Category: Blog

It has been confirmed today on City Wire that The lifeboat fund has now paid out £24.5m over Liberty Sipp after declaring it in default in January. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) had now paid out £24.5m in compensation over claims against collapsed Sipp provider Liberty Sipp. Liberty Sipp was declared in default by the FSCS in January this year after falling into administration in April 2020. Prior to this, the assets of the Liberty SIPP book were acquired by Embark in 2018.  Claims against the firm originated in 2018, due to the unregulated investments held including the Costa-Rican scheme Ethical Forestry. …

In September 2011, Avacade Investments, an unregulated firm with no Part 4a permissions from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), recommended that our client transfer their pension into a self-invested private pension (SIPP) administered by Liberty SIPP. This was to facilitate an investment in timber through the sales agent Ethical Forestry. As a consequence of the promotion, our client arranged to transfer his only pension with Wesleyan Assurance into the SIPP; a total of £17,042.90 was transferred. After paying inflated annual fees, £12,000.00 was then used purchase/sublease 400 Melina Trees in Costa Rica. Despite our client’s low risk investment appetite, the …

In February 2012, Avacade Investment Options (Avacade), Ethical Forestry, Agro Forestry, Agro Energy and Global Plantation, all unregulated firm with no Part 4a permissions from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), recommended that our client transfer their pension into a self-invested private pension (SIPP) administered by Liberty SIPP. On this advice, our client who had no investment experience transferred a total of £71,096.15 into the SIPP, from five separate pension policies. This was compromised as follows: Armed Forces Pension Scheme Equitable Life Assurance Society Royal London Securicor After paying inflated annual fees, £66,395.00 was then used to make four investments, namely: Agro …

13 firms have been listed that are known to have previously advised British Steel Pension members to transfer out, which are now in default, meaning that the responsibility lies with the FSCS to recover losses incurred due to negligent transfer advice. These firms are as follows: Active Wealth (UK) Bartholomew Hawkins Ltd Douglas Baillie Ltd Estate Matters Financial Fiducia Wealth Solutions Hyde Financial Management Intuitive Financial Associates LLP Intuitive Associates Ltd Mansion Park Ltd Omega Financial Solutions Pembrokeshire Mortgage Centre S&M Hughes Ltd The Ntrust group The FSCS has published a new web page that is dedicated to former members …

Our client rented from Croydon Council, she rented a semi detached property. However, disrepair issues arose and the quality of her home diminished due to this. This also affected our clients enjoyment of her home; which made her feel let down by her local Council. The disrepairs consisted of: Timber decay to the entrance door with unfixed tiles from the substrate causing potential hazard. Draughts coming from windows in the living room. Timber decay to kitchen door with ill fitted frame. Loose wall tiles in the bathroom. Faulty WC. (as image shows) Unsecure downpipe in the garden. Cracked GWPP fan …

Our client lived in a terrace house which she rented from Vivid Homes Housing Association. Due to ignored please for repairs of within the property, our client instructed ourselves to act on her behalf to pursue legal proceedings to hopefully have the matter resolved so she can enjoy her home again. The disrepair in the property consisted of: First floor landing had two misted glazing panels with water staining to the ceiling. Water escaping from shower tray affecting chipboard floor sheets and supporting timbers and also affecting the wall tiling in the bathroom, with the extractor fan was also not …

Our client has rented from Peabody Housing Association for some time.  A leak from an external downpipe has caused lots of damage to our clients flat she rented. The disrepair please to the landlord in question were ignore by the housing association; which led our client to instruct ourselves to act on her behalf. The disrepairs consisted of: Bowed laminate flooring due to damp ridden floors throughout the property Mould residue across wallpaper and areas of the living room walls Damp and Mould throughout the kitchen across the ceiling and walls, as a result of a faulty extraction fan Missing …

In May 2012, our client who had no investment experience, was introduced to the idea of transferring their pension into a SIPP by Avacade Investments, an unregulated firm with no Part 4a permissions from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The financial advisor, recommended that the Claimant should transfer his existing pension into a self-invested private pension (SIPP) to be administered by Liberty SIPP. This was to facilitate an investment in respect of the purchase/sublease of 889 Melina Trees through sales agents Ethical Forestry, as well as an investment in Global Plantations for the purchase/sublease of 40 Teak trees. The client …

In July 2012, our client who had no investment experience, was introduced to the idea of transferring their pension into a self invested private pension (SIPP) by Marcus James of Platinum Wealth Creation, an unregulated firm with no Part 4a permissions from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This SIPP was to be administered by Berkeley Burke and would allow the client’s pension to be invested through Belem Sky Plantation. The client had two existing pensions, both with Equitable Life. The entirety of both policies was transferred to the same fund within Berkeley Burke, totalling £20,021.39. After paying all of their …

