Customer Stories

William Thornley from Bolton got back £21,400 from Halifax

After inheriting some money from his late mother`s estate Mr Thornley decided to take advice from his bank about how to get the best return. He made it clear to the bank that he was not a risk taker and could not afford to lose any money.

Alan Parton from Bolton got back £15,500 from Lloyds

In January 2007 Mr Parton received some money when he sold his business and retired– he paid the proceeds into his current account. Lloyds TSB suggested he spoke to a financial adviser and he was quite happy to do this. The adviser recommended that Mr Parton invest £150,000 into a Flexible Options Bond and Mr Parton followed his advice which seemed to make sense.

Hilary Maton-Jenner from Merseyside got back £6,400 from Barclays

Mrs Maton-Jenner had invested £20,000 with Barclays bank having received a pension lump sum payment in 2007. After three years the investment had lost £3,000 which came as a big shock to the client, particularly as she had wanted her capital to remain secure without any risk. Mrs Maton-Jenner approached Goodwin Barrett and spoke with Senior Claims Adviser, Steve Wise to explain her situation.

Margaret Long from Stockport got back £1,500 from RBS/NatWest

Mrs Long was encouraged to invest the money she held on deposit into a risk-based investment with RBS that lost money. Having assessed her circumstances both personally and financially at the time of the sale, it became apparent that the advice given by RBS may not have been suitable as her attitude to investment risk had not been assessed correctly.

Janet Rynkiewicz from Manchester got back £26,700 from Halifax

When Mr Rynkiewicz received his pension lump sum from his employer Halifax suggested Mr and Mrs Rynkiewicz speak to a financial adviser about what to do with the money. The adviser recommended that the couple invest £30,000 into Investment Bonds and Investment ISA’s.

Stephen Montague from Hull got back £10,000 from Lloyds

Mr & Mrs Montague were encouraged to meet with a Lloyds TSB adviser after Mr Montague had been made redundant and Mrs Montague had received an inheritance. They were encouraged to invest their money into ISA’s without having a full analysis of their financial circumstances to establish if the products were the most suitable. They were extremely disappointed when their investments lost over £3,000.

Patrick Caulfield from Altrincham got back £16,000 from Barclays

Mr and Mrs Caulfield were contacted by their bank in 2007 after Mr Caulfield retired. He had received his retirement lump sum into his account and the branch staff noticed this and suggested an appointment with a financial adviser. Mr and Mrs Caulfield attended this appointment and despite making the adviser aware that they were intending to move house in the very near future, were advised to invest a large sum of money over a period of 5 years.

Carl Potter from Bolton got back £1,200 from RBS/NatWest

In 1998 Mr Potter wound up his construction business and decided to retire. At this time Royal Bank of Scotland suggested that Mr Potter should invest some £6,000 into a Personal Equity Plan (PEP). The adviser explained to him that PEPs were tax free and Mr Potter thought it was a good idea. However, over the next few years the value of Mr Potter’s PEP fluctuated greatly, seeming to go down much more than going up.

Fred Hardman from Rossendale got back £6,916 from Halifax

Fred had sadly lost his wife and was in the bank when he was approached by the staff to see an adviser due to his substantial balance. He had received a payout from his late wife’s insurance policy and had paid this into his account.

William Miller from Yeovil got back £37,900 from Lloyds

In January 2006 Mr Miller received some money from his late father’s estate. Lloyds TSB suggested he spoke to a financial adviser and he was quite happy to do this. The adviser recommended that Mr Miller should invest £100,000 into a Flexible Options Bond and Mr Miller followed his advice.

Susan Lomax from Carnforth got back £1,500 from Barclays

Miss Lomax, now a local councillor for Morecambe town council, retired in 2001 after working for Boots for 27 years. She approached the Woolwich to ask for financial advice for the funds she had saved and was recommended to invest £30,000 into a With Profit Bond with AXA. Miss Lomax was happy to leave her money invested for 5 years with the understanding it would be safe.

Brian Orsborn from Wigan got back £13,700 from RBS/NatWest

Mr & Mrs Orsborn were encouraged to meet with a Royal Bank of Scotland adviser because of the large amount of money they had saved in their deposit account. A guaranteed investment bond was recommended for a period of three and a half years along with two equity based ISA’s. At the end of the term they were disappointed to receive only the original investment from the bond and had lost money on the ISA’s.

