Overview

The Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct is a QCF* Level 3 qualification. It is a practical and highly relevant qualification for customer facing financial services professionals involved in lending to businesses. It has been designed to develop and enhance understanding of the Financial Services Authority’s (FSA) conduct of business regime in relation to business banking customers, and to set an independent standard in customer service excellence.

The Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct allows you to demonstrate your commitment to high standards of professionalism and enhances your credentials for a successful career in business banking. It gives you essential knowledge of the UK business banking environment, a thorough grounding in the workings of the sector and a detailed understanding of the regulatory landscape.

The Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct consists of two mandatory units:

Unit 1 – Principles of Business Banking

Unit 2 – Providing Solutions to Business Banking Customers

*Read more about the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).

Cost

Please note: As of 1 July 2012 the registration fee for this qualification will increase to £155 with the examination resit fee increasing to £120.

Units

The Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct consists of two units: 

Unit 1 – Principles of Business Banking (POBB) H / 503 / 6847

On completion of the POBB unit you will have an understanding of:

• the business banking environment
• the principles of risk management and lending in the business banking environment
• the main types of products and solutions available
• financial and non-financial analyses and their use in bank lending decisions with business banking customers
• the warning signs and actions in response to bad debts of business banking customers
• the requirements for business development activity
• relationship management of business banking customers
• the complaints handling process for business banking

Unit 2 – Providing Solutions to Business Banking Customers (PSBB) K / 503 / 6848

On completion of the PSBB unit you will be able to:

• use sources of information to inform decision making
• evaluate customers’ needs and identify appropriate solutions
• assess the level of security attached to proposed solutions
• apply the conduct of business rules to business banking situations
• assess affordability and suitability of solutions for business banking customers

View the Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct aims, learning outcomes and assessment criteria.

Assessment

The Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct comprises two objective tests:

Unit 1 – Principles of Business Banking (POBB)

POBB is assessed by a 1 hour examination which consists of 50 multiple-choice questions

Unit 2 – Providing Solutions to Business Banking Customers (PSBB)

PSBB is assessed by a 1 hour examination which consists of 3 case studies each with 10 multiple-choice questions.

The Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct examination is available at over 150 Pearson VUE test centres nationwide with the result provided on the day.

Studying

It is recommended that you spend 130 learning hours study time on the Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct which has been designed as a self-study qualification. A comprehensive set of learning materials is provided at the time of registration, which enable you to study at your own pace and which includes access to online student resources via the information gateway my ifslearning.

Please note that in order to reflect any changes to syllabuses, including matters arising from the annual Budget, the study materials for some units are updated annually, usually in July. It is your responsibility to ensure you are studying from the most up-to-date materials. The most up-to-date learning materials, updates and amendments can be found on my ifslearning.

Registration

Complete the online registration and payment form.

By phone - call Further Education Customer and Student Enquiries on +44 (0) 1227 818609 (option 1). Please have your VISA/MasterCard/debit card to hand when you call.

By post/fax - download and complete the registration form. To view this file you need to have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This is free and available from the Adobe website. When you have completed the form either send it to the address stated on the form or fax it to +44 (0) 1227 784331.

Membership

Membership of the Institute of Financial Services provides access to cost-effective and appropriate services that meet the very specific needs of the financial and mortgage adviser community and costs just £66 per annum. 

Progression

When you have successfully completed the Certificate in Business Banking and Conduct qualification you can progress to the ifs Level 4 Diploma in Retail Banking Conduct of Business (DipRBCB®).  DipRBCB® is intended for individuals running, or aspiring to run, retail financial services outlets or those supervising customer-orientated teams.

Subject to meeting the general entry requirements you could also consider higher study with the ifs School of Finance, through studying the Professional Certificate in Banking (PCertB®). 

The Institute is a division of the ifs School of Finance, a registered charity, incorporated by Royal Charter.