Re-educating FOS on GAP: “Demands & Needs” Isn’t Optional There’s a moment in far too many of our GAP insurance cases where the conversation stops being about the consumer’s complaint and starts becoming a tutorial. Not for the dealership. For the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). We find ourselves having to explain and again that a […]

Financial Ombudsman Service: transparency denied to the public The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) positions itself as the independent referee consumers can trust when financial firms get it wrong. It expects businesses to engage, disclose, and explain, and it expects consumers to accept outcomes as “fair and reasonable”. So why, when asked perfectly reasonable questions under […]

Financial Ombudsman Service: Is the Watchdog Itself Under Investigation? For years, consumers have been told that the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is the independent, trustworthy referee standing between ordinary people and powerful financial institutions. It’s sold as the place of last resort, the body you turn to when a bank, lender or finance company has […]

Motor Finance Redress: One Rule for One at FOS? In our article yesterday we asked whether the FCA’s motor finance redress consultation is just a box-ticking exercise. Today, we’re taking the next step. We have now commenced escalating complaints at the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) that do meet the FCA’s proposed “high commission” criteria, using […]