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Capita fined €1.15m by Central Bank over regulatory breaches

The Central Bank said there was 'an unacceptable delay in reporting the breaches which was a matter taken into account in determining the appropriate penalty to apply'
The Central Bank said there was 'an unacceptable delay in reporting the breaches which was a matter taken into account in determining the appropriate penalty to apply'

The Central Bank has fined Capita Life and Pensions Services Ireland €1.15m for regulatory breaches over a nine-year period between 2006 and 2015.

Capita - a provider of life policy administration services to life assurance companies - admitted the breaches, which saw the firm acting as an investment business in Ireland without Central Bank authorisation.

The company was also holding client assets without authorisation.

The breaches did not relate to Capita's core business, but to occupational pension scheme administration services undertaken on behalf of a UK affiliate of the firm.

In April 2014, regulatory concerns were raised by Capita's UK affiliate, which prompted the company to investigate into its authorisation status.

Although the firm acknowledges it had clarified its authorisation status by August 2014, it did not report the issue to the Central Bank until the following February.

The Central Bank said there was "an unacceptable delay in reporting the breaches which was a matter taken into account by the Central Bank in determining the appropriate penalty to apply".

Capita's occupational pension scheme administration services have since been transferred to a UK affiliate of the firm, which has the required authorisation.

This is the second settlement agreement announced by the Central Bank this week, following Monday's announcement that KBC Bank Ireland has been fined €1.4m.

So far in 2016 the Central Bank has levied over €4m in fines across six settlements.

This is the bank's 102nd settlement agreement since 2006, with over €46m in fines levied.