news and events

recent news updates

ombudsman news - issue 77

1 July 2009

• financial disputes involving the use of the internet;
• recent complaints about private medical insurance;
• frequently-asked questions about the ombudsman service; and
• Walter Merricks, chief ombudsman, on responsibilities, obligations and rights in relation to complaints about financial services

[issue 77 - PDF version opens in new window]

"sale and rent-back"

1 July 2009

the Financial Services Authority’s "interim regime" for "sale and rent-back" schemes (for homeowners who can no longer afford their mortgage but want to stay on as tenants) comes into force today – with the protection of the ombudsman if things go wrong

chief ombudsman to step down after ten years

30 June 2009

Trading Standards

30 June 2009

ombudsman service joins trading standards professionals, consumer organisations and representatives from business and commerce at this year's national Trading Standards' annual consumer affairs conference and exhibition in Brighton

ombudsman talks debt with Money Advice Scotland

23 June 2009

The ombudsman joins money advisers from across Scotland – to discuss problems arising from consumer over-indebtedness

Glasgow Mela

21 June 2009

joining in the Glasgow Mela – the multicultural family festival at Kelvingrove Park on 21 June – is part of the ombudsman's commitment to raising awareness of consumers' rights among people such as Asian consumers, younger people and women, who use the ombudsman service less

BBC The One Show

19 June 2009

chief ombudsman, Walter Merricks, features on BBC's The One Show - giving his tips on how to make a complaint and the role of the ombudsman

ombudsman in Nottingham

18 June 2009

the ombudsman runs the latest in its series of regional training-days for community and advice workers with front-line advisers and trusted community individuals

ombudsman meets savings and investment practitioners in London

17 June 2009

the ombudsman service takes part in the Tax Incentivised Savings Association (TISA) discussion forum - to explain the figures behind the ombudsman's budget and workplans for the current financial year

warning! fraudulent phone calls claiming to be from the ombudsman service ...

15 June 2009

T20 Magazine

12 June 2009

the ombudsman features in T20 Magazine - the official preview guide to the World Twenty20 cricket tournament which focuses on women in sport - as part of the ombudsman's work to raise awareness of its service with younger women.

ombudsman in Belfast

11 June 2009

the ombudsman runs the latest in its series of regional training-days for community and advice workers – in partnership with Northern Ireland Trading Standards

End of Term magazine

10 June 2009

the ombudsman service features in the latest issue of End of Term magazine – a quarterly magazine for 15 to 18 year olds in Scotland – giving tips on how to avoid travel-insurance problems and reminding younger people about the role of the ombudsman

training for advice and community workers in Essex

05 June 2009

our latest regional training-day for front-line advice workers takes place in Rainham today – as part of our outreach work with "trusted individuals" in the community

"sale and rent-back"

03 June 2009

the Financial Services Authority (FSA) announces plans for "sale and rent-back" (for homeowners who can no longer afford their mortgage but want to stay on as tenants) to be regulated – and covered by the ombudsman – from 1 July 2009

ombudsman service publishes annual review of personal finance disputes

27 May 2009

consumer-outreach in the Highlands and Islands

19 May 2009

the ombudsman runs a week of drop-in complaints clinics and advice-worker training in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland – in partnership with a range of front-line regional consumer-advice agencies

ombudsman meets insurance practitioners in Manchester

13 May 2009

the ombudsman service takes part in the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) annual conference and exhibition at Manchester Central from 13 - 15 May.

complaints handling, accessibility and transparency

12 May 2009

Tony Boorman, decisions director and principal ombudsman, speaks at ABI complaints seminar

training for community and advice workers in Hampshire

11 May 2009

our latest regional training-day for front-line advice workers takes place in Eastleigh today - as part of our outreach work with "trusted individuals" in the community

Lehman-backed "structured" products

7 May 2009

the ombudsman service and the Financial Services Authority have decided that Lehman-backed "structured" investment-products should be dealt with under the "wider implications" process

advice-worker training in Merseyside

1 May 2009

our latest regional training-day for front-line advice workers takes place in Liverpool today

ombudsman at Naidex '09 independent living and rehabilitation show

28 April 2009

the ombudsman joins in Naidex '09 at Birmingham NEC - as part of our ongoing work to raise awareness of our service with disabled consumers

