Thousands More Join Lawsuit Against Hargreaves Lansdown Over Neil Woodford Fund

Thousands more investors have joined the growing lawsuit against Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK's largest investment platform, over the collapse of the Woodford Equity Income Fund. The fund, managed by high-profile investor Neil Woodford, was suspended in June 2019, leaving investors unable to withdraw their funds. RGL Management, the litigation firm leading the case, alleges that Hargreaves Lansdown knew about the fund's liquidity problems as early as November 2017 but continued to recommend it to clients.

The Woodford Equity Income Fund's collapse has resulted in billions of pounds in losses for investors. RGL Management has already filed an initial tranche of claims in The High Court on behalf of thousands of investors who suffered significant losses as a result of the fund's suspension and subsequent wind-up. The lawsuit seeks damages for losses suffered by investors due to the fund's collapse.

Hargreaves Lansdown's recommendation algorithm and human advisors played a significant role in the Woodford Equity Income Fund's popularity. The platform's 'Wealth 50' list, which included Woodford's fund, was influential in driving investments. Additionally, Hargreaves Lansdown's advisors, who were incentivized by commission-based structures, also contributed to the fund's appeal.

The timeline of Hargreaves Lansdown's awareness of the Woodford fund's problems and their continued recommendation is not explicitly stated in the provided background. However, RGL Management has filed an initial tranche of claims in The High Court on behalf of thousands of investors who suffered significant losses as a result of the WEIF’s collapse, alleging that Hargreaves Lansdown knew of liquidity issues in the WEIF from November 2017.

Hargreaves Lansdown's fee structure and profit-sharing arrangements with Woodford Investment Management may have incentivized them to promote the Woodford Equity Income Fund. The platform charged an annual management fee of 0.45% for the fund, generating significant revenue. Additionally, Hargreaves Lansdown likely received a share of Woodford's performance fees, which could have reached 20% of profits above a certain threshold. This profit-sharing arrangement might have motivated Hargreaves Lansdown to continue recommending the fund despite knowing about its liquidity issues since November 2017.



The Woodford fund's collapse was facilitated by regulatory oversights, including Hargreaves Lansdown's continued recommendation of the fund despite knowing about liquidity issues since November 2017. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been criticized for not acting sooner to prevent the fund's suspension and subsequent wind-up, which resulted in billions of pounds of investor losses. The FCA's assessment of the Link Scheme compensation was limited in scope, focusing on a shorter period and different types of losses, which may have underestimated the full extent of investor damages.

In conclusion, thousands more investors have joined the lawsuit against Hargreaves Lansdown over the collapse of the Woodford Equity Income Fund. The fund's liquidity issues, first identified in 2017, and Hargreaves Lansdown's continued recommendation, despite knowing about these problems, contributed to its eventual collapse. Regulatory failures and oversights also played a role in the fund's downfall and the subsequent investor losses. As the lawsuit progresses, investors hope to recover their losses and hold Hargreaves Lansdown accountable for their role in the fund's collapse.