Daphne Soule from Manchester got back £400 from Halifax

Mrs Soule had been through a difficult period in her life following the loss of her daughter and went to Halifax to ‘put some money away’ for her grandson as her daughter had wished. The bank was only too pleased to help but tied up Mrs Soule’s money for five years in an Investment Bond which had a guarantee at the end of the term if the funds were left in place.

Colin Booth from Stockport got back £2,300 from Lloyds

In 2006 Mr Booth had re-mortgaged his home through the Cheltenham & Gloucester in order to clear some previous finance and also to raise money for some home improvements he had planned on his property. In December 2006, Lloyds TSB persuaded Mr Booth to sit down with a financial adviser after depositing the funds into his account that he had allocated for his home improvements.

Susan Marsh from Merseyside got back £11,411 from Barclays

Susan went through a difficult time in the late 90s as she had to retire from her job on health grounds and then suffered the loss of her mother. Susan sold her mother’s home and staff at her local Barclays encouraged her to speak with a financial adviser when she received the sale proceeds.

Philip Shaw from Blackpool got back £3,700 from RBS/NatWest

Mr Shaw explained to his adviser at NatWest that he did not want to take risks with his money when the bank approached him about investing some of his savings. He was recommended a Guaranteed Investment Bond where the value of the capital cannot dip despite stock market fluctuations.

Robert Roden from Manchester got back £2,700 from Halifax

Mr Roden was purchasing his first home in August 1996. He sought mortgage advice from Halifax in order to complete on the purchase. In addition to making his new mortgage payments, Mr Roden was advised by the Halifax to make new regular contributions to an ISA. Mr Roden was happy to act upon this advice.

Steve Jasper from Middlesborough got back £3,000 from Lloyds

Steve had been continually contacted by his bank, Lloyds TSB, when a member of its staff noticed that he held a substantial balance in his account. They pressured him to meet with an adviser and discuss investment options.

Matthew Tonge from St Helens got back £4,500 from RBS/NatWest

Mr Tonge inherited a property after the passing of his step-father. He renovated the property before selling it and was encouraged to speak with a financial adviser when the sale proceeds were received.

James McCann from Rochdale got back £3,100 from Halifax

Mr & Mrs McCann had recently paid the proceeds of the sale of a house into their Halifax account. At this time, they were approached by the bank to speak to a financial adviser and he recommended Mr & Mrs McCann invest £15,000 into a Personal Investment Plan for the medium to long term. Mr & Mrs McCann thought this would be a sensible option as they were approaching retirement and they needed to be financially secure.

Graeme Rowse from Hull got back £6,500 from Lloyds

In 1997 Mr Rowse was approached by his bank to talk about his savings and getting a better return. The adviser recommended that Mr Rowse should invest £10,000 into an ISA/Unit trust and Mr Rowse decided to accept this advice.

Adrian Leman from Maidstone got back £890 from Barclays

In 1999 Adrian was not working as he was looking after his family at home. He had built up a lump sum in his account at Woolwich and was persuaded to meet with a Financial Adviser to discuss the various options he might have for his money.

Terace Walkling from London got back £4,660 from RBS/NatWest

In 1998 Terace’s father died and left her with a small inheritance. She put this money into her NatWest account and she was then invited to speak with a Financial Adviser to discuss what she could potentially do with it.

Kevin Corns from Dudley got back £6,000 from Halifax

In 1997 Kevin had built up a lump sum by saving regularly and his local Halifax branch suggested he speak with a financial adviser to discuss the options he had for his money.

Lisa Morris from Notts got back £42,000 from St James Place IFA

In 2007 Lisa and her partner Jason had built up a lump sum and were recommended to speak with a financial adviser from St James Place.

Khandu Chauhan from Leicester got back £1,650 from Halifax

At the start of 2000 Mr & Mrs Chauhan spoke with a financial adviser from Halifax to discuss ways of saving for the future. They were advised to invest a lump sum of £2,700 into ISAs and to add to this on a monthly basis.

