St James Place has lost my original certificates, what can I do?

dunstonh

With this in mind, is there any time limit on reporting it to the Financial Ombusdman?

No. You cannot go to the FOS until the firm has closed the complaint and rejected it (or not given a response you are happy with) or at least 8 weeks have passed. You get 6 months from the rejection letter to make that referral to the FOS.

Time is not an issue for you until you get that rejection letter in the post.

For others, most providers do not require original certificates nowadays. Some use old paperwork that hasnt changed in years but when you ask them on the phone, many will say that certified copies are fine or that they now check the electronic births and deaths register regardless of what you send in. I tend to find nowadays that is only a few occupational pensions that request originals and are stubborn about it.