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Case Studies

  • Repayment amount incorrectly calculated

    A client applied for a $120,000 personal loan from her local branch in order to purchase a boat costing $140,000. The client was approved for the loan consisting of monthly payments of $615 (principal + interest) for 15 years with a $15,000 down payment. Nine months later, the client received a statement from the bank saying she owed more each month than what was initially agreed.

  • Misunderstanding mortgage prepayment terms

    One year after signing for a five-year term mortgage, the client decided to list her property for sale. At the time of closing, she discovered that a substantial penalty was charged by the bank in order to pay out her mortgage. The client had been under the impression that the mortgage prepayment penalty would equal three months' interest. She was prepared to pay that amount but was surprised to find out later that the actual penalty would be based on an Interest Rate Differential, resulting in a much larger penalty amount.

  • Funds withdrawn by divorced individual's partner

    Due to his impending divorce, a client went to a local bank branch to remove the credit room available on a joint personal line of credit by reducing the limit to an amount just above the outstanding balance. The client was advised that it may take up to five business days for the paperwork to go through but that the changes had been made.

  • A "friend" took advantage of an elderly woman

    An 82-year-old woman received a letter from her friend in which the friend admitted she took $1,940 from the client's bank account before leaving the country. The client immediately informed both the police and her bank.

  • Advisor’s recommendations exceed client’s risk tolerance

    The clients, a married couple in their early 50s, received a $650,000 settlement from a car accident which permanently disabled the husband. They consulted with an investment advisor about how to invest the money.

  • Investor blamed advisor for poor retirement planning advice

    The client had worked at a public utility for about 15 years when he changed careers to become a teacher. After leaving his job, the client received a benefit statement for his utility pension, which he sent to his financial advisor. The advisor told him that he could transfer the pension to a locked-in retirement account (LIRA) and helped him complete the transfer documents.

  • Investor delayed complaint on discretionary trades

    The client was a sophisticated investor, and recently started dealing with a new advisor and a new firm. Her investment objectives were 100% capital gain and she had a medium to high tolerance for risk. She also had a high level of investment knowledge and experience.

  • PIN mailed to wrong address

    A client opened an offshore US dollar savings account through the Canadian branch of a foreign bank. For regulatory reasons, the Canadian branch's role merely to pass on the account opening information to the international head office. The servicing of the client's needs was to be done by the foreign bank directly through its call centre.

  • Bank closed customer's accounts

    A client's small business received notice that its accounts were to be closed by the bank in two weeks. The client was shocked, saying he had a long-standing and satisfactory relationship with the bank and that the bank would not provide reasons for the termination of the relationship. The business owner, originally from a Middle Eastern country, claimed that racial profiling was a factor in the bank's decision.

  • Investor incurred additional fees on a group RESP account

    The client had opened a group RESP for each of her two children with a scholarship plan dealer. After a year, she started experiencing administrative problems with the plans. The problems persisted and she was not able to get a clear explanation from the firm's telephone representatives. As a result of the problems, she incurred additional administrative fees and was unhappy with the firm. She complained to the firm and, not satisfied with its response, brought her complaint to OBSI.


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