Your anonymous broker correspondent is seriously wide of the mark in his letter 'Hands off our industry' (Letters, 1 December).

He roundly attacks the FSA, suggesting it 'makes it up as it goes along' and rants against the 'bodies supposedly representing brokers' who should, he suggests, take a stand against FSA interference.

Whether we like it or not, we now work in a regulated environment. This is not going to go away.

Seeking confrontation with the regulator achieves nothing - indeed, some of the more outrageous and critical statements made by some brokers damage our image in the minds of the FSA and sensible commentators.

A huge amount of highly effective work has been and continues to be done by brokers and their representative bodies, who maintain dialogue with the regulator and whose views are welcomed and acted upon by the FSA.

Your correspondent should consider how much more complex, costly and draconian the rules might have been had the FSA not consulted widely and taken into account the views and suggestions of a wide range of professionals in the sector.

Complaining loudly, with no sensible alternative proposals, puts us into the 'Mr Angry' category. Whose interests are served by this?

Mike Williams
Head of general insurance
Bankhall

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