Ombudsman throws out Hargreaves Lansdown death benefits claim

Carmen Reichman
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The Pensions Ombudsman has thrown out a claim against Hargreaves Lansdown over a delay in death benefits payments, saying the firm acted in a way that was "justified" and "not unreasonable".

A woman had complained Hargreaves had taken too long to direct death benefits payments to her as had been instructed by her late partner. This had caused her "significant financial loss" and "considerable distress", she claimed. But the Ombudsman found a string of disputes over the relationship the man had with the woman before his death warranted Hargreaves' decision to delay payout. Alan Bunn died in September 2012 after suffering a stroke. He had nominated his partner Jacqueline Barnicoat to receive the benefits from his self-invested personal pension (SIPP) in an 'expression...

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