NI Presbyterian mutual society, Short of funds for withdrawal?

presbyteriannomore

jon

Could the 2 issues not be merged into one petition i.e. that PCI face up to it's responsibilities and include a request for a public enquiry.

Surely if PMS have nothing to hide then they should welcome an enquiry, if everything is above board then what do they have to fear?

crazymess

I have written questions and answers made to PMS in mid-September. Our Accountants had concerns and made me telephone twice to find out the answers as to who they had lent money to.

(Their concerns were raised because they thought they had seen a charge on a certain Lurgan/Portadown Property Developer in Stubbs Gazette).

1 Q Have you lent money to Companies?

A NO


2.Q What have you done with the money?

A Its lent out to Churches and Congregations. We have also bought properties in England and Scotland, for which we receive income twice yearly.


3. Q Are the loans to Congregations safe? I joked

A If the Churches do down, we are all in bother!!!

I reported back my findings in mid-September to our Accountants - who were a little shocked but thought well it must be alright - they felt it was then purely a Church Society.

Whatnow?_3

I think that all of the suggestions above have merit.

Just a word of caution - if these lines are pursued and it shows extreme irregularities in the running activities, could we end up doing ourselves out of government help because they will put it down to bad management? I accept the point, why should the PMS be seen by the government as any different to the banks who were being run unethically and gambled people's money away?

Please take advice on this from a solicitor in case we jeopardise our case.

I agree that we need to press our politicians and make the effort to contact them so that the profile of the full extent of this appalling situation is brought to the forefront of the Assembly's agenda. I think that we should lobby more than one politician in order to place responsibility with them so that they can, in the weight of their position, make representation to Arlene Foster and the relevant powers.

What do you think?

By the way, I have been involved in arranging a meeting in our congregation for Thursday 22nd and will keep you updated about the results. It would be helpful if other congregations can feed back through this blog if they are having meetings and about the feedback from these meetings?

Remember "United we stand".

Nomad25

As an 'unbiased outsider' may I comment that I think you would do better to en-masse rattle the assembly's cage, any deals with HMG/GB [and they are there to be had as the recent past has shown] could be negotiated by them.

GB doesn't give a stuff about us, but he does need extra MP votes [as supplied last year by the unionists I think] to get his way in parliament.

Also there are many calls for bail out money at the moment [more vote worthy in his eyes], so he would need an incentive, maybe assembly members could find one.

purt

It's nice to see my earlier post gained nominal attention.

Folks, this is an issue for which the MLAs in the Assembly can do very little to help you. If you realistically want to get help from the Government then it will have to come from Westminster and not Stormont. Even the local MLAs have had to concede that. Do as I say, write to your MPs. It is they who can raise the issue on your behalf in Westminster.

Nomad25

Even the local MLAs have had to concede that.

I stand corrected, I was not aware of that. When was that concession made and why? Surely, there are a good few big wig PCI/MLA's - would they not put their weight behind an enquiry?

crazymess

Sir Reg Empey has added his name to the Petition to Downing Street

for those logging on for first time please add your name to Petition if you agree:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Save-the-Mutuals/

purt

Nomad25 wrote: »

I stand corrected, I was not aware of that. When was that concession made and why? Surely, there are a good few big wig PCI/MLA's - would they not put their weight behind an enquiry?

Sorry, I should have been more clear in that. Naturally no MLA is going to come out and hold their hands up and say there's little they can do to help. In reality of course, that is the case. My reference to them conceding that comes in the fact that at least one of them (who just so happens to be the DETI Minister) has said that the Treasury (i.e Westminster) has a duty to help PMS investors. If you were the DETI Minister and could realistically help PMS investors, why would you say such a thing?

The local MLAs can only do so much in the sense of lobbying central Government. At the end of the day, it's your elected Members of Parliament who are there to represent you and will have more clout, I feel, when it comes to this issue.

eldivo

crazymess wrote: »

I have written questions and answers made to PMS in mid-September.

1 Q Have you lent money to Property Developers?

A NO


2.Q What have you done with the money?

A Its lent out to Churches and Congregations. We have also bought properties in England and Scotland, for which we receive income twice yearly.

Is it possible to Scan this in an put a link up to it?

crazymess

Eldivo

They are my written questions and answers from a verbal conversation with PMS. I can assure you if I was told 85 million was lent to Property Developers in mid-September and only 12 million to Church Congregations I would have gone down to Glengall Street immediately demanding repayment of our savings! I did not know the fully story and further asked by PMS "where are you going to the put the money?" - my reply was in National Savings. I was completely put off withdrawing our money and I trusted the information I was given then. I am now suffering because of their not telling me the full story.