COVER sister title Professional Adviser conducts investigation into inaccuracy of adviser directory
Multiple adviser firms listed on directory Unbiased are listed as Chartered when the firm does not hold such a status, a problem of inaccuracy on adviser directories that has persisted for a number of years.
In a small investigation, Professional Adviser searched Unbiased using its ‘browse professionals' function and then input random postcodes to generate lists of adviser firms from across the country.
PA put in a Leicestershire postcode, a London postcode, a Brighton postcode and a Yorkshire postcode and then filtered down to search only those listed as Chartered firms. The firms were then cross referenced with the Chartered Insurance Institute's (CII) Chartered firm directory, which confirmed many that were claiming to be Chartered on Unbiased were not on the CII's list.
This is not the first time accusations of inaccuracy have been brought against Unbiased and other directories. In 2017 a Which? investigation found almost two-thirds of adviser businesses may have been posting misleading claims about their qualifications.