Tamara Gordon from Barnet got back £2,650 from Lloyds

Tamara had just started her career as a teacher in 2000 and wanted to put some money away for her future. She spoke with a financial adviser at Lloyds to discuss the best way for her to do this. She was advised to invest a total of £4,500 into a Stocks and Shares ISA.

Gail Thibert from Loughton got back £17,800 from Barclays

Gail inherited some money from her late mothers estate back in 1998 and Barclays suggested she should meet with a financial adviser to discuss the options she had.

Moira Armstrong from Nottingham got back £7,250 from Lloyds

Moira worked full time at Boots but also owned properties that she rented. She sold a rental property in 2000 and had plans to invest the sale proceeds into another.

Angela Jackson from Sheffield got back £1,000 from Halifax

Angela’s father died leaving her with an inheritance and she decided to speak to a financial adviser from Halifax as she wanted to put some of this money away for her family.

Malcolm Prosser from St Ives got back £288 from Halifax

Malcolm first received financial advice from Halifax in 2003 following the sale of a property. He was satisfied with the outcome of this so approached Halifax again for further advice as he wanted to invest over the long term on a regular basis.

Ann Armstrong from Castleford got back £2,300 from Halifax

In March 2002 Mrs Armstrong had managed to accumulate a lump sum by saving regularly from her salary. She agreed to meet with a financial adviser to discuss the various options she had for these savings.

Sheila Farrar from Cambridge got back £1,040 from Halifax

Sheila had built up some savings as she approached retirement and met with a financial adviser from Halifax to discuss the options she had with this money.

Paula Knight from Dundee got back £300 from Halifax

Paula had been through some difficult personal times which resulted in her selling her home. As such Paula had some funds in her bank account and she was encouraged by Halifax to speak with a financial adviser.

Karen Elsworth from Leeds got back £2,980 from Halifax

Karen’s late mother lost her husband in 1996 and received a lump sum. An appointment was arranged with a financial adviser from Halifax to discuss the options she had with this money.

Michael Woolliscroft from Newcastle got back £1,200 from Halifax

Mr Woolliscroft had built up a healthy balance in his savings account over a period of time. He approached his local branch and asked for their help in getting a better return. He had recently retired from work due to ill health and any extra income these savings could produce would be a real benefit.

Donald Dalziel from Birmingham got back £1,500 from Lloyds

Donald invested £5000 some years ago with Lloyds TSB. He was not in great health at the time but was encouraged to invest his savings for a term of 5 years. Consequently, Donald lost money on his investment when he subsequently surrendered this a few years later.

Preston Horton from Bristol got back £900 from Halifax

Mr Horton had built up a healthy balance in his savings account over a period of time. He was approached by his local branch who suggested a meeting with its financial adviser. He was retired from work and receiving a pension and any extra growth on these savings would have been a real benefit.

Robert Gaskell from Wigan got back £2,000 from Lloyds

Mr Gaskell approached Lloyds TSB seven years ago when he had received a sum of money from the sale of his previous property. He had recently gone through stressful times as he had lost his mother, got divorced and had also been made redundant.

Steven Lansdowne from Leicester got back £800 from Halifax

In 1996 Mr and Mrs Lansdowne sought investment advice from Halifax bank having accumulated surplus monies in their bank account. They wanted to explore the option for their money to grow in a safe tax efficient fund.

Catherine Gault from Paisley got back £1,065 from Lloyds

In 2002 Catherine’s father had passed away and whilst she was in the bank dealing with his affairs it was suggested by a member of staff that she met with an adviser to discuss investments. She had previously cared for her father and was obviously grieving for him. The adviser suggested she invest a sum of money despite her vulnerable state at that time.

James Edgar from Glasgow got back £12,000 from Halifax

Mr Edgar had saved a lump sum which he held in a deposit account. He was encouraged to see a financial adviser from Halifax to discuss the best place to hold this money.

Christine Fletcher from Hull got back £6,900 from Lloyds

In December 2006 Mrs Fletcher received some money when she had to take early retirement from her job in order to look after her husband who had suffered a stroke. Lloyds TSB encouraged her to speak to a financial adviser when this money was paid into her account, she was happy to do this. The adviser recommended that Mrs Fletcher invested £25,000 into an ISA and OEIC and Mrs Fletcher followed his advice which seemed to make sense.

