Ombudsman hikes payout orders

The Financial Ombudsman ordered around 20,000 payouts for "distress and inconvenience" in 2010-11 - an increase of 1,500 on the previous year, reports the BBC. The majority of awards were for less than £300 with amounts rarely exceeding £1,000. Cases involved persistent administrative errors and failure to provide services as promised. In one case, the ombudsman ordered an insurer to pay compensation of between £300 and £999 to a family of four who were forced to share a room in a relative's house after their home was flooded. This was despite the fact they should have been give...