How safe are my investments with you?

We know how reassuring it can be to know your investments are in secure hands.

One of the financially strongest investment platforms, AJ Bell looks after £108bn of assets for 673,000 customers. AJ Bell is part of the AJ Bell Group, which is subject to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulation, where required. Your cash and investments are also covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), up to certain limits.

Money you have in an ISA or a Dealing account is held in trust accounts, opened with UK-regulated banks. Customer assets are ring-fenced from AJ Bell’s assets and reconciled daily. Investments in ISA or Dealing accounts are held in the name of our nominee company, or by an appropriately authorised third party custodian or nominee.

Money and investments you have in pension accounts are held subject to the trust deed and rules of the pension scheme. As trust assets, they’re ring-fenced from AJ Bell’s assets and reconciled regularly.

In the extremely unlikely event that the business had to be wound down, AJ Bell holds cash in reserve substantially above the amount required by regulation. As such, we would expect to be able to meet all associated costs.

Find out more about how we keep your investments safe.

Are there compensation arrangements covering my accounts?

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) was set up to provide compensation within certain limits if you suffer a loss after a company has gone bust, or if it can’t meet its liabilities.

For bank deposits, the maximum is £120,000 per person, per firm, and for investments, the maximum is £85,000. You’ll find further information about the compensation arrangements on the FSCS website.

What if I'm targeted by a scam?

Scammers are increasingly targeting individuals through WhatsApp and other methods of communication, claiming to be senior members of AJ Bell offering advice. We would never contact you this way and we never give advice. If this happens to you, don’t engage with them and instead report it to us as soon as possible by emailing us at fraud.alert@ajbell.co.uk.