Legal Info

Banking Code
For a copy of the Banking Code please contact us on 0845 140 1000, email us at webmaster@unity.co.uk or alternatively click on the following link - Our Commitment to the Banking Code

Unity Trust Bank supports The Banking Code and The Business Banking Code. For further details on the Banking Code visit http://www.bankingcode.org.uk/

Statement of Principles
Unity Trust Bank subscribes to the Statement of Principles. For a copy please contact us on 0845 140 1000, email us at webmaster@unity.co.uk or alternativley click on the following link for more information on A Statement of Principles.
http://www.bba.org.uk/bba/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=138&a=5816

Commitment to Quality Service
At Unity Trust, we pride ourselves on our attention to detail to customer requirements and we do everything we can to provide you with excellent levels of service. We do recognise, however, that there may be times when we fail to meet your expectations. For more information, click on the following link - Commitment to Quality Service

Unity Trust Bank is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service

South Quay Plaza
183 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SR
Tel : 0845 080 1800

BBA
Unity Trust Bank is a member of the British Bankers' Association, for further information please visit http://www.bba.org.uk/

FSA
Unity Trust Bank adheres to the regulations laid down by the FSA (Financial Services Authority), for further information visit http://www.fsa.gov.uk/

British Bankers Association
Membership of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Unity Trust Bank is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, for queries about this scheme please visit http://www.fscs.org.uk/

Website Use Terms and Conditions
Definitions
"Bank" means Unity Trust Bank plc whose registered office is Nine Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HB or any of its subsidiaries or members of the group of companies of which Unity Trust Bank plc is a member.
"User" means any individual accessing a page of the Unity Trust Bank plc website (whether via the homepage or not). Where an individual is accessing the Unity Trust Bank plc's website in the course of their employment they act as their employer's agent. That individual's acceptance of the terms and conditions is deemed acceptance by their employer of the terms and conditions of access and use and any reference in the terms and conditions to the "User" shall be deemed to include the individual's employer.
"Site" means the Bank's network of web pages whose home page is located at URL http://www.unity.co.uk/.

General
1. The Site is an online information service provided by the Bank, subject to the User's compliance with these terms and conditions (the "Terms and Conditions").

2. The User should read the Terms and Conditions carefully before accessing or using the Site. By accessing or using the Site the User agrees to be bound by the Terms and Conditions set out below. If the User does not wish to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, the User may not access or use the Site.

3. The Bank may modify these Terms and Conditions at any time and such modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting on the Site. The User agrees to view the Terms and Conditions periodically to be aware of such modifications and the User's continued access or use of the Site is conclusive of the User's acceptance of the Terms and Conditions as modified.

4. The User will be able to access material on most areas of the Site without going through a registration process. Certain areas of the Site are only open to a User if the User registers.

Statutory Rights
5. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or purports to exclude an individual's statutory rights.

Intellectual Property Rights
6. The User agrees that the User shall have no recourse against the Bank for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of any proprietary right in the User's communications to the Bank.

7. The User may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, or distribute, in any manner, the material on the Site, including the text and graphics, code and/or software.

8. If the User believes that content appearing on the Site constitutes copyright infringement of another party's rights, please contact the Bank at utb@unity.co.uk.

9. "Unity", "Unity Financial Services" and "com.unity" are the exclusive trademarks or servicemarks of the Bank, including the "look" and "feel" of the Site, the Bank's colour combinations, layout, and all other graphical elements. Any use of the Bank's trademarks (registered or unregistered) is strictly prohibited without express written permission from the Bank. Other product and company names mentioned in the Site may be the trademarks of their respective owners. All rights are reserved.

The Bank's Obligations
10. The Bank cannot and does not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading through the Site will be free of infection or viruses, worms, Trojan horses or other code that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. The User is responsible for implementing sufficient procedures and checkpoints to satisfy the User's particular requirements for accuracy of data input and output and for maintaining a means external to the Site for the reconstruction of any lost data.

