West Bromwich Building Society Tracker Margins Legal Action

West Bromwich Building Society Tracker Margins Legal Action

18:38 PM, 30th September 2013, About 11 years ago 3869

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West Bromwich Tracker Rate Mortgages Legal Action Group

West Bromwich Building Society Tracker Margins Legal Action

Are you affected by the West Brom Tracker Rate Hike?

If your mortgage account number begins with the number 8 you are highly likely to be one of the unlucky 41% of the mortgage customers of the West Bromwich building Society with a West Bromwich Mortgage Company account affected by the 1.9% increase in your tracker margin rate. However, if you arranged your mortgage directly with West Bromwich Building Society (i.e. not via a broker) or before 2006 the chances are that your account number will begin with the number 9 and you are not affected – YET!!! West Brom will give no assurances that mortgages with account numbers beginning with the number 9 will not be affected at some point in the future.

OUR INTENDED CLASS ACTION LITIGATION OVERVIEW

Tracker Rate Class Actions Updates

The reasons we started this campaign are very simple:-

1) We believe the actions of West Brom are immoral

2) We believe the actions of West Brom are unlawful, i.e. they have no legal grounds to increase their tracker rate margins

3) We have no wish to subsidise other areas of the West Bromwich Building Society business model

4) We are fearful of other lenders following suit if West Brom are allowed to get away with this

Mark Smith (Barrister-At-Law) said …

“Representative actions, where one person starts a case representing many others, who all want the answer to a legal question from a court such as ‘is this contract enforceable against me?’ but are not seeking damages. All those who sign up to the action will get the benefit of the win, but they do not have to start their own cases, as they are ‘represented’ by the lead claimant.

The only people who will definitely benefit from success in the case are those who have signed up. There will be no free rides. Any others will have to fight their own corners individually, either alone or with legal help (which will inevitably cost significantly more than the group case).”

We will NOT settle on any basis.

Landlords take legal action against West Brom Mortgage Company

We have a moral duty to do what is right for those who support the values upon which this campaign was started. Our promise to all who support these values is that we will not sell out on you at any price. We will continue to fight this injustice and we will fight any other lender who tries to follow suit.

Are you with us?

This discussion thread is now closed – we’re off to Court!

To link to the new discussion please CLICK HERE

West Bromwich Mortgage Company Tracker Margins Legal Action


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ian

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19:24 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Conveyancing costs £400 plus just for a back street Solicitor, your getting a top London Solicitor & Barrister plus a QC for £240 per mortgage to represent you, where will you ever get such an opportunity like this? Its hard to believe someone that's in business is so reluctant to participate in this Class Action. Its best to of tried than never of tried at all,no good latter wondering what if.

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19:37 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Has anyone seen Simoney's article in the FT - it was supposed to be in there today

Maxwell

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19:51 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Glad this is all gearing up for action. I posted last night with a question that got a bit swept away, but I'm curious on the reason for what I'm experiencing, and would be grateful for insight. I am paid up to the Action £720 on 3 WB mortgages: 2 of these are quite small on flats, and the other one is on a £££ house. All the mortgages were through the same brokers and the accounts have the 8 code. I had 3 original letters telling me +2% BUT then for 2 I got the 1.9% letter, andt on the 3rd BIG one (the one that really matters most financially), no 1.9% letter and NO update on what the new payment will be in just 4 days time. Any views on what's happening here?

M Jones

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20:13 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

I posted the following a little earlier today;

The West Brom have simply refused to answer my question;
Am I still on a Tracker Mortgage?
If so, can you please tell me what am I tracking?
Has anyone else experienced this, can anyone else get a straight answer?

They are two simple questions that the WB will not respond too, has anyone else tried? If anyone is able to get a response please let me know, the WB are no longer discussing my mortgage with me!

Norfolk n'Chance

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20:15 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "The Man From Nowhere" at "26/11/2013 - 18:41":

Thanks for the offer but ......fortunately I have now found the email containing details of how to join the Class Action.

I now just need an answer to my other question. Can you help please ?

