As at 4 October 2007, 1,476 businesses have been authorised to provide a regulated claims management service in at least one of the regulated sectors which include personal injury, employment, financial services and products, criminal injuries compensation and industrial injuries disablement benefit. Names and addresses of authorised businesses are listed on the claims management website at www.claimsregulation.gov.uk under the authorised business search tab. This register is updated daily.
The Claims Management Regulator has not provided any specific guidance to authorised businesses on the level of fees charged for accessing consumer files. It is a mandatory condition of authorisation that authorised businesses comply with the Rules of Conduct. These specifically require a business to "ensure all information given to a client is clear, transparent, fair and not misleading". If a claims business has a contractual relationship with a client then it must specify "any charge the business makes".
Since April the Claims Management Regulator has met the Law Society once, the Solicitors Regulation Authority three times and the Legal Complaints Service once. The Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority are also members of the Regulatory Consultative Group on Claims Management which has met three times since April. There have been numerous other types of communications with these organisations since April.
There have been no communications between the Claims Management Regulator and the Serious Fraud Office since April. As necessary the Regulator has communicated with other law enforcement agencies including various police forces and the Serious Organised Crime Agency.