11. The Bank endeavours to provide the User with the capability to access the Site and use its facilities on an uninterrupted and fault free basis. The Bank does not contract to provide a fault free service.

The User's Obligations
12. The User must not violate any applicable national or international law.

13. The User must not upload or transmit any material that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of the Bank or any other party.

14. The User must not manipulate or otherwise display the Site by using framing or similar navigational technology. The User may not link to the Site without the Bank's prior written consent.

15. It is solely the User's responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of all opinions, advice, services, merchandise, advertising and other information provided on the Site, via a link or on the Internet generally.

16. The User shall be responsible for obtaining and maintaining all telephone, computer hardware and other equipment needed for access to and use of the Site and all charges related there to.

17. The User agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Bank, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers and any third party information providers to the Site from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including solicitors' fees, resulting from any breach of this Agreement (including negligent or wrongful conduct) by the User or the User's use and access of the Site.

18. The Bank recommends that the User always consults an appropriate professional advisor before relying on personal, legal or financial advice provided on the Site.

Disclaimers
19. The User assumes responsibility and risk for the User's use of the Site and the Internet.

20. The User acknowledges that nothing on this Site has been tailored for the User's particular requirements.

21. The Bank endeavours to ensure that all its information and material on the Site is correct and accurate but does not warrant (including without limitation warranties of title or non infringement, or the implied warranties of suitability or fitness for a particular purpose) any of the material and cannot accept any liability for errors, or omissions.

22. Any opinions, advice, statements, offers, advertising, products or other information expressed or made available by third parties on the Site, or via a link, are those of the third party concerned. The Bank neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy, reliability of any such third party material.

23. Some of the information on this Site may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Bank. The User acknowledges that these statements are only predictions and that the actual events or results may differ materially.

24. Nothing on this Site constitutes the offering of investment advice either actual or implied and as defined in the Financial Services Act 1986 or its successor(s) and should not be relied upon in making (or not making) any decision.

25. In no event will the Bank be liable for:

any incidental, consequential, or indirect damages (including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, anticipated savings, goodwill, business interruption, loss of programs or data) arising out of the use of or inability to use the Site, or any information, or transactions provided on the Site, via a link, or downloaded from the Site or any delay of such information or service even if the Bank (or its authorised representative) have been advised of the possibility of such damages; or
any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies in the Site and/or materials or information downloaded through the Site or via a link.
Nothing in the above purports to limit the Bank's liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence or for fraudulent misrepresentation.

Links
26. The User may use the Site to purchase products or services via a link to third party websites. If so, the User's contract for such products or services will be with the appropriate third party and not with the Bank. It will be subject to such conditions as that party sets out in relation to those products or services on that site.

27. The Bank does not monitor the content of third party websites and any links provided are for the User's convenience only.

Privacy Policy
28. The Bank respects and is committed to protecting the User's privacy. This Privacy Policy informs the User how the User's personal information is processed and used. The Bank will use its reasonable endeavours to take steps to use the User's personal information only in ways that are compatible with this Privacy Policy.

29. If the User does not want to be contacted by telephone, post or e-mail about any other products or services which the Bank thinks may be of interest to the User, the User should advise the Bank in writing to: The Marketing Department, Nine Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HB. Any information the User provides will be treated as confidential and the Bank is committed to protecting the privacy of anyone who uses the Site and to complying with the Data Protection Act 1998.

30. The personal data may be used by the Bank, any member of the group of companies of which the Bank is a member and any agents acting on behalf of the Bank.

31. This Privacy Policy only extends to the Site and not to any third party sites that may be linked to the Site. The Bank may gather information about the User at the time that the User [registers or] responds to profile requests. The User agrees to information being used for the following uses:
• to respond to a User's request for information on the Bank's products;
• to send the User information on products/services, either the Bank's or third party's, which the User has not specifically requested.
The above list is illustrative only and is not an exhaustive list of the uses to which the information may be put.

