財政上の Services 当局 sleeping on the 職業 again

By James Salmon for the Daily Mail
Updated: 22:00 BST, 31 March 2009

The City 監視者 ignored 警告s that banks and building societies were routinely 拒絶するing （民事の）告訴s about mis-sold 支払い（額） 保護 保険 (PPI).

The 関心s were 発言する／表明するd to the 財政上の Services 当局 as long ago as last July by the 独立した・無所属 財政上の Ombudsman Service, まっただ中に 恐れるs that banks were turning away those with 合法的 （民事の）告訴s.

An 概算の two million PPI 政策s were mis-sold to people who would never have been able to （人命などを）奪う，主張する on 保険, which is supposed to be a safety 逮捕する for borrowers who lose their 職業s or become too sick to work.

The ombudsman chairman （一定の）期間d out his 関心s in a formal letter to City regulator the FSA. But nearly nine months later, it has failed to 答える／応じる.

Ombudsman spokeswoman Emma Parker says: 'We have had serious 関心s that 会社／堅いs are failing to 扱う （民事の）告訴s 適切に. We 正式に raised this in a letter to the FSA, but so far we've had no 返答.'

Sleeping on the 職業: The 監視者 was 警告するd last summer over the 保険 mis-selling スキャンダル

In the letter, ombudsman chairman Sir Christopher Kelly told the FSA it was 支持するing a '重要な 割合' of （民事の）告訴s that had been wrongly turned away by 会社／堅いs. This, he said , 示唆するd the 存在 of '普及した 消費者 detriment' and 'systemic 問題／発行するs in relation to PPI'.

（民事の）告訴s to the ombudsman about PPI reached 記録，記録的な／記録する levels this year. The FOS received an 概算の 30,000 - a threefold 増加する on last year. Almost nine out of ten were upheld.

Particular problems surround 選び出す／独身 賞与金 政策s, where the cost of the cover is often 追加するd to the 貸付金 without the 顧客's knowledge.

Simon Burgess, from British 保険, a 財政上の 助言者, says: 'Yet again the FSA has failed in its 主要な／長／主犯 職業 to 保護する 消費者s.

'It's a 不名誉 that it has not 行為／法令／行動するd on the ombudsman's 警告s and 行為／行うd a 徹底的な 調査 of these banks' （民事の）告訴s 扱うing 手続きs. Why does it take the detriment of 潜在的に millions of 消費者s before the FSA 行為／法令／行動するs?'

PPI is lucrative. An 調査 by the 競争 （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限 discovered that 貸す人s make 超過 利益（をあげる）s of £1.4billion a year from sales. A 貸す人 could 潜在的に make a 利益（をあげる） of 982pc - or £1,200 - from a 政策 that costs just £20 to 供給する. The （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限 will now 無法者 sales of 選び出す／独身 賞与金 PPI.

Last October, 同盟 & Leicester was 攻撃する，衝突する with a 記録，記録的な／記録する £7million 罰金 by the FSA for mis-selling up to 210,000 政策s.

The FOS says the （民事の）告訴s it has seen could be the tip of the iceberg, as many borrowers whose 合法的 （民事の）告訴s have been 拒絶するd give up after the bank has 調査／捜査するd.

Brian Fane 伸び（る）d first-手渡す experience of Lloyds TSB's shoddy 扱うing of （民事の）告訴s. He 適用するd for a 貸付金 in 2007 after his house was gutted by a 解雇する／砲火／射撃.

にもかかわらず 存在 70 and having 糖尿病 - and therefore unable to make a （人命などを）奪う，主張する - he said he was told he would be 辞退するd the £7,500 貸付金 unless he took out PPI. This 保険 cost him £35 a month on his £254 返済s.

On discovering he was unable to make a （人命などを）奪う，主張する, he complained to Lloyds TSB, but then got stuck. He says: 'They 基本的に told me I had 調印するd the 文書s so 堅い luck.'

Undeterred, Mr Fane, from Brighton, then took his （民事の）告訴 to the ombudsman. This time he had better luck and has just received an 申し込む／申し出 of £1,770 補償（金）.

He says: 'Lloyds TSB could have dealt with it far quicker. They knew they were in the wrong. I told them 明確に I was retired and had a long-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 illness, so they knew perfectly 井戸／弁護士席 I wouldn't be able to （人命などを）奪う，主張する.'

A 広報担当者 for the FSA says: 'We have been 活発に engaging with the ombudsman regarding its PPI 関心s. We have met 定期的に with it to discuss the 詳細（に述べる）s of its 関心s and to keep it up to date with our 返答.'

保険会社s who waste your time

財政上の 会社／堅いs are 辞退するing to 解決する simple 論争s with 顧客s, 主要な to a 抱擁する 増加する in （民事の）告訴s to the 財政上の Ombudsman Service.

As a result, 事例／患者s which do need its attention are likely to take even longer, 延期するing 補償（金） for the most 貧困の 顧客s.

（民事の）告訴s 扱うd for the 2008-09 year are likely to be the highest ever - and for the first time more than half will find in favour of the 消費者.

The ombudsman is 存在 軍隊d to adjudicate on a large number of simple 事例／患者s, the sort it has 扱うd many times before always with the same 結論. These 含む:

? Car 保険 令状-offs: The ombudsman's 支配するs are simple. It always 言及するs to 公式の／役人 used car guides (such as Glass's) to decide the value of a car when it's written off. 保険会社s often 申し込む／申し出 いっそう少なく, 主要な to an unnecessary 論争.

? Home 保険: When irreplaceable items, such as antique jewellery, are stolen, 保険 companies may try to 軍隊 顧客s to buy 代用品，人s from 指名するd High Street 蓄える／店s. But the ombudsman will always order that they are given the cash value of the items.

? 損失 to three-piece 控訴s and bathroom 控訴s: Companies may quibble over 支払う／賃金ing where one item is 損失d and, as a result, all parts need 取って代わるing. In such 事例／患者s, the ombudsman always says the 顧客 should get the 十分な value of the 損失d item and half that of the other pieces.