Russell McGrath from Colwyn Bay got back £2,600 from Halifax

In May 2008 Russell had managed to accumulate a lump sum from his work in the Emergency Services by saving regularly from his salary. He agreed to meet with a financial adviser to discuss the various options he had for these savings.

Derek Smith from Lincoln got back £1,200 from Lloyds

Mr Smith invested into a Capital Guaranteed Bond but was disappointed when after six years he only got back his original investment and nothing more. He had originally been contacted by Lloyds when the bank noticed he had paid in a cheque following a redundancy payout.

Louise Cole from Surrey got back £1,500 from Halifax

In December 2006 Louise had recently given birth and was not working as she was looking after her family. Louise had built up some savings and wanted her money to be in the best place to provide for the family in future. As such, she agreed to meet a financial adviser from Halifax to discuss her options.

Ronald Sawyer from Wigan got back £4,500 from Lloyds

Mr Sawyer invested some of his savings into an ISA linked to the stock market after taking advice from his bank. He trusted his adviser to give him the best advice for his circumstances but it transpired that he was only told about all the possible benefits of this type of investment with little or no discussion about the true risks involved. He lost £1,200 when he cashed in his ISA.

Alan Melville from Kirkcaldy got back £1,569 from Halifax

Alan received a lump sum after being made redundant in 2008 and soon after the money was put into Halifax he was encouraged to speak with a financial adviser. Alan thought this was a sensible thing to do and arranged an appointment at his local Halifax branch.

John Gilbert from Burton-On-Trent got back £1,880 from Lloyds

John and Marilyn were nearing retirement a number of years ago and planning a house move when they approached Lloyds TSB for some investment advice. They were recommended to invest into a combination of ISA’s and Unit Trusts with Scottish Widows.

Richard Dobbs from Newport got back £1,270 from Halifax

Richard Dobbs had a young family and wanted to start saving to build a deposit for their first home. He met with a financial adviser at Halifax to discuss the best way to do this. Mr Dobbs had never invested money before so trusted the adviser when he recommended him to invest a significant monthly amount into a Stocks and Shares ISA.

Colin Armstrong from Hull got back £1,400 from Lloyds

In 1997 Mr Armstrong approached Lloyds TSB to open a regular savings account. He had wanted to save a regular monthly amount of £30 over a 5 year period so that he could treat his wife to a special holiday when he reached age 65.

Ann Cutts from South Yorkshire got back £700 from Halifax

Ann Cutts lost her husband following a short illness and received funds from his pension scheme. Understandably, Mrs Cutts was devastated at this time but nevertheless agreed to meet with a financial adviser at Halifax to discuss the best place for her money.

Frank Challoner from Liverpool got back £3,000 from Lloyds

Frank had been made redundant from his job back in 1998 and had received his redundancy payment into his Lloyds account. He was encouraged by a staff member to see a financial adviser and discuss investment options. Frank was then recommend to make an investment despite being out of work at the time and living on a much reduced income. He was also suffering from poor health and his future employment prospects were uncertain.

Jennifer Penlington from Elgin got back £677 from Halifax

Jennifer worked hard and had always saved, building up a lump sum in her savings account. Halifax invited her to meet with one of their financial advisers to discuss the various options she might have to make better returns than deposit accounts offered.

David Mitchell from Dumbarton got back £14,400 from Lloyds

Mr Mitchell was encouraged to meet with a Lloyds TSB adviser after he had retired from work. A unit trust was recommended which subsequently lost money.

Kevin Heather from Essex got back £3,489 from Lloyds

Mr Riley had taken early retirement and received a lump sum which he was happy to leave in a savings account. He was encouraged to see a financial adviser from CIS to discuss his finances and they met at Mr Riley’s home.

Andrew Mathews from Bournemouth got back £2,000 from Lloyds

Andrew was aged just 18 when he inherited £10,000 from his late grandfather. Sensibly, he approached his bank and asked them for advice for the best place to keep his money as a nest egg for the future. Andrew trusted the bank and invested the whole £10,000 into an ISA and Unit Trust.