32. If the User opts out of receiving marketing material the Bank will not supply the User's details to any third party except where the Bank is obliged to by law or to keep the Site running normally. If the User has not used the "opt-out facility", the Bank may release the User's name to other companies which the Bank has carefully checked (including but not limited to those advertising from time to time on the Bank's Site) and which the Bank believe might be offering a product, service or information which will be of interest to the User.

33. The Bank may request the User's e-mail address or postal address for the purposes of conducting a survey or to provide additional services. Whenever the Bank requests the identity of a User, the Bank will clearly indicate the purpose of the inquiry before the information is requested. The Bank maintains a strict "no-spam" policy that means that the Bank does not intend to sell, rent, or otherwise give your e-mail address to a third-party, without your consent.

34. The Bank will use reasonable precautions to keep the information disclosed to the Bank secure. The Bank reserves the right to transfer information in connection with the sale of all or part of the Bank's capital stock or assets. Furthermore, the Bank is not responsible for any breach of security or for any actions of any third parties that receive the information. The Bank is not responsible for the privacy policies of third party sites or how they treat information about their users. The Bank recommends you check with those sites to determine their privacy policy.

35. The User may require the Bank to produce copies of the personal data held about the User. There is a fee for the provision of such.

36. In the event it transpires that the Bank is processing sensitive personal data about the User (such as health, status or ethnic origin) the Bank will need to contact the User for the User's explicit consent to process this type of data.

37. The User's submission of personal data to the Bank will constitute consent to the Bank processing personal data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Indemnification
38. The User shall defend and indemnify the Bank against any costs, claims, losses or damages and expenses suffered or incurred by the Bank resulting from any breach by the User of these Terms and Conditions.

Governing Law
39. These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of England. All disputes or claims arising from them, relating to these Terms and Conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts to which the Bank and the User irrevocably submit.

Assignment
40. These Terms and Conditions are personal to the User and the User shall not assign or transfer any of its rights and responsibilities under these Terms and Conditions. The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 shall not apply to these Terms and Conditions. No company whose products or services are being sold via this Site or any other party who is not a party to this contract shall have the right to enforce any provision of these Terms and Conditions. The parties to this Agreement shall have the right to vary or cancel these Terms and Conditions in accordance with its provisions without requiring the consent of any third party.

Waiver
41. The waiver by either party of any breach of these Terms and Conditions shall not prevent the subsequent enforcement of that provision and shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any subsequent breach of that or any other provision.

Severability
42. If at any time any part of these Terms and Conditions (including any one or more of the clauses of these Terms and Conditions or any sub-clause or paragraph or any part of one or more of these clauses) is held to be or becomes void or otherwise unenforceable for any reason under any applicable law, the same shall be deemed omitted from these Terms and Conditions and the validity and/or enforceability of the remaining provisions of these Terms and Conditions shall not in any way be affected or impaired as a result of that omission.

Entire Agreement
43. The Terms and Conditions together with all contractual terms referred to in those Terms and Conditions contain all the terms of the User's agreement with the Bank relating to the User's use of the Site and purchase of services via links from it. No other written or oral statement including statements in any brochure or promotional literature published by the Bank will be incorporated into this Agreement or have any legal effect and no party shall have any liability for such statement, unless the same were made fraudulently.

Termination/Access Restriction
44. Either party without prior notice may terminate this Agreement at any time for any reason. All provisions capable of surviving termination of this Agreement shall survive any termination of this Agreement.

45. The Bank reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate the User's access to the Site and any or all of the Bank's other sites and any related services or any portion thereof at any time, without notice.

Terms of Reference

1. Constitution

1.1 The Board Audit Committee (the Committee) was established by a resolution of the Board on 20 February 1987. The terms of reference were last revised and approved by the Board on 23 November 2007.

2. Membership

2.1 The Committee shall be appointed by the Board and shall consist of no less than four Non-Executive Director members, one of whom shall be the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director. A member’s alternate may attend meetings in the absence of that member.
2.2 The Chair of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board.
2.3 Appointments shall be for a period of up to three years, extendable by no more than two additional three-year periods.
2.4 At least one member of the Audit Committee shall have recent and relevant financial experience.
2.5 The Secretary, or Deputy Secretary or such person as the Secretary may recommend to the UTB Board, shall be the Secretary of the Committee and shall circulate the minutes of the meetings to the Committee and to all members of the UTB Board.

