Windfall shock for 株主s

By Jeff Prestridge for The Mail on Sunday
Updated: 00:00 BST, 11 July 1999

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Large numbers of sha reholders in former building society 同盟 & Leicester are about to feel the 軍隊 of its 法人組織の／企業の might where it 傷つけるs - in their pockets.

This month, they will receive letters 説 they were given more windfall 株 than they were する権利を与えるd to. And even worse, 同盟 & Leicester wants them 支援する.

Up to 400 株主s are 影響する／感情d. The bank says they received more than one 始める，決める of 250 株 after its £3 billion demutualisation in April 1997.

It happened because separate 貯金 accounts held by those 顧客s were 扱う／治療するd by 同盟 & Leicester as if they belonged to different people.

Though the bank says it does not want to 'go in with 激しい boots', it is the second time it has written to these 顧客s. An earlier mailing resulted in about 500 顧客s returning 株 they had received in error. 失敗 to return the 株 this time could lead to the bank taking 合法的な 活動／戦闘.

'We have a 義務 to other 株主s to 回復する these 株,' the bank said.

同盟 & Leicester, which recently failed to 安全な・保証する a 合併 with Bank of Ireland, is not alone in 追求するing people it believes received more 株 than they were する権利を与えるd to, either by mistake or through 詐欺.

Halifax says it has dealt with 'about 1,000 over-配分 事例／患者s', while Abbey 国家の is still 明らかにするing such account-支えるもの／所有者s 10 years after it 変えるd to a bank.

Critics

Any company is する権利を与えるd to 追求する people it believes own 株 to which they are not する権利を与えるd. But some critics believe the 策略 used to 回復する 株 are becoming ますます 激しい-手渡すd.

They feel that companies assume people are 有罪の of 得るing over-配分するd 株 by deception when often the fault lies with the organisation that 問題／発行するd the 株.

They also feel it is wrong for companies to be over-熱心な while doing little to trace people who failed to （問題を）取り上げる 株 配分s they were する権利を与えるd to receive.

The BT clawback by Lloyds TSB

One over-配分 犠牲者 is retired electrician Arthur Taylor from Fairlight, East Sussex, who was saved from his 苦境 by 財政上の Mail.

Arthur was 'worried sick' for several weeks after receiving a £1,200 需要・要求する from Lloyds TSB, the registrar for British Telecom.

Eleven years ago, Arthur received 400 BT 株 from the 広い地所 of his uncle, Alfred John Taylor. The 株 were sold and the proceeds divided between Arthur and two cousins. He thought no more of it.

But this year, Arthur received an 予期しない letter from Lloyds TSB asking him to 支払う／賃金 支援する the proceeds because the 株 did not belong to his uncle. They had been 配分するd to a different A. J. Taylor and sent to Arthur's uncle by mistake.

Arthur, 64, was 苦しめるd by the contents of the letter. Having had to take 早期に 退職 because of ill-health, it was impossible for him suddenly to find £1,200.

'The money I received from the will was spent long ago,' he says. 'I am a pensioner and I would have no choice but to try to get a personal 貸付金 to 支払う／賃金 支援する the money, or 支払う／賃金 支援する so much each week.

'I can't turn to the two cousins who 利益d from my uncle's will because one, sadly, is dead while the other is not 井戸／弁護士席 and living on 明言する／公表する 利益s. The whole 事件／事情／状勢 has worried me sick.'

Last week, 財政上の Mail 主張するd that Lloyds TSB 再考する the 事例／患者 and the 苦境 that Arthur and his wife Maureen were 直面するing.

The 会社／堅い 認める that the 'mistakes were all ours' and that Arthur would not be 追求するd その上の for money he received in good 約束.

'We are sorry for the 苦しめる we have 原因（となる）d Arthur Taylor and we will be 令状ing to him today to tell him the 事柄 is の近くにd,' Lloyds TSB said.

Halifax 株

Like Arthur, Sadie Wykeham, an 独立した・無所属 television 生産者 from Londo n, also received a letter 需要・要求するing that she 支払う／賃金 支援する money to cover the cost of 株 配分するd to her by mistake.

The Halifax, from which she received 602 株 when it 変えるd to a bank in June 1997, now says she was not する権利を与えるd to 180 of them and must 支払う／賃金 支援する £1,400. Sadie, who no longer 持つ／拘留するs the 株, received 配分s under her maiden 指名する of Wykeham and her married 指名する of Roberts. The 条件 of the demutualisation 支配するd that a saver could receive only one payout based on the total 貯金 held with the Halifax.

It says all members, 含むing Sadie, were told that they could （人命などを）奪う，主張する only one 株 配分 and 'it is only fair to other 株主s that when over-配分s come to light we 試みる／企てる to 修正する them'.

Sadie is upset by the bank's approach. She says: 'The correspondence gives me no （疑いを）晴らす explanation of why I should suddenly make this 支払い（額）. There is no 言及／関連 to the fact that the over-配分 resulted from me having accounts in both my maiden 指名する and married 指名する.'

She 追加するs: 'The fact that I have accounts in different 指名するs has never been a problem when I've visited my 地元の 支店 in Hammersmith and I wrongly assumed it would have no 耐えるing on my 権利 to 転換 株.

'I have been made to feel like some 肉親，親類d of 犯罪の.'

Sadie is so upset by the bank's 扱うing of the 事件／事情／状勢 that she is looking for a new home for her 貯金 after 20 years with the Halifax.

'I want to be 扱う／治療するd like a decent human 存在 rather than someone who has done something terribly wrong,' she 追加するs.