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“Please provide the letter sent to this customer, with the relevant approval history.”
Before searching the shared folder, record the scope, deadline and submission method in the actual request. There is no universal FCA deadline for producing a customer letter.
A useful evidence pack connects four things: the approved template version, the customer-specific generation record, the historical output where retained, and the separate sending record. A short cover note should explain those connections and identify any gaps.
Establish which request you are answering
An FCA supervisory enquiry, an enforcement investigation requirement, a Financial Ombudsman Service case request and a creditor’s assurance query are different processes. Identify the requester, the response owner and the requirements that apply.
For FCA supervisory enquiries, SUP 2.3.3G(6) addresses answering questions truthfully, fully and promptly. It does not specify a fixed number of days. [1]
For enforcement investigations, ENFG 2.7.1G says the FCA expects responses in a timely manner to appropriate deadlines. Its reference to usually no more than three business days concerns comments on the practicality of certain draft requirements in complex investigations. It is not a general deadline for producing customer letters. [2]
Use the deadline in the actual request. If anything is unclear, seek clarification through the appropriate route.
Separate the records behind “the letter”
A requester may need the approved wording, the document generated for the customer, evidence of sending, or all three.
Distinguish:
Template evidence: the exact version, approval history and relevant dates.
Generation evidence: the customer or case reference, timestamp and output identifier.
Output evidence: the retained historical document, where available, and its integrity record.
Sending evidence: the sender’s reference, channel, destination and recorded outcome.
Use stable references to connect these records. Similar filenames or a colleague’s memory are weak substitutes for a documented connection.
Retrieve the historical output before regenerating
A freshly generated document may use today’s data, a newer template or different rendering settings. Label any reconstruction clearly and record its inputs and limitations.
Consider an illustrative case: a letter was generated on Tuesday, the balance was corrected on Wednesday and the information request arrived on Friday. Regenerating the letter on Friday may produce a different amount.
If the original file is available, preserve it and record where it came from. If it is missing, identify that gap. A stored hash can help check whether a candidate file matches the recorded output; it cannot recreate an absent letter.
Write a cover note that explains the evidence
Keep the cover note short and specific. Include:
the request reference and scope;
an index of the supplied records;
the references connecting approval, generation, output and sending;
any reconstructions, missing records or unresolved questions;
the response owner and submission date.
For example:
“The retained PDF is associated with generation reference G-104. The generation record identifies template version 6, whose approval history is included. The email provider recorded a sending attempt under message reference M-207. No delivery confirmation is held in this pack.”
These references are fictional. The useful habit is to state what each record establishes. Explain replacement outputs and retries in sequence.
Review the pack before submission
Ask a suitable colleague to check that the response answers the request, the attachments match the cover note and the references connect correctly. Share customer information through the authorised route.
The CommsPliant Evidence Vault links approved template versions and approval history to generation records. By default, it records a cryptographic hash of the rendered output; encrypted full-output retention is optional. The responsible team still assesses wording and customer treatment. Generation does not establish sending, delivery, reading or understanding.
Practise the cover note
Choose one fictional or anonymised case. Ask a colleague outside the original workflow to assemble the pack and explain its connections.
Record the time taken, the systems visited and any gaps. Assign an owner to each missing connection before repeating the exercise.