3. Quorum

3.1 A quorum shall be two members. This will be one ‘B’ Director and one of either an ‘A’ Director or the Independent Professional Non-Executive Director.

4. Proceedings of the Committee

4.1 No one other than the Audit Committee Chair and its members shall attend meetings of the Committee, unless at the invitation of the Chair. Such invitees may include the Managing Director, Finance Director and the Head of UTB Internal Audit. It is expected that the Director of CFS Internal Audit and the External Auditor shall attend meetings. However, the Committee shall have the right to meet without other directors present if they so decide.
4.2 At each Committee meeting the Committee shall have the opportunity to meet with the Head of internal audit and/or the external auditor without the presence of executive management to discuss any matters that any of these parties believe should be discussed privately.
4.3 The Chair shall communicate on a continuing basis with key individuals responsible for governance within UTB.
4.4 An audit calendar shall be determined to underpin compliance with the
revised Combined Code.
4.5 The terms of reference of the Committee shall be made publicly available, explaining the role and authority delegated to the Committee by the Board.

5. Frequency of Meetings

5.1 Meetings shall be held no fewer than four times a year or more frequently as circumstances require.
5.2 The Chair of the Committee shall convene a meeting upon the request of any Committee member who considers it necessary or at the request of external or internal auditors if they consider it necessary.

6. Annual General Meeting

6.1 The Chair of the Committee shall attend the Annual General Meeting and be prepared to respond to any member/shareholder questions on the Committee’s activities.

7. Authority

7.1 The Committee is authorised by the Board to investigate any activity within its terms of reference and seek information that it requires from any employees of UTB all of whom are directed to co-operate with any respect made by the Committee.
7.2 The Committee is authorised to engage any firm of accountants, lawyers or other professionals as the Committee sees fit to provide independent advice and to assist in any review or investigation on such matters as the Committee deems appropriate.

8. Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Committee shall be to:

Financial Statements and Annual Reports

8.1 Review and discuss with management and auditor(s) the preliminary results, interim information and annual financial statements before submission to the Board, focussing particularly on:
the quality and acceptability of the accounting policies and practices and financial reporting disclosures and changes thereto;
areas involving significant judgement, estimation or uncertainty;
material misstatements detected by the auditors that individually or in aggregate have not been corrected and management’s explanations as to why they have not been adjusted;
the basis for any ongoing concern assumption; and
compliance with financial reporting standards and relevant financial, regulatory and governance requirements;
8.2 Discuss any difficulties, reservations or other matters arising from the external auditors’ review of the interim and final results (in the absence of management where necessary);
8.3 Review, prior to its consideration by the Boards, the external auditors’ reports to the Directors and management’s response.
8.4 Agree the disclosure about the role of the Committee which is included in the Annual Reports embracing the principles and guidance of the Combined Code.

Internal Control and Risk Management

8.5 Review the annual statements on internal control and their compliance with the Combined Code (July 2003) or subsequent corporate governance guidance (as applicable) prior to consideration by the Boards; and in particular, where requested by the Boards, to review and challenge where necessary:
the policies and overall process for identifying and assessing business risks and managing their impact on the organisation
regular assurance reports from management, internal audit, external audit, risk management and others on the operational effectiveness of matters related to risk and control;
the timeliness of, and reports on, the effectiveness of corrective action taken by management; and
whether the principles of the Combined Code or other relevant guidance have been embedded within the organisation;
8.6 Consider any necessary disclosure implications of the process that has been applied by the Board to deal with material internal control aspects of any significant problems disclosed in the annual reports and accounts.
8.7 The Committee shall review arrangements by which staff may, in confidence, raise concerns about possible wrong doing in financial reporting or other matters (Whistleblowing). The Committee shall ensure that these arrangements allow proportionate and independent investigation of such matters and appropriate follow up action.

