A very welcome £5,000 is now in a saver’s bank account after belatedly she spotted how her investment with life and pensions business ReAssure was losing value and the payout was taking longer than she expected. “I’m 91 so time is very important to me and the longer this goes on the more I lose,” Margaret Nash [name changed] told Crusader when asking for our support earlier this year.

Crusader was hopeful from the off that the matter could be settled quickly as ReAssure had responded in writing last November sending her release documents to complete. Margaret did that and received confirmation just before Christmas.

If you’ve been affected by this issue or feel you’ve been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on maisha.frost@express.co.uk

She was concerned however as two following responses were non-committal promising ReAssure would get back to her “as soon as possible”.

Now with Crusader chasing progress too there’s success. We received a prompt response from ReAssure and it kept its word with the transfer arriving in Margaret’s bank account just a few weeks ago. Relieved of course she is also delighted to accept its £200 goodwill offer for the brief lack of timing clarity too.

Transfers and settlements generally can take longer these days. ReAssure, part of the Phoenix Group, focuses on managing what’s known as closed pensions and long-term life insurance products, ones not open to new contributions. But whatever the plan and however old it is, regular checks on how it is doing is essential.

It was only when Margaret took a closer look at a recent statement did she see how poorly it was faring – losing hundreds of pounds annually. At her age she has decided more immediate benefits are the order of the day such as treating herself and sharing some of the cash with her grandchildren would be the best next step now.