It rumbles on

No, not Brexit...my two remaining PPI claims with Santander and Royal Bank of Scotland.

I've lately had 'definitive replies' on the two 'personal' claims I made - personal in the sense that I wasn't claiming as executrix for my Dad, but in my own capacity, in connection with unwanted and unnecessary PPI that I had been obliged to pay for in past years. Those claims went in at the end of January. In a week or so, the eight week time limit for a proper response will be up, and after that I will have the option of taking my claims to the Financial Ombudsman for a decision.

And it looks as if I will have to, because I couldn't accept the so-called 'definitive replies'. The banks concerned already had sufficient information - photos of original loan documents and bank statements as proof of premiums paid - to verify that there had indeed been PPI. What was their problem? Why couldn't they admit liability and send me a cheque?

I suspected it was simply that (a) they were reluctant on principle to pay up on PPI sold not by themselves, but by other financial institutions that came under their wing; and (b) each claim was getting only a limited amount of attention beyond a standardised response, leading in many cases to a brush-off, if minimal examination failed to reveal an inescapable case for compensation. Both my claims were connected with loan events in the 1980s (1983 and 1989), and - from the banks' point of view - were too time-consuming to investigate properly. At least, not without pressure from myself.

Reluctant they might be to take responsibility for the misdeeds of banks taken over in the distant past, it was still their duty to investigate and pay up; and a big workload wasn't an excuse for dismissing valid claims backed up by documentation.

So in both cases, I have written back, saying that more work needs to be done. And restating the facts originally presented to them in a clearer fashion (with an eye to that eventual submission to the Ombudsman). But I don't think that Santander nor RBS will take a closer look and respond positively before that eight-week deadline is up.

So, hello Mr Ombudsman. Though not before I enjoy my month in Scotland. I'll keep my submissions for when I return home.

As a footnote, what did I think of Resolver, the complaint service linked to the Money Saving Expert website? Well, it was a reasonably straightforward way of launching my PPI claims in the first place. But in hindsight I think I could have coped with the banks' own claim forms. Resolver hasn't enabled me to apply any extra pressure on Santander and RBS. I have made all the running. And it has still felt like playing a game against giants, with a predictable outcome (one not in my favour). So although the MSE website itself is a goldmine of good information and encouragement, I wouldn't automatically turn to Resolver again.

I do see that big institutions will instinctively defend their corner, and try to slide out of liabilities: of course they will. And that my historic claims are 'awkward' in more than one way. Even though in both cases, you can see who the lender was (with the loan reference), who was the PPI insurer, what premiums were paid, and for how long. There is surely no difficulty in computing the refund due, and the interest to be added to it. All this said, I feel cynical about my chances of success.

I reckon the claims companies must have a harder time than they make out. They keep saying that billions are still waiting to be claimed, but I wouldn't be surprised if the banks manage to fob off a large proportion of the claims in progress, or yet to be made. And that come the end of August, when time is up on any new claims, most of the money set aside for potential PPI payouts is instead gifted to the banks' patient shareholders. You can see it coming.