Regulatory Compliance

8.8 Consider regular reports and issues in respect of regulatory compliance matters, in particular;
Financial Crime, Money Laundering and Fraud reporting
Provide assurance that UTB is compliant with legal and regulatory obligations, and
Compliance Committee reporting and minutes.

External Auditor

8.9 On recommendation of Co-operative Group Audit and Regulatory Compliance Committee make recommendations to the Board to be put to the members for approval at the AGM in relation to the appointment, re-appointment and removal of the external auditor. If the Board does not accept the Committee’s recommendation, it should include in the annual report, and in any papers recommending appointment or re-appointment, a statement from the Committee explaining the recommendation and should set out reasons why the Board has taken a different position;
8.10 Assess the qualification, expertise, resources, effectiveness and independence of the external auditor annually, which shall include a report from the external auditor on their own internal quality procedures;
8.11 Approve the terms of engagement and the remuneration to be paid to the external audit in respect of the audit services provided;
8.12 Satisfy itself that the level of fee payable in respect of the audit service is appropriate and that an effective audit can be carried out for such a fee;
8.13 The external audit firm complies with applicable UK ethical guidance relating to rotation in partners, fees in proportion to the overall fee income of the firm, office and partner;
8.14 Discuss with the external auditor the nature and scope of the audit (including any significant ventures, investments or operations which are not subject to audit) and to ensure effective co-ordination if more than one external audit firm is involved;
8.15 Satisfy itself that the external auditors and their employees have no family, financial, employment, investment or business relationship with UTB; and their policies on maintaining their independence;
8.16 If the external auditor resigns, the Committee will investigate the issues giving rise to such resignation and consider whether any action is required;
8.17 Consider communications from the external auditor on audit planning and findings on material weaknesses in accounting and internal control systems that came to the auditor’s attention;
8.18 Agree and monitor the application of the formal policy for non-audit work set by Co-operative Group Audit and Regulatory Compliance Committee for UTB.
8.19 At least once a year the Committee will meet with the external auditors without Executive Directors or other management present.

Internal Audit

8.20 Approve and periodically review the terms of reference of the internal Audit function;
8.21 Review and approve its scope of work and its annual audit plan;
8.22 Review and discuss with the Head of Internal Audit the issues identified as a result of internal audit work and how management is addressing these issues;
8.23 Receive reports on management’s response to audit recommendations;
8.24 Consider and approve the remit of the internal audit function and ensure it has adequate resources and appropriate access to information to enable it to perform its function effectively and in accordance with the relevant professional standards. The Committee shall also ensure the function has adequate standing and is free from management or other restrictions which may impair the independence of internal audit;
8.25 Consider issues relating to the appointment, resignation or dismissal of the senior manager responsible for internal audit;
8.26 Review co-ordination between the internal and external auditors and, the risk review function;
8.27 Meet with the Head of Internal Audit at least once a year without the presence of management;
8.28 Monitor and assess the role and effectiveness of the Internal Audit function.
8.29 Consider the major findings of any relevant internal investigations into control weaknesses, fraud or misconduct and management’s response (in absence of management where necessary).

Other Matters

8.30 Annually review and update its Terms of Reference requesting Board approval for all proposed changes at appropriate intervals, evaluate its own performance against its terms of reference and best practice.
8.31 Ensure that an induction programme is provided for new members.
8.32 Ensure that ongoing training is provided to members and shall include an understanding of the principles of and development in financial reporting and company law.
8.33 Consider other disclosures, documents or topics, as determined by the Board from time to time.

9 Reporting lines

9.1 The Chair of the Committee shall report on Committee business to:
The Unity Trust Board with such recommendations as the Committee may deem appropriate;
Co-operative Financial Services Audit and Regulatory Compliance Committee with such recommendations as this Committee may deem appropriate.
9.2 The external auditors will issue written reports to the Board, which will be circulated in advance of the Board Meetings at which the external auditors will be in attendance (as appropriate).