PPI Claim - RBS Denying I have a Mortgage!

Roy1234

I phoned the RBS PPI claim line (0800 015 0319) about a month ago to make initial enquiries about my mortgage PPI, which may have been mis-sold to me in 1996. Despite having all relevant paperwork, reference numbers, and both the mortgage & PPI policy still being current & paid, I could not get them to acknowledge any such mortgage nor PPI policy. They suggested the mortgage might have been ‘archived’ due to its age.

So I rang the RBS Mortgage Centre in Greenock, as I have a number of times before, who instantly found me on their mortgage records, confirming the mortgage was current, and that it would not have been archived whilst still being paid. They could not explain the PPI line’s failure to find my mortgage.

Next I rang the RBS PPI line again, who with some difficulty could now ‘find’ my mortgage, but not the PPI policy. They suggested I make a written application to the RBS claim centre in Manchester. This I did, sending it Recorded Delivery and getting online proof of delivery.

The RBS website promised a written acknowledgement letter, with unique complaint reference number, within 5 working days. Now, I realise the PPI claim system is flooded at the moment, so I didn’t expect to hold them to this timescale exactly, but almost a month passed with no response at all. I did get an RBS ‘Annual Review’ letter, about the first letter from them (as opposed to the underwriters, Aviva) I can remember ever getting. It suggested I check the policy’s suitability for my needs, something I cannot remember RBS (the seller) enquiring about since applying in 1996. I wondered if this meant that wheels were slowly turning within RBS?

So a month later, with no acknowledgement, I rang the PPI phone line again. They denied knowledge of any complaint letter, despite it being signed for. They also denied my having any RBS mortgage, despite my having all paperwork to hand. She invited me to send it all in again, perhaps not ‘signed for’ (with some irony) this time. They will not accept it by email (Data Protection Act). I asked to speak with a Supervisor. ‘We don’t have any’ was her answer. The most she could offer was a manager call-back within office hours a day later, which due to the nature of my job, is not practical.

I’m trying to find an explanation for all this which is honest. Whilst I accept a letter can be lost within a swamped department, the fact that I have a current RBS mortgage cannot be ‘lost’ to RBS.

Has anyone any advice please?

-taff

Did RBS sell you the PPI? Because if they didn't, it's absolutely nothing to do with them anyway.

Roy1234

Did RBS sell you the PPI? Because if they didn't, it's absolutely nothing to do with them anyway.

They most certainly did sell me the PPI (insisted I have it as requirement for mortgage). I've also never moved in the 16 years it's been running.

dunstonh

If its monthly premium MPPI then its pretty obvious you have it. That is the only type of MPPI RBS would have done (and why most MPPI complaints are rejected as that is how PPI should be set up).

However, RBS would only have records of PPI they sold. Not those sold by third parties. A 1996 is 9 years prior to regulation. So, you wouldnt expect an audit trail similar to a post regulation case. Plus, the fact it is a standalone product (another reason MPPI has lower success on complaints) means that the records may not be with the mortgage documentation.

So, whilst not desirable, it is not unexpected for a product sold 17 years ago.

They most certainly did sell me the PPI (insisted I have it as requirement for mortgage).

in the mid 90s, there were a number of deals which did require the purchase of MPPI. That is allowed. So, if yours is one of those, it would be an easy rejection. If its not one of those, one assumes you have evidence to support your allegation. If not, that would make it an easy rejection as well. MPPI, because of its lower complaint rate and success rate with complaints tends to not see lenders roll over as easy as they do on credit card and loan PPI. So, anything to support your complaint will help.

Roy1234

dunstonh - thanks for the background information. I'm not expecting my claim to be any sort of guaranteed success, but I do want my case to be considered. If it was indeed legitimately made compulsory, then fair enough.

However, RBS would only have records of PPI they sold. Not those sold by third parties. A 1996 is 9 years prior to regulation. So, you wouldnt expect an audit trail similar to a post regulation case.

They did sell it to me, in an RBS branch at the same time as the mortgage application. I'd be more understanding if it was just the PPI policy that they said they cannot locate. But this is the second time a different advisor has told me they cannot find any RBS mortgage against my address or account number! I have a feeling that if I stopped my mortgage direct debit, I'd hear from them. RBS's Greenock Mortgage Centre find me in seconds, every time I phone up. How can this be?

The RBS letter that suddenly appeared a few days ago begins:

Your Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance Annual Review

Thank you for being a Royal Bank of Scotland customer over the past 12 months, we hope you continue to value the protection and reassurance this insurance provides.

Surely this proves that my PPI records have not been lost? This PPI policy number is also denied by RBS, despite being quoted on this recent letter.

Miss_Poohs

Bank of Scotland done this to my husband about 2 weeks ago. We sent them another letter telling them the mortgage is still current so most definitely exists, low and behold last night they phone to discuss the claim.

Roy1234

Bank of Scotland done this to my husband about 2 weeks ago. We sent them another letter telling them the mortgage is still current so most definitely exists, low and behold last night they phone to discuss the claim.

Thanks for that. I was starting to wonder if this was a mistake or something else. I guess that for every 100 claimants they deny are customers, a certain number never pursue the matter any further.

The fact they've lost my Recorded Delivery letter is particularly offensive, as getting a signature is standard practice when dealing with 'difficult' organisations. I'm left wondering what to try next? Hand deliver it when next in that area of the country?

I was also wondering if the denial could itself be a FOS complaint matter, or whether the lack of any written response from them would make this hard? Or perhaps some other approach via RBS's banking complaint channels? I mean, I've been paying a monthly mortgage DD to them for almost 17 years. I've got a whole box full of statements and letters from them. How dare they deny I'm a customer!!

-taff

Roy1234 wrote: »

They most certainly did sell me the PPI (insisted I have it as requirement for mortgage)

If it was a condition of the mortgage your complaint will fail. Be prepared.

Roy1234

If it was a condition of the mortgage your complaint will fail. Be prepared.

Was it also a condition they'd say 'Sorry sir, we have no record of any mortgage against that account number or address'?

What do you advise for that?

-taff

Roy1234 wrote: »

I’m trying to find an explanation for all this which is honest. Whilst I accept a letter can be lost within a swamped department, the fact that I have a current RBS mortgage cannot be ‘lost’ to RBS.

So, it's possible., given the volume of complaints, your letter has been mislaid.You declined a callback which might have explained what was happening. A ppi complaints line probably isn't going to be staffed by highly competent people who have access to all databases and accounts, particularly as mortgage PPI is completely different from loan or CC PPI.
That's my honest explanation...


I'd advise you forget your complaint too, otherwise in 2 months time you'll be here again complaining that they wouldn't uphold your complaint.

Roy1234

So, it's possible., given the volume of complaints, your letter has been mislaid.You declined a callback which might have explained what was happening. A ppi complaints line probably isn't going to be staffed by highly competent people who have access to all databases and accounts, particularly as mortgage PPI is completely different from loan or CC PPI.
That's my honest explanation...

Taff - this isn't just about losing a letter. I'm used to incompetence in life. It's not even about having no records of some old PPI policy, although RBS wrote to me days ago with the letter (quoted earlier in the thread) specifically referring to my Mortgage PPI policy.

It's about RBS denying I have any mortgage with them, in two separate, painfully long conversations.

A bank which denies you even have a mortgage........now that is a new PPI get-out for the books!