Stuart Snowden from Hull got back £7,000 from Santander

Mr Snowden had recently received a lump sum from a redundancy pay out and had paid the proceeds of this into his bank account. At this time the bank approached him to speak to a financial adviser who recommended that Mr Snowden placed his money into a Stocks and Shares ISA for the medium to long term, as he was planning on using this money help fund his retirement plans.

Margaret Fitzpatrick from Manchester got back £2,300 from Santander

Mrs Fitzpatrick was referred to us by her son-in-law after we were able to help his mother. Mrs Fitzpatrick had a maturing 1 year deposit with Alliance & Leicester and wanted to reinvest her money for a further 12 months. However, rather than act upon her wishes, Mrs Fitzpatrick was referred to a financial adviser who recommended that she invest £24,000 into a Legal & General Distribution Bond for 5 years.

Harry Sutton from Derbyshire got back £9,900 from Co-op

Mr Sutton contacted us after losing £6,000 in a Coop bank Corporate Bond. He had been told the investment was safe and invested £100,000 but was disappointed to lose so much money when he finally cashed in the policy. He contacted us after reading about us on the internet. We discussed with Mr Sutton what he remembered from his meetings with the bank and looked at the paperwork he provided to us.

Alan Cotton from Manchester got back £15,000 from L & G

Alan had been a customer of Northern Rock for many years when he invested with them in 2005. The bank staff had been pressurising him to meet with one of their advisers when they noticed that his balance was substantial following his early retirement. Eventually, he agreed to meet with the adviser and proceeded to take his advice to invest into a Legal & General Bond despite the fact that he had actually earmarked the money to buy a rental property.

Allan Jones from Shotton got back £7,800 from Wills & Co

Mr Jones had bought single company shares on the recommendation of a stockbroker Wills & Co. The shares contained a high level of risk and subsequently dropped significantly in value.

Derek Bullock from Manchester got back £7,200 from Phoenix Life

A representative of Britannic Assurance (now Phoenix Life) advised Mr Bullock to save £100 per month to build up a nest egg for his retirement. The plan began in 1999 and went on for 10 years when Mr Bullock cashed it in getting back £2,000 less than he had actually put into it.

Malcolm Nash from Birmingham got back £13,000 from HSBC

Most people expecting sound financial advice would normally turn to their bank, believing it would have their best interests at heart. Malcolm Nash believed the same when he turned to HSBC for advice about his substantial savings. What he ended up getting was totally inappropriate advice meaning he lost over £8,000 within 12 months.

James Phelps from Derby got back £1,500 from Co-op

Mr & Mrs Phelps were encouraged to meet with a Co-op adviser because of the large amount of money they held on deposit, the proceeds of a property sale. They were encouraged to invest their money into risk based products. They were extremely disappointed when their investments lost money as it had been their intention to leave it on deposit.

James Willis from Liverpool got back £7,500 from AW Chase

When Mr Willis retired with a lump sum from his employer he turned to an Independent Financial Adviser for advice about how to top up his income in retirement. He made it clear that he could not afford to lose money but understood that there may be highs and lows. The adviser recommended an ISA and Investment Bond. Mr Willis left his money invested for 12 years and when he eventually cashed it in he barely broke even.

Neil Stevenson from Blackburn got back £12,000 from L & G

After being made redundant Mr Stevenson got a cheque which he duly deposited into his Yorkshire Building Society account. Mr Stevenson simply wanted his money to work harder for him so he asked for some advice at his local branch. The financial adviser from Legal and General recommended he put away £47,000 into a property fund.

Kevin Mitchell from Rochester got back £6,000 from Santander

Kevin Mitchell invested £50,000 six years ago with Santander and when he surrendered the money just two years later he found he had made a loss on his investments of £2,800. He thought there would be nothing he could do about this, until he came across our company on the internet.

Alan Burke from Bolton got back £34,800 from Santander

Mr Burke was contacted by Santander because of the large amount of money he held in his deposit account. He was persuaded to invest his money into an investment bond with the promise of greater returns than those available in his deposit account. The transaction was completed during one meeting.

Dr Jasmine Murray from Reading got back £13,590 from Santander

Dr Murray and her husband had downsized their home and had money left over after buying their new house. They spoke with a financial adviser at Abbey National about the best options they had for their funds.