Money Box on financial advice and older consumers

25 April 2009

Caroline Mitchell, lead ombudsman for investment and mortgage complaints, interviewed on Radio 4 Money Box about financial disputes involving older consumers

accessibility, transparency and complaints handling

21 April 2009

David Thomas, corporate director and principal ombudsman, speaks at complaints seminar held by the British Bankers' Association

training for community and advice workers in Yorkshire

21 April 2009

our latest regional training-day for front-line advice workers takes place in Leeds today - as part of our outreach work with "trusted individuals" in the community

gadgets and techie stuff

17 April 2009

meet the ombudsman this weekend at the Gadget Show Live at Birmingham NEC - part of the ombudsman's outreach-work with younger consumers who spend a lot (and borrow more on credit)

happy vaisakhi

14 April 2009

asian-community Panjab Radio interviews ombudsman outreach-officer, Mukhtar Singh Rai, in Punjabi [audio-clip, downloads in mp3-format] – and features ombudsman message in its Vaisakhi festival-guide

Women's Health magazine

9 April 2009

as part of its work to raise awareness with older women, the ombudsman features in Women's Health 2009 – a guide distributed at community groups for older women across the UK, with help on health, finance and lifestyle matters

career success and the ombudsman

8 April 2009

ombudsman, Juliana Campbell, gives a presentation to young people, parents and carers at the "Destination Careers Fair" in Peckham, London – as part of the ombudsman's commitment to raising awareness of the service with younger consumers

ombudsman news - issue 76

6 April 2009

• case studies involving the transfer of money abroad – and associated currency exchange;
  
• a selection of recent travel-insurance complaints; and
  
• Walter Merricks, chief ombudsman, on the price of cut-backs by financial services businesses in their customer-service operations. 

[issue 76 - PDF version opens in new window]

ombudsman on Watchdog

6 April 2009

principal ombudsman, Tony Boorman, interviewed on BBC Watchdog – about disputes involving credit-card refunds under "section 75" of the Consumer Credit Act

Ian Sansbury joins ombudsman service as director of business-planning and assurance

6 April 2009

highlands tour

1 April 2009

the ombudsman service is working with a wide-range of front-line consumer-advice agencies on its tour of the Highlands and Islands – offering free drop-in complaints clinics for consumers, to let them know about their rights when making a financial complaint

training for community and advice workers in the north east

31 March 2009

our latest regional training-day for front-line advice workers takes place in County Durham today – in partnership with Teesdale Citizen Advice Bureau

payment services directive and the ombudsman

30 March 2009

FSA publishes key documents setting out how it will regulate firms under the payment services directive from 1 November 2009 - when money-transfer operators will come under the ombudsman

ombudsman service's budget for 2009/10 finalised and approved

30 March 2009

ombudsman at New Start Scotland, Glasgow SECC

27 March 2009

meet the ombudsman this weekend at New Start Scotland – a two-day event for small-business owners

training for Cornish community and advice workers

26 March 2009

our latest regional training-day for front-line advice workers takes place in Truro today – as part of our outreach work with "trusted individuals" in the community

ombuds"women"

18 March 2009

the ombudsman service's three lead ombudswomen feature in Women, the official guide to International Women's Month – as part of the ombudsman's on-going work to raise awareness with younger women

publication of complaint data on individual financial businesses

18 March 2009

the ombudsman service issues a policy statement summarising public feedback on practical issues about publication of complaint data – and setting out decisions made by the board on publishing complaint data relating to individual financial businesses

our Northern Ireland student-challenge

12 March 2009

in partnership with the Northern Ireland Consumer Council, the ombudsman is challenging students to come up with ideas on how they would promote the ombudsman service to young consumers.

networking with youth

11 March 2009

Network News, the networking forum for young Black and Asian professionals, profiles ombudsman's community-outreach officer, Mukhtar Singh-Rai [feature opens in PDF format] – about the work of the ombudsman and its relevance to younger people

ombudsman on responsible mortgage-lending

9 March 2009

Caroline Mitchell, lead ombudsman, speaks at the Council of Mortgage Lenders' conference on responsible mortgage-lending

Source magazine

6 March 2009

the ombudsman is working with Source magazine to help raise awareness of the service with young consumers based in Scotland – as part of its ongoing work with students and younger consumers

David Baker joins ombudsman service as head of practice

2 March 2009

International Women's Day

27 February 2009

meet the ombudsman at this Saturday's International Women's Day event (London Docklands) – as part of the ombudman's ongoing work to raise awareness of the service among women

training for community and advice workers in Birmingham

25 February 2009

our latest regional training-day for front-line advice workers takes place in Birmingham today - as part of our outreach work with "trusted individuals" in the community

speech by Tony Boorman, principal ombudsman, at the BBA's seminar on payment protection insurance

