FOS sees cases double over past year

The Ombudsman said it is handling 508,881 new cases in 2012-13 - up 92% on the previous year - from a total of more than two million consumer enquiries. Payment protection insurance (PPI) complaints rose 140%, but there were also steep rises in gripes about investment-linked products (42%), mortgage endowments (43%) and pensions (27%). The organisation, which is due to publish its annual review later on Wednesday, credited consumer's growing understanding of their rights for the rising numbers, and said it was disappointed at companies' failures to resolve problems early. Chief omb...