The programme will be repeated on Sunday, 23 January, 2005, at 2102 GMT.

A 1.1m fine imposed on Legal & General in 2003 is to be cut after a tribunal found the regulator had mis-judged the extent of endowment mis-selling by the insurer.

The Financial Services and Markets Tribunal decided mis-selling could only be proved in eight cases, not the 15,990 that the Financial Services Authority originally claimed.

But it did say that defects in the insurer’s procedures “would have caused or contributed to mis-sales”.

To discuss the insurance agent finance career change
of the ruling, we speak to Janet Walford, Editor of Money Management magazine, and Mick McAteer, Which? Chief Policy Adviser.

Further zuerich insurance finance
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HSBC increases business charges

Four years ago, the big UK banks were slammed for their poor treatment of small businesses.

There has been surprisingly little change since then. And now, one of these banks, HSBC, has sharply increased some of its charges.

Samantha Washington reports.

Further information:

Pensioners to receive NICs offer

The government is writing to almost half a million pensioners to give them the opportunity to boost their state pension by paying extra National Insurance contributions.

Strict rules governing NI contributions determine the level of pension a person can receive.

By making voluntary National Insurance payments to cover the years for which they have incomplete contributions, pensioners may be entitled to a higher weekly pension in the future and a back-dated lump-sum.

We speak to one listener facing the dilemma; her local MP, Liberal Democrat pensions spokesman Steve Webb, and Gary Vaux of Hertfordshire County Council’s Money Advice Unit.

Further information:

Anger at BT late payment fine

British Telecom customers have been expressing their anger over a new policy of fining people 5 for late payment.

BT has defended its move, saying it is standard practice across other utilities companies, and prevents customers who pay on time from export finance and insurance
those who do not.

We hear from angry customers and put their complaints to Gavin Patterson, Managing Director of BT’s Consumer Division.

Further information:

Death certificates for UK missing

Families of British tsunami victims will get death certificates even if no body is found, the Foreign Office has announced.

Further information:

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Producer: Jessica Dunbar
Reporter: Samantha Washington