In June 2012, it was recommended to our client that they transfer their existing pensions with Scottish Widows into a self-invested private pension (SIPP), to be administered by Berkeley Burke. This transfer was recommended by an unregulated financial advisor who had no Part 4a permissions from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The transfer would be used to facilitate two investments, one with Belem Sky Plantation via Global Forestry Investments, and another in Store Pods with Store First.  A total of £38,441.61 was transferred into the SIPP with £37,062.50 being used to make the investments. The investments recommended by the financial advisor …

Our client was approached by Marcus James Ltd in June 2012, an unregulated firm with no Part 4a permissions from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They advised and recommended that our client who had no investment experience, should transfer his existing pension into a self-invested private pension (SIPP) to be administered by Berkeley Burke. Despite the client’s low risk investment appetite, this transfer was used to facilitate an investment in land through Global Forestry Investments, an extremely high risk investment. The client’s original pension provider was Aviva and the entire policy was transferred to Berkeley Burke, totalling £25,148.15. After paying all …

In September 2011, our client who had no investment experience, was introduced to the idea of transferring their pension into a SIPP by David McCormack of Ethical Financial, an unregulated firm with no Part 4a permissions from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The financial advisor, recommended that the Claimant should transfer his existing pension into a self-invested private pension (SIPP) to be administered by Berkeley Burke. This was to facilitate an investment in Sustainable Argo energy by way of the purchase of a further two plots of land, located in South East Asia, financially promoted as the Green Oil Lease Program …

In December 2012, our client who had no investment experience, was approached by a financial advisor who recommended that they collate their two existing pensions and transfer the sum into a self-invested private pension (SIPP). This SIPP was administered by Berkeley Burke and would allow the client’s pension to be used to invest in Store Pods through Store First. With the help of the financial advisor, the client then arranged for his original pensions with Scottish Widows and Prudential to be transferred into the SIPP. In total, the client transferred £61,252.61 into the newly established policy and £52,500.00 was used to facilitate the investments. The Claimant was not …

In 2018, a financial adviser from Surrey County Council disclosed our clients personal details to a third party without her consent. It had been confirmed by Surrey County Council that details of the payments that the claimant was receiving as a foster carer had been provided to the claimants mother, who has since used this information against her in an unregulated ongoing legal matter. This therefore was a prima facie breach of the claimants personal and sensitive information. The data was unlawfully accessed by an unidentified third party and therefore may have been disseminated to an indefinite number of other …

Four homeowners have won tens of thousands of pounds in a claim for Japanese knotweed which had been growing on their properties for almost a decade. The residents, who live on the same road in Ammanford, South Wales, settled for a combined £42,500 in damages from Network Rail, which maintains Britain’s railways. Japanese knotweed is toxic, fast-spreading and notoriously difficult and expensive to kill. It can destroy gardens and houses and, while it lays dormant underground in winter months, it grows in the summer in bamboo-like stems up to 3m (9.8ft). It can often be found close to railways because of its historic and widespread use to support …

In June 2013, our client who had no investment experience, took pension advice from Avacade Investment Options and Ethical Forestry. Both firms were unregulated with no Part 4A permission from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They advised and recommended that the Claimant should transfer his pension into a self-invested private pension (SIPP), administered by Liberty SIPP Ltd, in order to facilitate an investment in Ethical Forestry The client had two pensions with Royal London Plus. Both were transferred to the same fund within Liberty SIPP, totalling £65,430.67. After paying all of their fees, the remaining balance of £63,024.00 was used …

In March 2013, our client who had no investment experience, took pension advice from Avacade Investment Options and Ethical Forestry. Both firms were unregulated with no Part 4A permission from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They advised and recommended that the Claimant should transfer his pension into a self-invested private pension (SIPP), administered by Liberty SIPP Ltd, in order to facilitate an investment in Ethical Forestry The client had two pensions, one with Scottish Widows, and another with Zurich. Both were transferred to the same fund within Liberty SIPP, totalling £50,136.16. After paying all of their fees, the remaining balance …

The FCA has fired a warning shot against individuals who use loopholes to promote high-risk investments. The discussion focused on 3 main areas of target in order to combat high-risk investment marketing, so members of the public are not caught up in loopholes which may result in costly adverse results. Marketing Screening The levels of marketing restrictions will apply for the promotion of such investment means. The FCA has strong views relating to marketing strategies used to promote high-risk investments, outlining that a screening must be conducted before such promotions are allowed to be published and made live to the …

In 2012 our client who had no investment experience, signed an application produced by Liberty SIPP, which would see his only pension transferred into a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) administered by the firm. Gravity Childcare then arranged for £102,485.00 of the client’s funds to be invested into an unregulated collective investment. The investment was high risk and resulted in the client paying annual fees which they would not have paid if the pension remained with Baker Hughes. The investment failed and the funds were lost. The client continued having to pay Liberty SIPP’s annual fees. The client was an Assembly …

