I have dealt with a lot of financial organisations but none as incompetent as Prudential. I wanted to cash my pension in one lump sum and it took more than 3 months of phonecalls and correspondance to get MY money. They have been dealing with me and sending me letters for more than 30 years, but when I now want my money they need more ID than anyone is able to supply. I have supplied a verified copy of my passport, verified copies of utility bills and bank statements, 2 letters from my highstreet bank, 1 letter from my investment bank, and a copy of a letter from my UK national old age pension. That was not sufficient to convince Prudential. Everything was send by recorded delivery except the letter from my UK pension. The last letter was send on Prudentials own secure emal system. This was rejected because it was a scanned copy, but they would accept a fax copy (we are now in the year 2018]. This turned out not to be an option after all because Prudential could not locate their own fax number. Here is just a few examples of their incompetence. There are plenty more apart from the ones memtioned: Every time you phone them you are passed between departments who all want to “security” verify you before passing you on. I have tried to be passed on between departments only to end up being told that they have not got time to talk to you. They insist on sending a completely blank form to me because Prudential do not have a “secure email system”. Posting it took 3 whole weeks to reach me. After this it turnes out that they do in fact have a “secure” email system. They still insist that everything is send to them by normal post, and I have therefor sent out everything by registered post. Prudential have managed twice to loose attachments to my letters, and the fact that I could prove that the said attachments had arrived at they office did not make them rething their handling. They then decided that I had been treated incorrectly, and they alone decided to transfer £75 to my bank account for my trouble. I have spend more than this just in postage. On top of this I have spend hours and hours getting together all the other information that was shipped out, and I have not been able to invest this money for months. Their decition that I has been treated unfairly did not release the payment of my money. Now we are at a time where my money is due to leave Prudential, and they then decide that they have not enough proof that the account they thenselves used for my “compensation” is actually mine. This is an account number that has been verified by my bank and that Prudential has already been using within the past few weeks. Further delay for no reason. My conclusion is that Prudential will go to great lenght to delay your payment. Their repeated request for proof of ID is way byond any kind of reason, and their handling of MY money is completely unacceptable. Prudential just hang on to the money while they keep moving the goalpost and have you jump through hoops, and that only changed when I told them that I finallly has had enough and now referred the matter to the Ombudsman. Then they changed their mind and MY money is now supposed to be on its way. Shame on you Prudential. Your handling is disgraceful.