If you have taken out a mortgage, loan or credit, it is likely that your lender sold you payment protection insurance. PPI is designed to help customers repay debt should they find themselves in difficult circumstances such as becoming unemployed or getting injured, however, the lenders found a loophole and have been selling PPI to customers who were not eligible for the cover or who did not fit the particulars of the PPI they were sold. If you have paid for PPI, whether you tried to use it or not, you may be entitled to claim this money back. What you may not be aware of is why you could be eligible to claim and why the banks could face a huge wave of payouts

There are many people who were sold PPI and were entirely ineligible by their definition, anyone over the age of 65, the age of retirement, would never be entitled to claim PPI as they are likely not to be in full time employment. Anyone who is self employed is considered a financial risk and no PPI policy would cover their ability to make repayments. Anyone with a historical medical condition is unlikely to be able to get PPI cover as they are more likely to be forced off work. Despite this, banks are more than happy to sell PPI to everyone knowing full well it will never cover them if needed.

Banks and lenders have offered products with full knowledge of the situation, something which financial watchdogs have frowned upon very much. Many of the UKs high street lenders have been forced to offer refunds to their customers but many have adopted a ‘don’t ask – don’t get’ policy that means the consumer has to go on the hunt for their money either alone or with legal assistance.

To begin attempting to claim back your PPI payments you will first need to send your bank a letter requesting a full refund. You will undoubtedly receive a long winded ‘no’ to which you will need to duplicate your first letter and in addition declare your intent to pursue legal action and support from the financial ombudsman. You will probably receive a variety of answers ultimately dismissing your claim, albeit wrongfully, on the basis of your lack of authority. The key is perseverance and it will significantly help your chances if you do get the ombudsman involved. Ultimately if all else fails, enlist professional help.

The easiest way to claim back your PPI is to use a legal agency as they know what they are doing and will be able to take care of everything for you. This will be much more effective than pursuing the matter yourself and will most likely end in success. Many solicitors are no win no fee so there is no disadvantage to using them.

There are many companies that offer or specialise in PPI claims and they are fully capable of taking control of everything you need for your loan protection claim

It is estimated that over 4bn to customers who were fooled into paying for Payment Protection Insurance on a loan, mortgage or credit could be paid by banks and insurance companies. Experts previously estimated that customer who attempted to reclaim the payments could cost banks up to 1.2bn only but this new number includes the additional amount of customers who the banks will be forced to give refunds to.

A vast amount of customers have been sold PPI insurance that was not appropriate for them or no needed in their situation. Among those who were persuaded to buy policies were those with long lasting medical conditions, the self-employed and pensioners who, by definition, were ineligible for cover.

An estimate by the Financial Service Authority shows insurance brokers may have to pay up to 450m and the rest being paid by a range of PPI providers such as banks. The typical amount refundable to people who purchased individual policies is 2000 which has caused many consumers to enquire.

The FSA has already begun to make examples of leading high street banks by fining them as well as forcing them to offer refunds to all of the eligible customers. Leading insurance broker ‘The Swinton Group’ were fined 770,000 for serious failings and agreed to offer a full refund to over 350,000 customers while Alliance & Leicester were fined 7m.

Financial giants are strongly opposing the plans to regulate and control the future sale of policies. The FSA aims to stop companies putting pressure on customers to buy ineffective policies. Adam Phillips of the Financial Services Consumer Panel, says “for too long banks have regarded PPI as an easy product to sell and make money without considering whether it is really right for the customer

If you want to make a PPI claim, then visit Dons LLP for the best PPI claims lawyers.