Injured rugby player awarded €200,000

AN INSURANCE company has been ordered to pay €200,000 to a former professional rugby player by the Financial Services Ombudsman after it refused to pay out a claim under an insurance scheme run by the Irish Rugby Football Union.

Details of the case were published yesterday by the Financial Services Ombudsman, Joe Meade, who revealed that complaints to his office have risen by almost 30% so far in 2007.

A report by Mr Meade, which highlights more than a dozen cases of questionable practices by banks, insurance companies, credit unions and other financial institutions, recorded about 2,100 complaints since the start of the year.