online PPI resource
In this section of our website you'll find a collection of online documents, reference materials and links – giving more background to our work on complaints involving payment protection insurance (PPI).
This section may be of particular interest to businesses and consumer advisers.
our consumer factsheet on ...
payment protection insurance [PDF version opens in new window]
our factsheet for consumers, looking at the issues that most frequently crop up in disputes about payment protection insurance (PPI)
standard documentation for PPI complaints
designed to encourage more efficient, co-ordinated and consistent handling of PPI complaints across the financial services industry
- consumer questionnaire [in Word format]
for consumers bringing a PPI complaint (either to a business or to the ombudsman service) - business response form [in Word format]
to be completed by businesses when a complaint is referred to the ombudsman service - practical guide to the consumer questionnaire and business response form
case studies and ombudsman decisions
- a range of recent case studies highlight our approach, and the issues we consider, when assessing complaints about the sale of payment protection insurance (PPI)
- a selection of ombudsman decisions on PPI complaints also help show our approach:
– Mr and Mrs B's case, Mr A's case and Mrs C's case [open in PDF format] involve single-premium PPI policies sold with secured and unsecured personal loans
– Mr D's case and Mr E's case [open in PDF format] involve PPI policies sold with a credit card - more PPI case studies in issue 71 of ombudsman news
the ombudsman service's approach
- an overview of the ombudsman's approach to some of the common issues raised in disputes about payment protection insurance (PPI)
- a letter [opens in PDF format] to claims-management companies and a letter [opens in PDF format] to financial businesses clarifying operational issues in relation to handling PPI complaints
annual update on complaints to the ombudsman about PPI
statistics from our 2009/2010 annual review showing the number of complaints we have received year on year, and an overview of the types of issues involved
the "wider implications" referral and regulatory action by the FSA
following the ombudsman's formal "wider implications" referral to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of concerns about the handling of consumer complaints involving PPI:
- the FSA confirmed (in August 2010) a package of measures – to ensure consumers are better treated when buying PPI or complaining about it
- the FSA introduced (in May 2010) a temporary rule – to give people with recent payment protection insurance (PPI) complaints more time to refer cases to the ombudsman service
FSA enforcement action
enforcement action taken by the FSA against firms for poor PPI selling-practices includes:
- the £770,000 fine on Swinton Group plc for serious failings in their "advised" sales of single-premium PPI [FSA's Final Notice opens in PDF format]
- the £721,000 fine incurred by Egg Banking plc (Egg) for failings in its phone-sales of credit-card PPI [FSA's Final Notice opens in PDF format]
- the £7 million fine on Alliance & Leicester for serious failings in its phone-sales of PPI sold with personal loans [FSA's Final Notice opens in PDF format]
information for businesses on how we handle cases
frequently-asked questions (FAQs) on a range of topics from the role of third party complaint-handlers to whether complaints should be treated as legal pleadings