The Financial Ombudsman has defended its hiring and training process after a 25-year-old law graduate with no financial services experience was found to have become an adjudicator after just a month's training.
The discovery was made by an IFA whose son is friends with the girl. A spokesperson for the FOS confirmed it is hiring "heavily" at the moment, but said it takes the selection of its staff "very seriously". FOS staff have a "wide range of backgrounds, experience and skills", the spokesperson said, including specialist financial qualifications "where appropriate". Any work the girl completed during the first three months in her role would be overseen and signed-off by an experienced member of staff, they said. "We have a three month integrated training programme for all new adjud...
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