Pat is our friendly platform analysis tool. She will provide you with some basic information about leading intermediary platforms. All subscribers can click the link which they will see at the bottom of this page to download platform data as at 31st December 2009 . All information is entered directly by the platforms who are responsible for the accuracy of all information provided. Data will be updated every quarter and in the main provided within a month of quarter end.

The categorisation of platforms is not straightforward—we have included retail fund platforms aimed at IFAs which offer open architecture and multiple tax wrappers. We have not included Hargreaves Lansdown in this survey as their offering is primarily B2C. Aviva Wrap and Macquarie have not been included this quarter, but dialogue remains open to include them in the future. Finally, there are groups such as BNP Paribas and Pershing who provide the 'behind-the-scenes engine' for wrap platforms but do not support the IFA interface and so have not been included. Please contact these groups directly for information. Please contact us if there is a platform we have not covered which you would like to see included.

Each platform offers slightly different features and functionality and will accordingly have a different pricing model—as with any service. PAT is intended as a guide only but there is a limit to how much information can be gathered online. Indeed, platform pricing can be complex and it is sometimes difficult to get an accurate picture as there are so many factors such as the size of the client and the selection of underlying funds that will impact this.

The Platforum have a service for IFAs to guide them through the important platform selection process and required due diligence. We strongly encourage IFAs to either contact us or the platforms directly to get a more detailed and accurate picture of what service is provided. There is no one platform which is the best—different models will suit different IFAs and different customers.

We believe that this is a critical business decision for any IFA business and note the FSA's comments about the necessary due diligence they expect to see firms conduct. Please contact us for more information about our platform selection service.

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