Mortgage protection mis-sold 24 years ago?!

Brinsley

I took my mortgage out with Birmingham Midshires in 1987 (originally as endowment - switched to repayment a couple of years ago and due to be paid off in 2012).
Out of the blue I received a phone call claiming to be Financial Justice Claims in Barry, South Wales who said that I may have been mis-sold mortgage payment protection. If I remember rightly, they said that I "was on an FSA database of possible mis-sellings and the current estimate of the claim was £1,800". If I paid them £199 and pursued the claim with them I would get the £199 back whether the claim was successful or not. The £199 was for them to produce the paperwork for me - which I would only lose if I subsequently didn't let them pursue the claim.

It sounded dodgy so I declined.

I don't remember signing up for protection on the mortgage interest back in 1987 (I would not have chosen to take it anyway as I had a secure job and was in good health) and can't find any relevant paperwork.

Has anyone heard of this company? What should my next steps be (if any)?

dunstonh

they said that I "was on an FSA database of possible mis-sellings and the current estimate of the claim was £1,800".

No such database and it is a common dodgy claims company scam to make out there is such a thing (or that they represent some body).

1 - if there was such a thing, the FSA or the compliance section of the company would contact you directly.
2 - the FSA did not exist in 1987. Indeed, no regulatory body did as that started in 1988.
3 - Insurance and mortgages were not regulated until until the 2000s.
4 - your information is not in the public domain. So, anyone claiming to have info is either telling lies (hanging a carrot in front of you to entice you to sign up or has data unlawfully on you - it is normally the former)

If I paid them £199 and pursued the claim with them I would get the £199 back whether the claim was successful or not.

General rule of thumb is to never pay up front money. Too many claims companies that have said the same and have gone under taking all the up front payments with them.

Has anyone heard of this company? What should my next steps be (if any)?

you should report them to the ministry of justice for telling lies and misrepresenting the facts. Indeed, they could even be committing fraud. That is for the MoJ to decide but telling lies about something to obtain payment from you would be considered fraud by some people. We were not party to your phone call so cannot possibly comment. However, your description would certainly set alarm bells ringing. You may also wish to report them to the national fraud helpline (can be done online): http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_194398

edit added: It does look like this is a scam as the company with that trading name is not authorised.

I just checked the MoJ register and it shows the following:

Business Name: RSH Financial Co Ltd
Address: 221 Stainbeck Lane
Leeds Town/City: Postcode: LS7 2PS County: West Yorks
Trading Names: Financial Justice Claims, Financial Justice
Sector: Financial products/services Status:
Authorisation Surrendered (on 4th Jan 2011)


There is a company out there called B&H FINANCIAL JUSTICE LIMITED which is in Barry but they are not showing as even being on the MoJ register at this point of posting. I also did a search on the MoJ register of companies in the Cardiff area (and Vale of Glam and W Glam to show a wider spread) to show all names and there was nothing even close to that. (link: https://www.claimsregulation.gov.uk/search.aspx?search=simple&business=&authID=&sector=4&county=15&status=-1 )

Note to board admin if needed: MoJ register checked 10:40pm on 4th October regarding authorisations using the link above (but with multiple region search with no name input and with all areas with name input - which shows exact or similar matches). The comments in the earlier part are obviously false and require no evidencing as you cannot evidence something that does not exist but the MoJ and the OFT have issued warnings on claims companies making claims of having some official standing and this is a variation of that