AMASS is a small firm in Southern Spain. It is setup by an individual called Dean, with his colleague Emma Cox. They where under a previous guise known as 'Hamiltons' which was struck off the Spanish regulator DGS, for not operating within the legal parameters as set down by the DGS. AMASS also trade under other names. Essentially you will be offered the opportunity to cash in your pension up to 100% (less AMASS fees), it is possible they will try and encourage you to invest in a product with that cash as well, either way there will be substantial fees involved.
In terms of QROPS, there are many many highly regulated firms based in Gibraltar, Spain, and the UK that can cater for expats internationally. There is no need to take the risk of going with a firm that is not highly regulated (and hence forced by law to offer competivie pricing, and sound advice). It is simple to find reputable firms by searching or QROPS advice online, and looking for details of the firms regulators
In regards to 100% cash release, there is some debate over the interpretation of the HMRC laws, which could mean there is a possible 55% charge at a later date, but there is yet to be a firm precendence for this as the industry is still young. There has been a situation where this has occured with the Beazley case in singapore.
At the end of the day it is the client who bears the full risk for releasing cash from their pension, not the cash release company, UNLESS the firm you use is bound by regulatory law to provide appropiate advice.
There is a not-for-profit group based in Spain, that is acting to stamp out unregulated firms, if you would like their contact details please PM me.
