Writeback: Sex and windfalls

DM of London, like other readers, lost out on the Halifax windfall because, as a building society, it always put the man's name first on mortgage deeds. She says: 'I had a mortgage in my name from 1976 until 1983, when I entered a new, joint mortgage with my partner and his name was placed above mine, although I was the greater income earner.

In October 1996, we moved and the new mortgage was solely in my name. I had had a Halifax mortgage continuously for more than 20 years but did not qualify for the payout. I raised the question of sex discrimination but apparently the Building Societies Act made this practice acceptable. I consider it highly unjust that I should not have been allowed shares when I would have been held fully responsible for mortgage repayments had my partner defaulted. I was only ever told that "we always put the man's name first".'