SWINDON-based insurance giant Allied Dunbar has been fined £725,000 following serious flaws in its procedures for handling complaints over mortgage endowments.
The Financial Services Authority, which imposed the penalty, said failings in Allied's procedures exposed a large number of customers to potential losses.
The firm is now voluntarily reviewing complaints rejected between January 2000 and April 2003, including about 1,000 cases which relate to the two years in which the flaws were identified.
The FSA said Allied's complaint handlers conducted poor quality investigations, with insufficient evidence gathered to see whether customers were happy with the level of risk posed by policies, and whether or not they were suitable for endowments.
Allied Dunbar is part of the Zurich Financial Group.
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