See our definitions to help you understand financial and legal terms.
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Underwriter
Assesses the level of risk a financial organisation would take on if a customer took out insurance or borrowed money. For example, an insurance underwriter would look at information given by a prospective customer and assess the likelihood and potential cost of a claim. Underwriters will charge you a fee, usually as commission, a premium or interest.
Unregulated collective investment scheme (UCIS)
Unregulated collective investment schemes (UCIS) are high risk investments (see 'collective investment schemes'). We don't regulate how UCIS are run, but we do regulate the promotion of these schemes. UCIS can’t be promoted to the public in the UK, except to some specific types of investors, such as high-net-worth individuals. Read more about UCIS.