Building societies MUST help as families lose fortunes in wills スキャンダル, says JEFF PRESTRIDGE

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Over the past few days, I have been inundated with correspondence from people who believe ? with justification ? that they have been left hanging out to 乾燥した，日照りの over their wills and 広い地所 planning.

Some of the letters and emails are hard to read without shedding a 涙／ほころび ? or boiling with 激怒（する）. They raise 関心s over the care given to 長年の 顧客s of selected building societies and the 欠如（する） of will from the City regulator to 保護する 消費者s from 財政上の malpractice.

The letters relate to will 令状ing and 広い地所 planning services that 消費者s bought through their 地元の building society in the 2010s. These were 供給するd 最初 by the Will 令状ing Company and the Family 信用 会社／団体 (both part of 広い地所 Planning Group) and then later by Philips 信用 会社／団体 which subsequently 急落（する），激減（する）d into 行政. The building societies did not have 取引 with Philips 信用, the real rogue in this story.

顧客s, most of them 年輩の, paid for new wills to be written and their 資産s (含むing their home) to be held in 信用 because they were told this would 保護する their money in later life ? and on their death. In theory, yes. In practice, no. They 購入（する）d these 財政上の 製品s because they thought they were doing the 権利 thing. They also bought them because they 信用d their friendly building society to look after their best 財政上の 利益／興味s.

令状ing on the 塀で囲む:?Many 顧客s were sold almost useless wills, died before sorting it out

It was simple. If their 地元の 支店 recommended that they should sit 負かす／撃墜する over a coffee and discuss 重要な 財政上の 事柄s such as 相続物件 planning. They invariably acquiesced. It made 財政上の sense.

Sadly, they were let 負かす／撃墜する. Many were sold proverbial 財政上の pups and have since incurred horrific costs to put 事柄s 権利 ? while some are still waiting to see what remains of the 資産s they 手渡すd over to be managed 税金-efficiently. Precious little, it seems.

Tragically, many have died waiting to get 支援する what remains of their money, leaving children (now adults) to 選ぶ up the pieces.

A few days ago, these people were dealt a その上の blow when the 財政上の 行為／行う 当局 (FCA) said it would not be taking any 施行 活動／戦闘 against building societies 伴う／関わるd in this sorry saga. Its main argument is that these services, for which the building societies received a （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限 支払い（額） as introducers, were not 規制するd activities (such as deposit taking).

So, it is 権力のない to 行為／法令／行動する. その上に, the services that the societies recommended were part of 広い地所 Planning Group ? not Philips 信用 where all the 顧客 losses (and 行政の mayhem) occurred because of 甚だしい／１２ダース mismanagement (I am 存在 polite here).

Just over 2,300 people had 資産s 'looked after' by Philips 信用.

The regulator says it cannot 持つ／拘留する societies 責任がある Philips 信用's ineptitude when the company did not 存在する at the time they introduced 顧客s to 広い地所 Planning Group's services.

In 発表するing its 決定／判定勝ち（する）, the FCA 認める it would '深く，強烈に' disappoint 顧客s who have 苦しむd losses because of the debacle. And they are dead 権利.

Those caught up in the スキャンダル ? either as 顧客s or children left to 選ぶ up the pieces ? feel 不正に let 負かす／撃墜する.

Andrea Hindley of the Philips 信用 活動／戦闘 Group ? a group 代表するing the 利益／興味s of more than 200 影響する／感情d families ?述べるs the FCA's 決定／判定勝ち（する） as a 'dereliction of 義務'.

Andrea's parents, Maureen and Jim, were introduced to the Will 令状ing Company and Family 信用 会社／団体 by Nottingham Building Society. Their Lincoln home 加える £120,000 of 投資s ended up with Philips 信用.

Although the family have now managed to 格闘する 支援する 所有権 of the home, there is little prospect of getting 支援する any of the money their parents 投資するd ? any residual value is likely to be 吸収するd in 行政 料金s.

Maureen died in April 2022 and her funeral later that month 同時に起こる／一致するd with the 崩壊（する） of Philips 信用. It was only then that Andrea discovered what her parents had done with their home and 投資s. Since then, she and other members of the 活動／戦闘 group have tried tirelessly to get the FCA to talk to them ? and hear their 味方する of the story. But they have been 妨害するd (in the FCA's defence, it says it 吸収するd mountains of written 消費者 証拠).

Andrea, a retired publican, has 保護物，者d her father from the FCA 告示 ? he is 現在／一般に receiving end of life care. 'If we can't 信用 the regulators to 規制する, who can we 信用?' she asks.

She is hoping that with 支援 from the all-party 議会の group on personal banking and fairer 財政／金融, the FCA's 決定／判定勝ち（する） can be challenged.

'This is not the Philips 信用 スキャンダル,' she says. 'This is the building society スキャンダル.'

Nottingham Building Society was not alone in 促進するing the wares of 広い地所 Planning Group. Both 物陰／風下d and Newcastle also did, along with some smaller societies (to 繰り返し言う, these 相互のs did not を取り引きする Philips 信用).

I 招待するd all three societies to tell me whether they would be helping 顧客s caught up in this awful 危機. I also asked them to quantify the （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限 they had earned from getting 顧客s to sit 負かす／撃墜する with the salespeople at 広い地所 Planning Group.

Nottingham said it is working with the 行政官／管理者s of Philips 信用 (Kroll) to ascertain how 'it may be able to help [顧客s] on a voluntary basis'.

Newcastle said the same, 明言する／公表するing it is in 会談 with Kroll 'to better understand the 衝撃 on those 影響する／感情d' and to see whether support can be 供給するd. It 追加するd that 事前の to Philips 信用 coming on the scene, it 申し込む／申し出d 顧客s a '割引d trustee reassignment service as an 代案／選択肢 to entering into an 協定 with Philips 信用'.

物陰／風下d also 確認するd 会談 with Kroll, 追加するing: 'In relation to 可能性のある 犯罪の behaviour by Philips 信用, the 問題／発行する has been referred to Greater Manchester Police and we continue to 勧める them to 調査／捜査する.'

非，不，無 供給するd 詳細（に述べる）s of the （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限s they earned for introducing 顧客s to the Will 令状ing Company. Make of that what you will.

As for the regulator, it told me: 'While the building societies are 規制するd by us, these introductions were not for activities we 規制する. Some of the building societies 伴う／関わるd have told us they are engaged with the 行政官／管理者s, to 調査する some possible support to 影響する／感情d 顧客s on a voluntary basis.'

It's the least these societies should do.

HSBC consigns card to history?

It's not just cash that is 存在 overtaken by other forms of 支払い（額）. The good old 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 card is slowly dying a death ? a form of plastic that 許すs 顧客s to 支払う／賃金 for goods on credit and 支払う／賃金 no 利益／興味 on 条件 that the card balance is （疑いを）晴らすd every month.

HSBC has just written to its small 禁止（する）d of Gold Mastercard 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 card 顧客s, telling them that it is pulling the plug on the card in late September this year. As a 譲歩, it will 延長する the 年次の travel 保険 that comes with the card for a その上の year (and at no cost).

The bank says the 決定／判定勝ち（する） will enable it to '申し込む／申し出 an even better 顧客 experience' for 支えるもの／所有者s of its other credit card 製品s.

It also 追加するs that the card, which 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s an 年次の 料金, has not been 利用できる to new 顧客s for 25 years.

It leaves the 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 card market ? one 特に liked by high earners ? 堅固に in the 支配するs of American 表明する.