**** Can I include a selected few of my BTL properties or do we HAVE TO include all of them that have WBBS mortgages ? ****

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20:18 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Mervyn Wharton" at "26/11/2013 - 20:15":

I think that's up to you - it's my understanding that you choose whether they will all be included or just selected one(s). That's what Dean did initially isn't it - although he has now bought in for all of his he was initially only in for one

The Man From Nowhere

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20:19 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Hi Maxwell

Can I refer you to my comment on 26/11/2013 at 17:57. Your mortgage that you haven't received a tracker rate increase letter for may be somewhat similar to mine? Was it taken out between 2006 and 2008? Does the mortgage account number begin with an 8 or a 9? The mortgages that you have received letters for regarding the rate increase begin with the number 8. If your mortgage account number begins with a 9, then CURRENTLY it is not affected by this tracker rate increase but that is not to say that the West Bromwich BS won't also increase the tracker rate on those tracker mortgage accounts beginning with the number 9. In fact (and without the slightest hint or irony), I'd bet my house on it!

I phoned the West Bromwich Building Society earlier today and discovered that I also have one buy-to-let tracker mortgage at 0.99 above BBR which is NOT affected by the rate hike. This mortgage was taken out in 2004 (whereas I believe the affected mortgages were taken out between 2006 and 2008. This mortgage account number also begins with the number 9 as opposed to the affected mortgages beginning with the number 8. I read on this forum that only mortgages obtained through intermediaries are affected as these related to mortgages from the West Bromwich Mortgage Company as opposed to the West Bromwich Building Society (as direct customers of the West Bromwich BS on the buy-to-let trackers are not affected)? The strange thing is, I obtained this non-affected mortgage from a mortgage intermediary back in 2004 and have confirmed with the West Bromwich building society that it was purchased through an intermediary.

I asked the customer services representative on the phone why this tracker mortgage was not affected by the rate rise. She went to ask her manager and then came back to me after several minutes with the standard crib sheet response of “whilst this mortgage is not currently affected we can review the rate on this mortgage in the future to ensure our business is run prudently, efficiently and competitively.

I too would be interested in hearing why there is this apparent disparity in treating mortgage account numbers beginning with 8 differently to mortgage account numbers beginning with 9 when they are the same buy to let products? I don't think it's just the fact that it is because these mortgages were taken out by via an intermediary as I have a WBBS tracker buy-to-let mortgage that is NOT affected and it was taken out via an intermediary.

Richard Adams

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20:38 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Chris Novice Shark Bait" at "26/11/2013 - 17:14":

Chris, Welcome aboard and thanks for your thoughts. I was one of the first to join and even then before the rush it took awhile to get confirmation of receipt etc from the Law Dept. We decided then not to pressure them into spending our money on speedier admin leaving it intact for the action. However there was a post earlier today giving the contact name of Ana at the firm and her e mail address. Shoot her an e mail and she will confirm receipt I'm sure. Richard

The Man From Nowhere

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20:40 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Mervyn Wharton" at "26/11/2013 - 20:15":

Hi Mervyn,

Unfortunately whether you can only pay for a couple of your affected BTL mortgages or whether you need to include and pay for all of them to be a part of the class action is something that only Mark and/or Justin will be able to advise you on. I have paid £1440 in total for all of the WBBS mortgages that I have that have been affected by the rate hike but I do have one West Bromwich mortgage that is not affected AS YET by the rate rise. The non-affected mortgage is a BTL tracker that tracks at 0.99 above BBR for term. The account number for this mortgage begins with the number 9. Although this mortgage is CURRENTLY not affected by the rate hike, I have a horrible feeling that West Brom will also increase the rate on this one just as they have with all the others with mortgage account numbers beginning with 8. That is why if necessary I will pay an additional £240 in respect of this currently non-affected mortgage to ensure it is included as part of the class action.

I do not know how the Particulars of Claim will be framed when the claim is submitted (that's one for the lawyers to decide) but if they are framed so that any judgement only applies in respect of those mortgage accounts that have had the £240 paid up, then I don't want to be paying the rate hike on any mortgage accounts that were not included in the claim because I tried to save a couple of hundred pounds and ended up paying tens of thousands more over the long term as a result of a false economy.

Norfolk n'Chance

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20:43 PM, 26th November 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Denise Doms" at "26/11/2013 - 20:18":

Well I won't be including a few now and adding more/all later. I'll just be adding a few end of. Why?

* One is being sold. Completion of the sale will be taking place before Xmas
* One will be up for sale in the new year.
* One will go on sale in around 12 months time.
etc etc.
So, its not worth the trip for all of em...

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