How the “Targeted Support” era reshapes justice for victims of financial harm
🧩 Introduction: When Protection Becomes Permission
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) — long seen as the last resort for ordinary consumers — is quietly transforming. Beneath the headlines of “operational efficiencies” and “targeted support,” we’re witnessing the reshaping of Britain’s financial justice landscape.
In its latest budget, the FOS revealed it expects 1,500 additional pensions and investment complaints next year, directly linked to the FCA’s Advice–Guidance Boundary Review (AGBR) and its new “targeted support” model.
To most, this sounds administrative. To those who understand how financial exploitation evolves, it signals a new wave of structurally untrustworthy conduct — the kind that Citizen Investigators must be ready to confront.
⚖️ 1. What Is “Targeted Support”?
Under the FCA’s AGBR reforms, providers will soon be allowed to make “targeted suggestions” to customers about investments, pensions, and other financial choices — without it being classed as formal advice.
The stated intention is to “bridge the advice gap.” The reality, as history shows, is that when lines blur between advice and sales, consumers pay the price.
In practice, this reform allows banks and product providers to:
- “Nudge” customers toward specific products,
- Frame decisions with persuasive data or imagery,
- Avoid full suitability checks and fiduciary responsibility.
The likely outcome? Thousands of consumers believing they received professional advice — without the legal protections that advice entails.
📈 2. What the FOS Is Expecting
The FOS predicts a rise from 10,300 to 11,500 investment and pensions complaints in 2026–27 — an increase of roughly 15%.
But because these cases will involve complex distinctions between “guidance” and “advice,” they will test the system’s boundaries — and expose its weaknesses.
Crucially, the FOS warns this increase won’t appear immediately. Why? Because mis-selling takes time to surface. By the time the losses become visible, evidence will be scattered — and consumers may find themselves without a clear route to redress.
This is precisely where Citizen Investigators — trained through initiatives like Get SAFE — become vital. They document patterns early, preserve evidence, and ensure future cases cannot be dismissed as “one-offs.”
🚫 3. The Collapse of Claims Firms: A Double-Edged Victory
Another major shift is the FOS’s move to charge case fees to claims management and legal firms.
In 2024/25, these representatives brought 153,800 complaints — nearly half the FOS’s total. That figure will fall to just 42,000 next year — a 73% collapse.
On one hand, this reduces frivolous or duplicate claims. On the other, it creates a justice vacuum: millions of consumers will lose access to professional representation.
Into this vacuum must step trained citizen investigators — ethical, independent, and evidence-led — not motivated by fees but by fairness.
⚙️ 4. A Coming Overhaul of the FOS Itself
Perhaps the most consequential change lies ahead. The government has confirmed plans to replace the regulations that underpin the FOS by Spring 2026.
The forthcoming model could:
- Narrow FOS jurisdiction,
- Limit its power to enforce decisions,
- Make outcomes more legally technical and less accessible.
The FOS itself is preparing a £8m transition budget to adapt.
Translation: the window for accessible justice is closing.
Those with unresolved cases should act now — documenting losses, evidence, and correspondence under the current regime before the rules change.
💰 5. Efficiency at the Cost of Depth
The FOS says it’s “transforming for efficiency” — raising its levy from £70m to £86m, increasing case fees from £650 to £680, and reducing free case allowances.
But “efficiency” in bureaucratic language often means faster closures, fewer investigations, and templated decisions.
For victims of complex financial exploitation — securitisation, hidden commissions, or conflicted guidance — this trend is alarming.
Citizen Investigators must therefore:
- Submit structured, chronological dossiers (preferably AI-assisted),
- Use precise cause-and-effect narratives,
- Quantify losses clearly and factually,
- Maintain professional tone and evidence discipline.
In short, if you want justice, present your case as if it were already before a judge.
🧠 6. What This Means for the Citizen Investigator Movement
These reforms mark the end of an era — and the birth of another.
| Structural Change | Citizen Investigator Response |
|---|---|
| Advice redefined as “support” | Monitor “nudges” and record how they influence decisions. |
| Claims firms retreat | Train in dossier building and case presentation. |
| New legal regime (2026) | File existing cases early; preserve evidence for future escalation. |
| Cost-cutting at FOS | Focus on precision and brevity; AI can help draft compelling summaries. |
| £250 fee for legal representation | Build capacity for self-representation with professional guidance. |
The next generation of redress will not be lawyer-led — it will be citizen-led, AI-assisted, and evidence-driven.
🌍 7. The Bigger Picture: From Paternalism to Empowerment
For decades, consumer protection in finance has been paternalistic — systems acting “for” the public but rarely “with” them.
That era is ending.
The fall of claims firms, the rise of AI, and the blurring of regulatory boundaries create both danger and possibility.
The danger: unchecked manipulation through “personalised guidance.”
The possibility: a self-educated public using tools like the Get SAFE Citizen Investigator’s Playbook to hold systems accountable.
As the FOS reforms its processes, we must reform ours — moving from dependence to agency, from complaint to investigation, from grievance to governance.
💬 8. Final Word: A Call to Action
The coming years will test whether financial justice in the UK remains accessible to ordinary citizens.
If the FOS becomes faster but shallower, the only antidote is a citizenry that is smarter, better prepared, and unafraid to speak truth to power.
Citizen Investigators are the new backbone of accountability — restoring trust not by pleading for it, but by evidencing it.
✳️ About Get SAFE
Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) is a citizen-led initiative that empowers victims of financial harm to investigate, document, and pursue redress.
Through AI-enabled training, structured playbooks, and collaborative fellowship, Get SAFE transforms victims into advocates — ensuring that truth and justice are not luxuries, but rights.
In One Sentence
Goliathon turns victims of financial exploitation into confident, capable citizen investigators who can build professional-grade cases using structured training, emotional support, and independent AI.
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Every year, thousands across the UK lose their savings, pensions, and peace of mind to corporate financial exploitation — and are left to face the aftermath alone.
Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) exists to change that.
We’re creating a national lifeline for victims — offering free emotional recovery, life-planning, and justice support through our Fellowship, Witnessing Service, and Citizen Investigator training.
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Join us at: http://www.aolp.info/getsafe
steve.conley@aolp.co.uk | +44 (0)7850 102070
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