An employer of a Manchester Mental Health Trust under the NHS umbrella has his details breached. Our client had worked for the trust for over 18 years, the breach unearthed when he asked to view his personnel file in order to remove a warning letter. Our client was in the process of a disciplinary unrelated to the breach, therefore the personnel file action was arranged for by our clients union rep at the time. After requesting the personnel file, it had come to light that the file was now ‘lost’ and was unable to be located. Numerous emails exchanged from …

In June 2017 our client received pension transfer advice from an independent financial advisor ‘Omega Financial Solutions’ to transfer a defined benefit pension in to an unsuitable QROPS scheme with ITC International based in Malta. The client was a member of the DSG Retirement & Employee Security Scheme Benefits Plan which was a defined benefit scheme which would have provided him with financial security throughout his retirement. After being advised by Omega the client transferred £215,216.20 to the ITC International Malta QROPS Scheme. After fee deduction from the QROPS provider the funds were used to facilitate numerous high-risk investments. These …

What is a Defined Benefit Pension? A Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Scheme, is a scheme were you are paid based upon how many years in service you have worked for the employer for in conjunction to the salary you earned. Defined benefit pensions have historically been provided by both private companies and public sector organisations. Although it is said that final salary pensions are in decline, millions of people still hold them according to which.com. As stated by the Office for National Statistics, 1.3m people are actively contributing, and 11.8m have a DB pension they will be able to claim in future. Who is …

In March 2017 our client received pension transfer advice from an independent financial advisor ‘Omega Financial Solutions’ to transfer a defined benefit pension in to an unsuitable QROPS scheme with Momentum Malta. The client was a member of the Sankyo Pharma UK Retirement Security Plan, which was a defined benefit scheme which would have provided him with financial security throughout his retirement. After being advised by Omega the client transferred £306,901.69 to the Momentum Malta QROPS. After fee deduction from Momentum Malta, £305,411.05 was used to facilitate numerous high risk investments. These investments also required the client to pay regular …

Our client instructed us to act on her behalf after her late husbands death. Our client had separated from her husband who subsequently committed suicide. Since the death of her late Husband, pension and estate correspondence was sent onto Royal London, who deal with pensions and investments. Our client had to send personal information to them such as: Birth Certificate Deed Poll Name Changes Marriage Certificate Full Name Date of Birth Home Address Upon finalising communications with Royal London, our client was due to receive her personal documents back. However, she was notified by a member of her late Husband’s family …

Our client had been serving as a Police Officer for over 25 years. During her time in service she had relocated, which therefore resulted in a new job role location too. Our client had been working as a Police Officer in the South Yorkshire location for a number of years, before the data breach incident occurred. Our client was subject to a disciplinary due to drink driving whilst employed by the police force. After the disciplinary, our client was contacted by a mutual friend on the social media platform Facebook. The friend stated that they had received a folder via …

Our client was serving as a Policeman for the Metropolitan police, when unfortunately he was arrested which subsequently became in internal investigation. The incident revolved around a personal incident with an ex partner, which therefore involved sensitive personal information. Although the case was dropped internally, our client had suspicions surrounding other members of the Police force; knowing about his personal circumstances that were meant to be kept private and confidential. Our client received an email from an Officer relating to the incident in question, which included two other Police Offers copied into the email. These two members were not a …

Japanese Knotweed Season has arrived here is Britain. We are proficient at handling Japanese Knotweed claims. Many individuals are unaware of why one should claim and are unaware of how to spot this invasive plant in order to prevent future damages. Japanese Knotweed can cause many issues, to your property/land, finances and future prospects. Below we have outlined a full guide on this particular plant in question. Why is there stigma? Japanese Knotweed on or nearby, will put a negative stigma on your property/land. The following points highlight the problems it can cause: It will devalue your home Can cause …

There are particular factors that will allow you to make a Japanese Knotweed claim. The below points highlight the different aspects on why and in what circumstance, you may be eligible to proceed with a Japanese Knotweed claim. Surveys A surveyor will survey the property and its boundaries upon house/land purchases (if you instruct one to do so). If Japanese Knotweed is growing onto your property from outside of your boundary OR originates from the property/land you are due to buy, the surveyor MUST highlight this to you in the report. IF KNOWEED WAS NOT HIGHLIGHTED IN THE REPORT BUT …

The term ‘Looks can be deceiving’ matches Japanese Knotweed well. This plant can be pretty in Summer months and can grow quite tall, but looks can be deceiving. Below are points in order for you to identify this invasive plant throughout the Seasons: Leaf shape The leaf shape is very distinctive. Think of a shovel liked head shape. A wide-hearted body which veers off to a pointed tip. Leaf appearance Leaves are green in colour but are different to other plants due to their distinctive markings. There are vein like marking across the leaves, which are usually in a deep …