(FCA COMPLAINTS DATA: 1 July – 31 December 2019)
Figures published today by Santander UK show there were 322,407 complaints received by the bank between 1 July and 31 December 2019.
The data includes 198,579 PPI complaints that were received ahead of the FCA’s PPI deadline of 29 August 2019. This is over three times the number of PPI complaints received in the previous six-month period and accounts for more than 60% of the overall complaints received by the bank between July and December 2019.
The bank, which has 15 million active customers in the UK, reported 111,582 banking complaints in the second half of 2019, slightly down (1%) on the previous six-month period. Complaints about home finance and other lending were also down 2% and 21% respectively.
A full breakdown of the complaints received can be seen in the following chart1:
| Product/ service group | Number of complaints opened by volume of business - Provision (at reporting period end date) | Number of complaints opened by volume of business - Intermediation (within the reporting period) | Number of complaints opened | Number of complaints closed | Percentage closed within 3 days | Percentage closed after 3 days but within 8 weeks | Percentage upheld | Main cause of complaints opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking & Credit Cards | 4.5 per 1,000 accounts | N/A | 111,582 | 112,335 | 75% | 25% | 37% | Other general admin / customer service |
| Home Finance | 7.3 per 1,000 balances | N/A | 8,912 | 8,894 | 50% | 49% | 51% | Other general admin / customer service |
| Insurance & Pure Protection | 371.2 per 1,000 policies in force | N/A | 198,579 | 33,836 | 1% | 57% | 52% | Unclear guidance / arrangement |
| Decumulation & Pensions | N/A | N/A | 61 | 69 | 3% | 42% | 23% | Unsuitable advice |
| Investments | 5.2 per 1,000 client accounts | N/A | 1,437 | 1,399 | 2% | 40% | 14% | Unsuitable advice |
| Credit Related | 5.0 per 1,000 loans | N/A | 1,836 | 1,878 | N/A | N/A | 42% | N/A |
Reza Attar-Zadeh, Head of Customer Interactions at Santander said: “The second half of 2019 saw an exceptionally high volume of PPI complaints across the industry as a result of the FCA’s deadline. At Santander, we received more PPI cases in H2 2019 than in the previous five reporting periods combined.
“While it’s encouraging to see complaints in other areas declining, we will continue to review where we can do things better for our customers.”
- Ends -
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Notes to Editors:
1 We put the complaints figures into context using ‘per 1000’ metrics so that comparisons can be made across firms of different sizes.
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. At 30 December 2019, the bank had around 23,500 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.
Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain. It has a meaningful presence in 10 core markets in Europe and the Americas, and is one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. Its purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising over €120 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2025, as well as financially empowering more than 10 million people over the same period. At the end of 2019, Banco Santander had EUR 1.05 trillion in total funds, 145 million customers, of which 21.6 million are loyal and 37 million are digital (52% of active customers), 12,000 branches and 200,000 employees. Banco Santander made underlying profit of EUR 8,252 million in 2019, an increase of 2% compared to the previous year.
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