Up to 500 people in the Republic have not claimed free shares they are entitled to from the Halifax Group and stand to lose on average £2,500 sterling each.
The Yorkshire-based former building society has given notice of its intention to sell unclaimed "free shares" in three months' time. The free shares remain unclaimed following the transfer of business of Halifax Building Society to Halifax plc in June 1997. Eligible savings and mortgages customers who claimed their shares received a basic payout of 200 free shares, worth £2,500 sterling. In all, 140,000 Halifax customers out of a total of 7.6 million eligible shareholders have not claimed to date.
The "free shares" are Halifax Group plc ordinary shares which were issued in June 1999 in exchange for Halifax plc ordinary shares given to qualifying members of Halifax Building Society.
Halifax has advertised in the Irish press drawing the attention of former members of the Halifax Building Society to the pending sale of shares.
Meanwhile, First Active confirmed yesterday it too has customers who have yet to claim their free shares. The company floated in October 1998 and the deadline for qualifying members to claim their allocated shares is October 2001. As for Halifax, customers who want to claim free shares must complete a claim form which can be obtained by contacting Halifax Shareholder Services on 0044 870 240 0717. For those who are unsure whether they are entitled to free shares, the number to call is 0044 870 5522 566.
