SIX major high street banks have been slammed for breaking banking rules.
The banks which broke the rules include the Bank of Ireland, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Metro Bank and NatWest.
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Among the breaches, Barclays didn’t keep information on interest rates up to date for overdrafts on two of its webpages and Metro Bank was also found to have overcharged 92 customers for entering an unarranged overdraft.
Metro customers have been refunded for the error and none of the other five banks owe compensation.
Metro contacted the impacted customers last month and awarded just over £20,000 in compensation in total.
All six banks have confirmed they will make changes to the way they operate following the breaches.
The rules they breached were imposed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a government body which promotes competition between businesses.
Under a 2017 order from the CMA banks and building societies must follow strict rules on informing customers about their services.
These include showing correct interest rates for current accounts and using accurate promotional materials online and within branches.
The specific breaches were:
- Barclays failing to keep information on interest rates up to date for overdrafts on two of its webpages
- Bank of Ireland listing incorrect details of branch locations through Open Banking as well as wrong information about some current account charges. Tablet users were also not provided with a link to information on Bank of Ireland’s service quality via the banking app
- HSBC failing to publish information on the maximum amount it can charge customers for overdrafts where it should have. Also for showing out of date information on one its webpages
- Lloyds Banking Group publishing incorrect service quality rankings relating to personal and business current accounts; and failing to keep information up to date on one its webpages
- Metro Bank overcharging 92 customers for entering an unarranged overdraft
- NatWest not updating records following branch and ATM closures. It also listed the wrong interest rates for small business loans when sharing information with independent price comparison tools
All six banks confirmed they are making changes to prevent the breaches from happening again.
This includes destroying out of date promotional materials, updating internal checklists and retraining staff.
Adam Land, senior director at the CMA, said it was “disappointing” the banks had breached rules which have been in place for five years.
He added: “Customers have been let down, some of whom will receive refunds, so these high street names must get their act together.”
How do I complain to my bank?
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you want to complain to your bank, there are steps you can take to do so.
It could see you receiving compensation in return as well.
You can make a complaint in person, on the phone or in writing by letter or email.
There are a number of things to bear in mind though.
Some of these include contacting the bank or building society as soon as possible, keeping a record of the date you contacted them as this might help validate your claim down the line, and collecting bank statements, cheque stubs and any correspondence you’ve had with them.
Little touches like writing the word “complaint” at the top of your letter can help your complaint get to the right department quicker as well.
If you’re stuck to know what to do, you can always visit your local Citizen’s Advice branch.
If you don’t know where yours is, you can use its branch locator.
What if that doesn’t work?
Sometimes a bank or building society won’t handle your complaint quickly enough, at the price agreed or with enough “reasonable care and skill”.
If they don’t do these things, you might be able to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
However, you can only go to the FOS if you have already complained to the bank or building society, the bank or building society hasn’t dealt with your complaint within eight weeks and you must complain to the FOS within six months of getting your bank or building society’s final response.
A final response is the bank or building society’s last communicated response to you.
You can also use a claims management company, which charge a fee, to help you take your complaint to the FOS.
