Wrong-subject claim

A wrong-subject claim attaches a fact or figure to the wrong person, policy or account. The fact appears in the source, but the AI gives it the wrong owner. Checking that the figure was copied correctly will not catch the mistake.

At Ruth and Graham Ellison's joint annual review, Graham says, "Ruth's got about sixty-two thousand in her work pension." The AI's meeting notes put a pension of about £62,000 under Graham's name, although Graham named Ruth as the owner. An adviser checks the amount against the recording and approves the notes. An administrator then adds the plan to Graham's record and sends a letter of authority in his name. The provider returns it: Graham has no plan there.

The adviser confirmed that Graham mentioned about £62,000, but did not check whose pension he described. A check of the amount alone passed the wrong claim into the client record. The recording shows that Graham meant Ruth. The adviser can correct the notes, and the firm can verify the plan details before adding anything to Ruth's record. The same error can attach a transfer value to the wrong policy or smoker status to the wrong life.

The firm's fact-find separates Ruth's assets from Graham's, but it will hold an amount under whichever name is entered. A harness may link the figure back to the spoken line. That helps the check, but the person reviewing it still has to read who the line is about.