What are Stocks and Shares?
Shares, also known as stocks or equities, are the unit of investment in individual companies. They have a nominal value, for example 5p, which when multiplied by the total number of shares issued forms the issued share capital.
The nominal value bears no resemblance to the market price or value of the investment, which will rise or fall according to the laws of supply and demand, driven by the attractiveness of the company and its performance.
In the UK Stocks and shares are typically traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The LSE is the primary exchange in the UK and is the largest in Europe. The LSE consists of a number of different Indexes including the famous FTSE 100 which lists the UK’s top 100 companies offering investors strong investments with relatively low volatility to the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) which primarily lists smaller companies which typically carry a higher degree of risk and can be significantly more volatile than their main market counterparts.
Over the last 20 years there has been a number of high profile cases involved with the mis-selling of stocks and shares to UK Investors. Firms such as:
- City Equities Limited
- Sky Capital UK Limited
- Wills & Co Stockbrokers Limited
- Bridge Hall Stockbrokers Limited
- Pacific Continental Securities UK Limited
- Merchant Capital limited
- Direct Sharedeal Limited
- CFT Financial Limited
Have all been declared as being in default by the FSCS so if you were mis-sold any of your investments by these firms we may be able to help.
Many investors had very little investment knowledge or prior experience and relied entirely on the advice of their broker when making investment decisions. Many of these investors lost their entire life savings based on advice which did not match their investment objectives or suit their own personal circumstances.
Have You Been Mis Sold?
Mis-selling claims can arise for a number of reasons;
- Firm was trading as principal but failed to disclose this
- The risks involved with these types of investments were not adequately explained
- Firm failed to properly assess your financial circumstances
- Shares that were recommended were unsuitable for you
- Your broker gave you false or misleading information
What Can You Do To Reclaim Mis-Sold Stocks and Shares?
You can either, claim on your own or you can use a specialist like CMP to help. We can’t guarantee a pay-out for you or get more money than you would if you claim on your own, or that we can handle the claim faster.
What we can guarantee is a professional, straight forward, honest service which is hassle free for you. We will use our knowledge and specific expertise to ensure your claim has the best possible chance of being successful. For our contact details, click here and get in touch with us now.
Who Pays The Compensation?
Most of the cases we represent are presented to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in a bid to reclaim money lost by investors who suffered negligent advice or were unaware of the full facts before making their investment.
The FSCS is a free service, therefore you can make a claim for compensation yourself.
The FSCS protects consumers when financial services firms fail or go bust. It’s the compensation scheme for customers of UK authorised financial services firms and is often referred to as the fund of last resort for individual investors.
FSCS protects the following:
- Deposits
- Investment business,
- Home finance (for business from 31 October 2004),
- Insurance policies, and
- Insurance broking for business from 14 January 2005. We also protect connected travel insurance where companies such as travel firms and holiday providers sell the policy alongside a holiday or other related travel for business from 1 January 2009
The FSCS has set compensation limits dependent on when the firm you are claiming against was declared as in default:
- Up to £85,000 for firms which failed after 1st April 2019
- Up to £50,000 for firms which failed between 1st January 2010 – 31st March 2019
- Up to £48,000 for firms which failed prior to 1st January 2010
What If The Firm Is Still Trading?
If the broker or your advisor is still trading any complaint must be made directly to the firm. There are regulatory procedures and timeframes the firm must adhere to when dealing with any complaint.
If you are unhappy with the final decision your complaint can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
If you are unsure whether you have valid reasons for a complaint to the firm call a specialist today and we will quickly establish if there is basis for a claim. For contact information please click here