SOMI is indeed a foundation for claiming mass damage, but it is not all we do. In our view, legal proceedings are the means to change relationships between individuals and, therefore a mean, not an end.

In the first place, it is about collecting and disseminating knowledge and about changing structures that were not sufficient. We also include informing policy and opinion makers and designing public and information campaigns.

SOMI was established as a discussion partner for not only the individual(s) who was involved in the event(s), which has caused many disadvantages, but also as a discussion partner for the government and other parties; SOMI will also act as the voice for consumer groups in the media. In addition to sharing knowledge, we also want to focus in the coming years on promoting the interests of those affected by the negative effects of markets that are insufficiently transparent or efficient, including by taking collective or individual actions, and claiming (damage) compensation for the benefit of its affiliated or registered stakeholders.

The Claim Code 2019 (the "Claim Code") is a form of self-regulation drawn up by the Claim Code Committee, after extensive consultation among a large group of stakeholders. The Claim Code is not legally binding, but the Claim Code does have a preventive and warning effect. The purpose of the Claim Code is to record the generally accepted views in the Netherlands regarding the good governance for claim foundations. The Claim Code aims to create a framework for good and transparent governance of the interest groups by giving principles and elaborating them. Part of the principles is that the collective representation of interests takes place on a non-profit basis of the organization or directly/indirectly associated (legal) actors and that the representation of interests takes place independently and avoids conflicts of interest.

The most recent version of the claim code entered into force on March 4, 2019 and applies from that date to interest groups within the meaning of Art. 3: 305a BW that was established from that date. SOMI was established on May 31, 2016 and largely complies with the principles of the claim code. However, SOMI also deviates from this in a number of areas, which is permitted. In accordance with the 'comply or explain' principle of the Claim Code, we have indicated how we deviate and why on these points in our accountability document. The accountability document also applies as regulations as referred to in Article 16 paragraph 1 of the articles in association to SOMI.

The Claim Code requires that the board of a foundation consists of at least three people. For the time being, the board of SOMI consists of two persons (one of whom is a lawyer), so that the foundation retains the option of appointing one or more additional director(s), more specifically attuned to the specific actions and activities of the foundation.

We are still looking for a lawyer for the Supervisory Board who will assess the contributions of the public and think about their fees.

We work with a team of experts, including external experts, consultants, service providers and organizations that have successfully represented the interests of stakeholders. When conducting negotiations and/or proceedings.

Click here for the statutes (in Dutch)

SOMI is a theme-driven think tank, without permanent supporters. Do you have an idea or proposal for a new action that is worthwhile? Let us know! Then we think along with you about the possibilities.

By email and by telephone at the office hours.

Crowdsourcing is a form of social action, in which the target group (the "crowd") helps themselves by supporting a legal action. Not only with money, but primarily by supplying knowledge, insight and information. Our main sources are your attention and commitment.

Yes, we appreciate you wanting to stay informed about our promotions. It is also possible to log in anonymously or with an alias. You will be kept informed of the promotion, but we will not be able to represent your interests.

SOMI can make this possible by acting on behalf of a large number of stakeholders. Your contribution is important in this action.

You can send your document to info@somi.nl

Your data will be stored in the database of the Foundation for Market Information Research. The personal data that the participants provide or the data that were processed by the foundation, such as addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, are stored in files that are owned by the foundation. This data will only be used by the foundation in accordance with its privacy policy as published on the website. By registering, participants acknowledge and agree to this policy. If we want to approach you about other promotions or other services of our foundation or associated (legal) services, we always ask you for separate permission in advance. Under no circumstances will your data end up with other organizations (or persons affiliated with), unless you have given your explicit written consent (electronically).

The collection of information for a claim by a group of persons is a form of social involvement. Preparing and conducting legal proceedings is an active way of improving society and important organizations and systems in it.

