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Barclays refused to release widow’s funds to adviser
18 August 2010
A widow has hit out against Barclays after it refused to honour an £80,000 cheque to place her funds with adviser Darren Lloyd Thomas and suggested she use the bank’s ‘free’ financial advice service instead. Angela Walmsley, 59, said she felt Barclays had tried to pressure her into using its financial advice service when she received £80,000 after her husband died. ‘I’m still very cross about it. I think it’s wrong, it’s my money and I can do what I want with it,’ she said. ‘I was very shocked. I have banked with them since time immemorial and why didn’t they just say, “Don’t you want to speak to someone?”, not use these underhand tactics.’ Barclays refused to pay the £80,000 cheque Walmsley made out to the Skandia Investment Solutions platform to allow Thomas (pictured), managing director of Thomas and Thomas Finance to advise on the money and suggested again that she use its services. Walmsley wrote a new cheque, which Barclays accepted 24 hours later. A Barclays spokesman said it did not honour the cheque because it could not authenticate the signature and its offer of advice was a ‘genuine effort’ to assist the customer. Published by CityWire
