

Insurers or those acting for them must treat customers fairly when handling claims.

Higher risk products

If your firm sells pure protection contracts, you will have to tell your customers who haven’t been given advice that they are solely responsible for deciding whether the policy is suitable for their needs.

Further information

  • ICOBS rules
  • ICOBS client categorisation

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General insurers and insurance intermediaries Page updates 05/12/2025 : System update No content change 16/02/2023 : Editorial amendment page update as part of website refresh Was this page useful? Yes No What can we do to improve pages like this? What did you find helpful? Submit Feedback Leave this field blank Print Page Linkedin Twitter

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