Good to know: You do not need to use a claims management company to make your complaint to your pension provider or intermediary. If your complaint is not successful you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Pension Ombudsman yourself for free if the firm is still trading. For eligible failed firms, you can refer a claim to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for free.
HBFS Financial Services mis-sold SIPP pension funds to British clients between 2004 and 2016 and failed to pay returns owed. The company operated from 2010 to 2015 – the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) no longer authorizes them to trade. They were officially dissolved in 2016. Did you invest with HBFS Financial Services?
What did HBFS Financial Services Do Wrong?
Freddy David used the legitimate cover of his company to run a parallel scam between 2005 and 2017 that has been described as a Ponzi scheme. David convinced investors, some of whom he knew personally, that their monies were being held in a high-interest bank account that was offering between four and eight percent interest annually but the money was locked in for various time periods of between three months and five years. The investments made by victims varied between £20,000 and £750,000 per person. Large sums of money were then transferred into David’s personal bank accounts for his own use as well as being used to pay other investors their “monthly interest”. Once David received the funds, he used the monies “to fund his gambling habit”, as well as for paying his children’s school fees and holidays abroad.
Freddy David’s acts have been described as a “Ponzi scheme”
In addition to mis-sold SIPP pensions, Mr. David sold false investments in an imaginary ‘Bank of Scotland’ account. He never actually invested his clients’ money into the SIPP funds he sold them, and instead pocketed the money to use for his own private gains.
He is currently serving concurrent four and six-year prison sentences for fraud and deception after being convicted in 2018. He defrauded at least 55 people of at least £14.5m. Did you deal with HBFS or Freddy David during this time period?
Did you ever invest with HBFS Financial Services? Even though this company is now formally dissolved and no longer authorized to trade by the FCA, you may still be entitled to mis-sold SIPP compensation. They cannot offer you any returns on your past investments, but you may be able to recoup your losses via mis-sold SIPP compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
If you ever dealt with Freddy David, you should have a claims expert look over all of your transaction records. Even though he is in prison and can no longer offer you returns on your investments, you may be able to access funds through the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Our experts can assess your file and determine if you were mis-sold SIPP pension products and therefore qualify for the scheme. With our advice and assistance, you can apply for mis-sold SIPP compensation. Apply online today for an information pack to learn more.
FSCS HBFS Financial Services Claim
HBFS Financial Services has been declared in default by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This means that the UK’s compensation scheme for failed financial services firms will pay compensation for valid mis-selling claims. Allegiant can assist you with claims to the FSCS about HBFS Financial Services. Fill in our online application form to get started.
You do not need to use a claims management firm to make your claim and if your complaint is not successful you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service or in the case of a failed firm, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, for free.
Apply NowIn this article, Allegiant’s Pensions & Investments Manager, Andy Ramsay, explores the fundamental differences between the Court and Ombudsman routes for resolving pension & investment claims. The article highlights key differences in:-
Andy further explores outdated preconceptions about Claims Management Companies. This short summary is essential reading for anyone planning on making a pension or investment claim with the assistance of a CMC or law firm.
Click to ReadYou may have heard of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), but do you fully understand its vital role within the UK’s financial services sector? In this short piece, we look at:-
This article will be of particular interest to anyone with a potential compensation claim against a financial service provider that has collapsed.
Click to ReadThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has identified ‘serious and ongoing failings’ by both Individual Financial Advisers (IFAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pension Providers. Typically, mis-selling is related to the “wrong” type of investor being given poor or misleading advice as to what investments were relatively safe and right for them. In this summary, we look at What a SIPP is, and how they have been mis-sold, together with the FCA’s review into sector malpractice.
Click to ReadPre complaint investigation and analysis. No paperwork? Don't Worry! We could still help.
Once we've assessed claim prospects, we make a pension complaint to the Ombudsman or FSCS, where appropriate
Pension complaint response received. We'll carefully analyse the response and advise you on how to proceed.
If appropriate resolution cannot be reached with a live firm, and we disagree with their stance, we will refer the claim to Ombudsman on your instruction.
As of the 1st March 2022 we have implemented a new fee structure which we have explained below. If you signed your contract with us prior to the 1st March 2022, please refer to your signed claims pack for our previous fee terms.
Our fees are owed upon a successful claim and will depend on the Gross Compensation you receive. “Gross Compensation” means the amount awarded to you whether this is paid directly to you or paid into an investment or pension, and prior to any deduction of any income tax due to HMRC on your award. Please refer to the definition of “Gross Compensation” and Section 5 of our Terms of Engagement for further information including a table showing how our fees work in different scenarios.
If successful, your fee will be calculated based on which band your redress falls into and will be charged by whichever is the lowest of:
The below table outlines the redress bands, the maximum percentage rate of charge and the maximum total charge is for each band.
Band | Redress | % Charge (with VAT) | Maximum charge (with VAT) (£) | Maximum charge (without VAT) |(£) |
1 | 1 – 1499 | 36% | 504 | 420 |
2 | 1,500 – 9,999 | 33.6% | 3000 | 2500 |
3 | 10,000 – 24,999 | 30% | 6000 | 5000 |
4 | 25,000 – 49,999 | 24% | 9000 | 7500 |
5 | 50,000+ | 18% | 12,000 | 10,000 |
Examples of how this would work in practice:
Band | Lower example | Higher example |
1 | You receive £100 in redress; our fee would be £36. | You receive £1499 in redress; our fee would be £504. |
2 | You receive £1,600 in redress; our fee would be £537.60. | You receive £9,999 in redress; our fee would be £3,000. |
3 | You receive £12,000 in redress; our fee would be £3,600. | You receive £24,999 in redress; our fee would be £6,000. |
4 | You receive £30,350 in redress; our fee would be £7,284. | You receive £49,999 in redress; our fee would be £9,000. |
5 | You receive £55,000 in redress; our fee would be £9,900. | You receive £100,000 in redress; our fee would be £12,000. |
Please note, the above fee examples are for illustration purposes only. They are not an estimate of the likely outcome or fee you will need to pay. Each claim depends on its own merits.
It is possible that our fee may become payable before you have access to your pension or investment which may result in you having to pay our fee from your own funds
You can cancel for free at any time within 14-days without giving any reason and without incurring any liability. You can communicate your cancellation by telephone, post, email or online.
You can cancel this agreement at any time after the 14-day cancellation period. However, if a complaint submitted by us is successful, the Success Fee will apply in the usual way.
You can cancel by post: Allegiant Finance Services Limited, Freepost RTYU–XUTZ–YKJC, 400 Chadwick House, Warrington Road, Birchwood Park, Warrington, WA3 6AE; (b) by email: [email protected]; (c) by telephone: 0345 544 1563; or (d) online at https://allegiant.co.uk/compliance/cancellation.
Our small, dedicated pensions team provide a personal touch
We’ll treat your claim as strictly confidential. Your personal information is safe with us.
We’ve serviced over 100,000 clients across all service lines since our inception in 2010.
We could still help if you don’t have all your paperwork or details. Our team are experienced in helping locate paperwork where possible.
Our online application system and claim audit surveys enable us to offer an efficient and convenient claims journey.
Good to know: You do not need to use a claims management company to make your complaint to your pension provider or intermediary. If your complaint is not successful you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Pension Ombudsman yourself for free if the firm is still trading. For eligible failed firms, you can refer a claim to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for free.