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CBA planning victims consider legal action

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  Clients of Commonwealth Financial Planning who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of advice received from a former financial planner of the dealer group are now investigating the possibility of taking legal action against the bank to recoup some of their losses.

The move comes after several clients had written to the bank asking it to address the situation surrounding their financial losses.

While some individuals are still waiting for a response from the dealer group those who have already received a reply have found it totally unsatisfactory, with the Commonwealth Bank allegedly failing to take any responsibility in the matter.

Certain clients are now preparing to take legal action against the dealer group but are awaiting the ASIC investigation into Don Nguyen's actions before they take the next step.

When contacted about the progress of this investigation a spokesperson for ASIC said she was unable to comment on its progress and could not confirm or deny whether or not it had been completed.

Regardless of the outcome though, some clients told InvestorDaily they intended to pursue the bank over the lost funds.

Others clients who lost money have turned their attention to making a complaint through the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
InvestorDaily contacted FOS to see if it had received any complaints on the matter, but a spokesperson said it was against the organisation's policy to comment on individual cases.

One confirmed development was that Nguyen has left the dealer group.

A few months ago the bank's advice arm issued a letter to Nguyen's existing clients informing them he had resigned and that Commonwealth Financial Planning had assigned them another adviser from within the organisation.

Information obtained by InvestorDaily earlier in the year alleged Nguyen offered inappropriate advice to clients after carrying out improper fact finds for the assessment of risk profiles.