Raymond Nicholls from Sunderland got back £4,627 from Santander

Raymond Nicholls met with a financial adviser at Abbey National after he was made redundant in 1993. He wanted to ensure his money was in the best place after such a big change in his life.

James Riley from Rotherham got back £14,286 from Royal London

Mr Riley had taken early retirement and received a lump sum which he was happy to leave in a savings account. He was encouraged to see a financial adviser from CIS to discuss his finances and they met at Mr Riley’s home.

Keith Alderman from Bracknell got back £1,960 from HSBC

Mr Alderman received an inheritance following the death of his father and met with a financial adviser at HSBC. Mr Alderman had plans for most of his money but the adviser encouraged him to invest into a Stocks and Shares ISA.

Sylvia Allison from Sleaford got back £1,286 from Royal London

In 1999 Sylvia was introduced to a financial adviser when she was aged 22. Sylvia, sensibly, wanted to save for the future and thought it was a good idea to discuss this with a professional.

Paul Sheppard from Penton got back £2,000 from HSBC

Mr Sheppard had recently taken a lump sum from his pension plan and had paid the proceeds of this into his HSBC account. The bank recommended that Mr Sheppard placed his money into a Stocks and Shares ISA for the medium to long term, even though Mr Sheppard had mentioned that he may need access to this money in the near future.

Ken Lewis from Cheshire got back £1,300 from Clerical Medical/Sesame

In March 2002 Ken had accumulated a lump sum and had agreed with a friend’s suggestion to meet with an Independent Financial Adviser to discuss the various options he had for these funds.

Graeme Baker from Skegness got back £7,550 from Halifax

In 2003 Mr Baker sold his home and when he received the sale proceeds he was encouraged by Halifax to meet with one of their financial advisers.

Frank Long from Neath got back £375 from Barclays

Frank had managed to accumulate a lump sum by saving regularly and arranged a meeting with a financial adviser from Barclays to discuss the options he had with this money.

Delrose Westman from Shipley got back £7,000 from Halifax

In 1996 Ms Westman was buying a new home and approached Halifax to arrange a mortgage.

Anna Charles from Colwyn Bay got back £2,280 from HSBC

In April 2000 Mrs Charles retired from her job with the Local Authority and received a lump sum payment. She banked with HSBC and they arranged a meeting with a financial adviser.

Margaret Stanway from Suffolk got back £9,560 from Lloyds

Mrs Stanway’s late mother, Mrs Murphy, had retired from her job as a nurse and received a lump sum payment. Her bank, Lloyds, advised her to invest some money originally in 2000 and this was good and sensible advice.

David Hankins from Treharris got back £8,350 from Lloyds

In 1996 Mr Hankins was aged 44 and had saved some money which he wanted to invest for his retirement. He approached his bank, Lloyds, and met with a financial adviser.

Keith James from Hawarden got back £10,400 from Halifax

In 1997 Mr James bought a new home and arranged a mortgage through Halifax. Part of the service Halifax offered was a discussion with a financial adviser about the different types of mortgage which were available.

David Herd from Stansted got back £5,550 from Lloyds

In January 2001 David had built up some savings over time. He was speaking with a financial adviser about his retirement planning and the conversation moved on to investing as this could make his savings work harder for him.

Mark and Dorothee Bernard from Cowdenbeath got back £4,450 from Royal London

In 2000 Mr & Mrs Bernard had saved some money which they wanted to invest for the future. They met with a financial adviser from C I S at their home.

Chris Urack from Dyfed got back £2,500 from Lloyds

In September 2000 Chris had just completed his masters degree and was looking forward to establishing a career in teaching. Chris wanted to put away some money on a monthly basis for the future and so arranged a meeting with a financial adviser from Lloyds to discuss his options.

Stephen Feldon from Darlington got back £5,150 from HSBC

In 2006 Stephen was forced to retire from the Police after he was injured in the line of duty. He received a lump sum from his pension and was then approached by his bank to discuss the options he had for his money.

Andrew Black from Whitley Bay got back £1,385 from Lloyds

In 1999 Andrew was working as an IT Trainer and had managed to save money from his income. Whilst in his local branch he was introduced to a financial adviser so he could discuss the various options he might have for his savings.

Customer Stories - Investments

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