A chance for all bankrupts to change your life - Your help needed!

4$£&*(£$&*(!

Here's my latest salvo to Acting Assistant Director, Head of Fraud and Specialist Lines General Insurance Directorate at the ABI:

Dear Mark

Would you be able to provide me with an update on this piece of work? I am aware your steer is to come back to me once you have completed this particular piece of work, it is something I have been in talks with Mr Thoresen's predecessor and has been ongoing a considerable time. There is a sizeable number of people on Martin Lewis's MoneySavingExpert.com's forum who are equally as keen for this work to be completed, with a discussion receiving over 29,800 views to date and I would really appreciate something substantial to go back to them with.

Thanks again for your help, I appreciate this is perhaps not the most pressing matter on your agenda but I am certainly very grateful for your efforts.

Izzy123456

Thank you CitySlicker for your wonderful ongoing efforts. :T

Izzy123456

I'd like to say too, I was shocked and sickened that estate agents are now asking the question "Have you ever been bankrupt?" on application forms to rent a flat or house.

Surely they should not be allowed to do this - surely after 6 years, this is long enough? They can check for the last 6 years in the credit file but should not have the right to ask the question "ever".

We are being treated like criminals. Except criminals get a better deal because the estate agent is not allowed to ask about a criminal record.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

You could always arrange a meeting with your MP, outline your situation, then highlight this thread to them and inform them there are already talks going on at a director level with the ABI. Ask if they would be prepared to lend their weight to such a matter by drafting a letter to the ABI saying they are aware of the campaign and would like either to be kept informed, or better still, would like information on the current state of play.

If everyone reading this thread gets their MP to draft a letter to the ABI saying they are interested in the ABI's position, this could give us some real boosting. What do you all think?

d123

CitySlicker wrote: »

I don't really know what to think about Martin's position - I have raised this issue with him and he has said he has a lot of campaigns so not really in a position to take this on.

I have a huge amount of respect for Martin and his drive for fairness, if Martin does read through this I am not having a pop. I just need your help, I am not a person of profile. I will do the donkey work - I will draft letters, send emails - I am good at that side as everyone here has seen from the reports I have sent up to the ABI. I just need a named person of profile to help.

If anyone else has ideas how to get Martin's involvement this is appreciated. (Edit - this thread has been going for over two and a half years now, that's two and a half years of my work achieving so little yet people are interested as the thread has thousands of views and hundreds of posts. Are you out there Martin? )

I think Martins apparent indifference is more explainable now that he has sold the site to a price comparison website.

Probably not wanting to rock the boat with them.

Personal finance journalist Martin Lewis has sold his MoneySavingExpert website to the price comparison company MoneySupermarket in a deal which will net him up to £87m.

martin-lewis-sells-moneysavingexpert

4$£&*(£$&*(!

I'm not too sure if the sale has anything to do with Martin's reluctance to be involved; I took him at face value when he told me some time back it was really how he split his time between campaigns rather than not being interested.

I would sincerely love Martin to be on board with this campaign. My main desire right now is a simple letter - no more than a couple of paragraphs - to the board of directors at the ABI indicating he is aware of my work on this to date and would like to know what steps the ABI are going to take to address this discrepancy. Perhaps even a phone call to follow this up.

That in itself may be all we need. Even if there is more work afterwards, a brief mention in the weekly newsletter to let 'the masses' know what is going on would only take a few moments. All in all, I wouldn't expect more than half an hour of Martin's time for this work and I would be happy to write a briefing for him detailing the work I have done up to now.

Martin has been good enough to give me some contacts within debt charities and CAB but none of these have come to anything. I must admit, at times it feels quite a lonely crusade and the only two things keeping me going is the annoyance each year when it comes to my own insurance situation and the kind words from others on this thread.

I think I will contact the MSE forum team and ask if I wrote a briefing for Martin, would they be willing to run it past him.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

I have drafted a briefing for the MSE team and emailed it into them asking if they will help by writing to the ABI to say they are aware of the issue and would appreciate an update on proceedings. At this stage that is all I am asking for, I really hope this small step will be the start of a huge snowball of action from the industry.

Please everyone keep your fingers crossed for me the MSE team take me up on my briefing.

ALIBOBSY

I am amazed that Martin hasn't even put some kind of article or blog entry regarding this issue. Once you get to 6 yrs after a default or CCJ it drops off your credit file and companies cannot ask you about it anymore. Bankcruptcy should have the same rules.

The only question they should be able to ask is "in the 6 years up to the date of application/insurance/contract (or whatever) have you been declared bankcrupt or subject to an IVA".

Why should someone be punished forever for going bankcrupt?

Even if they say made it 10 years for bankcrupts or 12 years in line with statute barred laws for mortgages, it would be a long period but at least would have and end. Surely even criminal convictions expire eventually?

Ali x

4$£&*(£$&*(!

Ali, my thoughts exactly. It isn't fair and it isn't right how insurers do this.

I have previously worked in a director-level office and the sort of things that got through were concise briefings that could be read in under five minutes which contain substance and link to evidence, and should provide a clear outline of the desired outcome and what is needed to reach it. My briefing to MSE's team runs to three pages, has clear sections on the problem right now, why it is a problem, what work has been done to tackle it so far, what result I would like, and how I would like MSE to help me reach that result. I just hope my briefing will get the 'big name' on board with my campaign now.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

No update from the MSE team yet, I was hoping to have at least an acknowledgement since it went in a week ago today so they have had my briefing paper a full week now, keep your fingers crossed this is under review.

I have also identified a group I didn't know about before - the Insolvency Rules Committee. They consider amendments and the modernisation of rules in relation to the Insolvency Act 1986. I have written a briefing paper for this committee and sent it to the Insolvency Service policy unit and asked them to consider the points I raise, additionally asking them to pass it onto the committee or provide me with direct contact details.