Practical Lessons: What the FCA’s Own Words Teach Us

Practical Lessons for Get SAFE Citizen Investigators

If you have ever felt ignored, dismissed, or passed from one organisation to another after financial harm, you are not imagining it.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has now published its responses to questions it did not answer at its 2025 Annual Public Meeting. When you read them closely, something important becomes clear.

This system is not built to deal with individual injustice. It reacts only when patterns become impossible to ignore.

This blog explains what that means for you — and how Get SAFE helps you work with reality, not against it.

[Read: FCA’s Annual Public Meeting 2025 – Responses to Unanswered Questions ]

1. The FCA does not investigate individual cases

This is one of the hardest truths to accept.

Again and again, the FCA explains that:

• it does not resolve individual disputes

• it sends people to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)

• it focuses on markets, not personal outcomes

This can feel cruel when you have lost money, security, or your home.

What this means for you

Telling your story matters — but on its own, it is not enough.

To be heard by regulators, your experience must be connected to:

• others like you

• the same firms, products, or practices

• repeat failures over time

That is why Get SAFE focuses on patterns, not just pain.

2. An apology does not mean accountability

In several scandals, the FCA admits mistakes. It apologises.And then it stops.

The FCA makes it clear:

• an apology does not create liability

• it does not automatically lead to compensation

• it does not undo the harm

This can feel devastating.

What this means for you

Justice does not come from regret alone.

It comes from evidence that shows:

• what went wrong

• who knew

• when they knew

• how inaction caused further harm

This is why Get SAFE teaches you how to prove cause and effect, calmly and clearly.

3. Silence is part of the system

You may have sent letters, emails, or evidence — and received nothing back.

The FCA often explains this silence by saying:

• information is confidential

• matters are under review

• responses are legally restricted

This does not mean your evidence has no value.

What this means for you

No reply is still information.

A clear record of:

• what you sent

• when you sent it

• who received it

• what was not answered

can later become powerful evidence of failure.

Get SAFE treats silence as data, not defeat.

4. Lived experience must be translated into structure

The FCA openly relies on:

• surveys

• statistics

• complaints data

• aggregated reporting

It does not routinely meet victims.

That can feel deeply unfair.

What this means for you

Your experience only becomes visible when it is organised.

That is why Get SAFE helps you turn what happened into:

• timelines

• document bundles

• loss summaries

• decision trails

This is not about removing emotion. It is about giving your truth a format the system cannot ignore.

5. Many harms happen in regulatory “gaps”

The FCA often explains failures by saying:

• the activity was unregulated

• the firm sat outside its powers

• the law did not apply at the time

This does not mean the harm was acceptable. It means the system had blind spots.

What this means for you

Your case may reveal:

• where regulation stopped

• who benefited from that gap

• why the same harm keeps repeating

This turns your experience into evidence of system failure, not personal bad luck.

6. Independent investigators are not protected

The FCA makes clear it does not like giving firm answers to people operating outside traditional roles — even when they ask in good faith.

This creates uncertainty and fear.

What this means for you

Protect yourself by:

• keeping everything in writing

• saving confirmations

• recording advice received

• never relying on verbal reassurance

Get SAFE is about self-protection as much as investigation.

7. Technology is not the enemy — it is your ally

The FCA actively promotes the use of:

• data tools

• AI systems

• structured analysis

But it also says responsibility remains human.

What this means for you

Using tools like Notion, document scanners, and AI is not risky — it is responsible.

You are doing exactly what regulators say they need:

• organised evidence

• clarity

• consistency

• traceability

AI helps rebalance power when resources are limited.

The most important truth

The FCA’s own words confirm this:

The system is not designed to rescue individuals. It responds only when failure becomes visible at scale.

That is not your fault.

And it is exactly why Get SAFE exists.

You are not expected to fight alone. You are learning how to document, protect yourself, and turn experience into evidence.

One step at a time. At your pace. With your dignity intact.