24 February 2009

guide for new graduates

23 February 2009

the ombudsman is working with The Graduate Guide to help raise awareness of the service and of consumers' right to complain – as part of its ongoing work with students and younger consumers

ombudsman on You and Yours

18 February 2009

chief ombudsman, Walter Merricks, interviewed on BBC Radio 4 You and Yours – about the role of the ombudsman and who uses the service

ombudsman news - issue 75

17 February 2009

• consumer credit complaints – some recent case studies;
• “Taking forward the ombudsman’s accessibility and transparency agenda” – an article about the discussion group that is helping with our ongoing plans in this area of our work;
• Some recent case studies involving household contents insurance; and
• Walter Merricks, chief ombudsman, on the importance of effective complaints-handling by financial firms, to help re-build trust in difficult times

[issue 75 - PDF version opens in new window]

ombudsman at the ZEE carnival!

13 February 2009

meet the ombudsman this weekend at the ZEE Carnival (London Olympia, 13-15 February 2009) - as part of the ombudsman's ongoing work to raise awareness of the service with Asian consumers

ombudsman at complaints management forum

11 February 2009

Caroline Mitchell, lead ombudsman for general investment complaints, talks about the types of complaints seen by the ombudsman service at the Infoline complaints management forum

ombudsman meets debt collectors in Leicester

11 February 2009

the ombudsman speaks at the Credit Services Association's conference - as part of our external-liaison programme which includes support and resources for the consumer-credit sector

"sale and rent back" schemes

6 February 2009

the Financial Services Authority today published a consultation paper setting out proposals for the regulation of "sale and rent back" schemes - including the proposal to extend the ombudsman's remit to cover these schemes

ombudsman and regional TV

6 February 2009

principal ombudsman, Tony Boorman, interviewed on Kent TV about the role of the ombudsman in settling consumers' financial complaints

accessibility and transparency

5 February 2009

the ombudsman publishes an update [opens in PDF format] on its projects and initiatives relating to "accessibility and transparency" – following its earlier policy statements setting out the strategic approach to these issues

ombudsman working with Citizens Advice in Morecambe

4 February 2009

as part of its commitment to engage with older consumers – and with the "trusted individuals" who work with older consumers – the ombudsman runs a complaints-handling training-day in Morecambe for community and advice workers – and takes part in a complaints-clinic to help with front-line problems

car modifications and insurance

31 January 2009

ombudsman Peter Hinchliffe interviewed on BBC Radio 4 Money Box – about insurance disputes involving modified cars

students, school-governors and the ombudsman

30 January 2009

as part of its commitment to engage with younger people – and with the "trusted individuals" who work with younger people – the ombudsman raises its profile through the National Governors' Association's magazine, Matters Arising [PDF opens in new window]

ombudsman at regulations seminar

28 January 2009

ombudsman, Chris Tilson, speaks at an Investment and Life Assurance Group (ILAG) seminar about complaints handled by the ombudsman service - as part of the ombudsman's complaints prevention work with industry practitioners

Young Consumers of the Year

23 January 2009

as part of the work to raise awareness of the ombudsman service among students and younger consumers, principal ombudsman Tony Boorman presents the awards at today's Trading Standards regional finals of the Young Consumers of the Year

damage to underground pipes made from pitch-fibre

20 January 2009

ombudsman service publishes technical note setting out its current approach to disputed buildings-insurance claims - for damage to underground pipes made from pitch-fibre

ombudsman consults on corporate plan and 2009/10 budget

15 January 2009

advice-worker training-days planned for 2009 - from Truro to Dundee

12 January 2009

ombudsman's different-needs awareness event

8 January 2009

disability lifestyle-magazine Able covers the ombudsman's recent training event on disability issues

0300 123 9 123

7 January 2009

the ombudsman service has launched an additional helpline number as part of its range of contact numbers – a new-style 0300 number available only to public-service organisations and charities, and cheaper for consumers who phone from mobiles or networks other than BT

travel insurance sold with holidays - now under the ombudsman and FSA

5 January 2009

on 1 January 2009 travel firms and holiday providers selling "connected travel insurance" (travel insurance sold with a holiday) became regulated by the FSA – and automatically covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service