Payment Protection Insurance. Agent Training Guide

Transcription

1 Payment Protection Insurance Agent Training Guide

2 Introduction Genistar has joined forces with Highbridge to provide expert advice to your clients on their PPI claims. Highbridge is an international legal services firm based in Guernsey and the City of London. We specialise in helping people who have been treated unfairly by their bank or lender. Our team of legal experts is able to achieve the best possible outcome for your client, usually securing a higher payout than your client would be able to win on their own. We have worked with Genistar to develop an easy-touse claim process. This should make access to justice easier for both you and your client. Highbridge bring other benefits to the Genistar PPI programme: We do not charge VAT, so your client s fee is reduced by 20% We pay commission on all claims, no matter how small Our unique processes typically secure a payout in less time than our competitors In addition, we will alert you to the fact that a settlement offer has been received, plus you to let you know when your client will be receiving their payment, making it easier to collect the fee.

3 What is Payment Protection Insurance? Payment Protection Insurance (or PPI) is usually taken out alongside a loan, mortgage, credit card or store card. The idea of PPI is that it will meet your payment obligations if you are unable to work due to accident, sickness or unemployment. There are 2 types of policies: Stand alone: You pay monthly to your lender. Single premium: The total policy premium is paid in an upfront lump sum and normally added to you loan, plus interest. PPI has often been automatically added to loans or credit card agreements when they are taken out. Most people with PPI insurance do not realise they have it or do not know exactly what it covers. PPI can also be found on business loans, car finance, household mortgages and many other loan products. You should always check whether a client has business loans or other sorts of finance when discussing PPI.

4 Other names for PPI PPI is known by a various names. It can change according to the type of loan (for example, business loans, mortgages etc). Also, different banks call the same product different things. See our list below: Accident, Sickness & Unemployment cover (ASU) Redundancy Payment Protection Insurance (RPPI) Repayment Cover (RP) Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance (MPPI) Redundancy Protection (RP) Mortgage Payment Cover (MPC) Business Loan Repayment Insurance (BLRI) Payment Protection Insurance Card Protection Cover As you can see, there are lots of different names for this type of insurance. One reason is that the banks wanted to disguise exactly what you were paying for. So, what exactly is the problem?

5 So what is the problem? Banks made huge profits from PPI. The commission they were paid could be 65% and even more. So there was very little left to pay claims. Banks made more money on PPI than the loan or credit card it was sold with. PPI sold by banks was often unsuitable for the needs of the client. See the next section for more details. This meant that a high proportion of customers could never make a claim on the insurance. Most people did not know they have the cover, or what they can claim for. The Citizens Advice Bureau says that only 4% of people with PPI ever make a claim. The PPI cover sold by lenders can cost as much as 5 times more than an independent agent will charge. Clients were never told that they could buy much cheaper cover over the Internet. All of these problems, plus others, have resulted in: Banks and Building Societies being fined up to 7m each Claims against banks running at 500M per month in 2012 At least 9BN of compensation will be paid out More than half a million complaints are being made to the FSA about PPI every 6 months

6 How to identify a PPI claim If a client answers yes to any of the following questions they may have been mis-sold PPI: They were either not in work, self-employed, a temporary worker or a contract worker at the time of sale. They were working less than 16 hours per week or they were under 18 or over 65 They were not asked whether they had any other insurance which might cover the loan. They were not told they could buy PPI cover elsewhere to cover the loan. They were led to believe PPI was compulsory, or the online application had PPI ticked already. They were told they would stand more chance of their loan or credit card application being accepted if they took out PPI. It was not explained to them that there could be certain exclusions to the policy. They felt pressured into buying the PPI policy. They had an existing illness or medical condition They were not told that mental health claims, such as for stress, and muscular illness, such as back pain, would not be covered. They repaid the loan early and received no refund.

7 They increased their loan and the PPI was increased automatically. The terms and conditions (small print) were not fully explained to them. As you can see, a very high proportion of customers with PPI have a claim against their lender. So, what should you look out for when trying to decide if someone has a claim?

8 An example of a Loan Agreement with PPI These examples show the PPI added to a personal loan.

9 An example of a Loan Agreement with PPI These examples show the PPI added to a personal loan.

10 A Credit Card Statement with PPI These examples show the monthly PPI payments being paid on credit card statements

11 A Credit Card Statement with PPI These examples show the monthly PPI payments being paid on credit card statements.

12 How can Highbridge Help? Where your client has a claim against their lender we will look to achieve 3 main things: 1. Obtain a refund of all the premiums paid by the client 2. Recover interest on the premiums for the whole period that cover has been in force 3. Recover a further 8% interest, known as statutory interest In addition, we will look at the following issues and advise the client accordingly: If the loan is still being repaid we will tell the lender to refund all future premiums into the loan account, reducing their future loan repayments We will challenge the lender s offer where we do not agree with their calculations We will try to claim damages (or additional compensation) where your client has experienced extreme consequences resulting from the mis-selling.

13 Important Things to Check When did the client become aware that they had PPI? This is very important. If they only became aware that they had PPI in the last 3 years they can claim (subject to the other points below). Has the client already made a complaint? If they did, and received a response from the lender more than 6 months ago, they cannot make a claim. Was the loan/card balance paid off more than 6 years ago? If so they cannot claim, unless they only became aware that they had PPI in the last 3 years (see point 1 above). Are they in an IVA or debt management programme? If so we cannot help them Are payments up to date? If they are more than a month behind we cannot help them

14 How Much Does Highbridge Charge? Highbridge works with clients on a NO WIN NO FEE basis. We charge 25% of any compensation recovered, included any money removed from the balance of the client s loan. As Highbridge has its head office in Guernsey, our fees are free from VAT. So your client will save 20% compared to the fees of other companies. We do not charge an up-front fee. Neither do we charge disbursements, another word for expenses. Most other advisors charge these extra costs, so your client is saving more money. Your client could try to claim themselves, without help from Highbridge. However lenders almost always try to cheat people out of their full compensation (by making a quick but low offer). Highbridge will ensure your client gets all the compensation they are due.

15 How to Process the Claim Once you are confident your client has a claim, log into the Genistar website to begin the claim process. Hit the Highbridge PPI button and you will see the 3 forms needed to make a claim. They are the: 1. Claim Form 2. Letter of Authority 3. Terms and Conditions. The system should fill out your agent, VP and client information for you. If it does not please ensure all the boxes are completed. Then go through each question with your client. You will see that we have provided options for each question. Please ensure you select the answer most appropriate to your client s circumstances in each case. Once the claim form is complete you need to deal with the other 2 documents. On the Terms and Conditions, you simply need to get the client to sign the document. Make sure the client has an opportunity to read the document and that you answer any questions they have.

16 The Terms and Conditions set out the basis for our relationship with the client, including the fee they will pay. On the Letter of Authority you should complete the name of your client (or both people if the card or loan is in joint names), their account number, then ask them to sign the form. Again, please ensure the client has a chance to read the form before signing. The Letter of Authority allows Highbridge to act on their behalf when negotiating with the bank. Once completed, you should send all the forms to Highbridge. Our contact details will be in the Agent Guidelines you can download when you have passed your exam. You should always carry your Agent Guidelines when talking to a client about PPI.