If this action has been organized a few years earlier, the ongoing bank bailouts would have diverted attention from the subject of this action. In addition, some of the behaviors are a bit outdated now. As a result, stakeholders are less likely to rely on the sensitivity of important information only for the purpose of keeping it confidential.

If we process this action a few years later, there is a chance that the next banking crisis will again divert attention. That is the reason why we started this action now because the situation with the national bank has been calm recently.

The aim of this action is to make banks' earnings model more transparent and verifiable, including the cooperation with governments that are part of it, and what effects these companies have on the daily life of Dutch people.

As the activities of the investigated companies and the persons involved are in conflict with the law, this investigation will provide the basis for legal proceedings for compensation of this damage for the homeowners concerned.

A number of components to which you can contribute are included under 'Contributions' on SOMI.nl. We, therefore, call on you - for example, if you have more information or conclusions or findings - to might be useful to our research. All contributions are processed confidentially from the start and were handled by the consultants of the foundation who are bound by confidentiality. The expenses that you have incurred for this information can be reimbursed by SOMI at a certain rate (depending, among other things, on the information value and/or specialism involved). Timeline: when you have a good item for our timeline, which links persons and events (actions and statements), you can mail them to us. WOB: for its ongoing actions, SOMI is looking for questions that can be put to various agencies whose answers take us further in the dissemination of knowledge or advocacy in our actions. We ask for your input to ask the right questions. If you have a question(s) in this matter, you can email it to us, with the attached documents related to it. Claim documents: if you have instructions that can contribute to our files, or that we can request or supplement from third parties, you can email us. Hearing of witnesses: if you have an indication about the knowledge of certain persons, objectively and preferably documented, you can email us. The final results of the actions are published on this site. SOMI also publishes an overview of the most active and the most valuable contributions. Please indicate when you want to remain anonymous, when you want to contribute under an alias or when you have incurred expenses for intensive study because of your contribution.

We will send you news about your personal situation or contribution by e-mail or we will display it in your private section on my.somi.nl. It is your responsibility to notify us promptly of changes to that address and, where applicable, to keep the information we send you about your content and contributions confidential. When a newsletter is published we will email you a link to it. All other information is published through our sites.

This research area covers many years of information from a number of different banks and a large number of financial products, with many different characteristics. Which makes the work labor-intensive. Most importantly, we believe that there is a pattern of (behavioral) coordination between banks or their directors/supervisors. To fully uncover this pattern, we appeal to the public and you as a participant to make a substantive contribution to data collection and knowledge expansion. The procedures and discussions about this subject can then prompt the action faster, at a lower cost. In addition, we hope to further expand the group of people who can claim damages.

SOMI's focus is on informing and improving market forces. A focus on compensation then distracts and does not immediately improve all consumers as a whole. Compensation for damages must be a derived result of successful advocacy and the discovery of what happened and who played a role in it, along with structural market improvement.

If an affected party wants to receive compensation, this can be done through a settlement or through the court to get a decision on the case. In many cases, the financial interest is too small to go to court individually, because of the associated costs. A collective settlement is often the only practical way for this large group of affected parties to obtain compensation for at least part of their damage.

The Collective Settlement of Mass Claims Act ("WCAM") makes it possible for affected parties to litigate as a collective about compensation or to reach a settlement. From the point of view of efficiency and manageability, collective settlement of the damage may be the best way. This avoids the costs and efforts associated with conducting a large number of civil proceedings, always with identical questions to be answered.

In general, it can be said that in the context of a possible collective settlement, an amount paid by the perpetrator(s) will be distributed among all individual stakeholders and the foundation. To that end, a certain allocation key will be included in the settlement agreement. In accordance with this distribution key, an amount will eventually be awarded to each individual interested party to compensate for the damage they have suffered. The distribution key is partly determined by the type of damage event and the nature of the damage. In the case of the global distribution key, the interested party is required to provide less evidence than in the case of the distribution key, which is tailored to the individual circumstances of the case.