What happens if we can't reach agreement?

The Bank is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service and if we cannot reach agreement with you, our Complaint Handling Centre will send you a 'Final Response' letter. This will clearly set out the Bank's position with regard to your concern and will also allow you to contact the Financial Ombudsman Service to request them to review your case.

The Financial Ombudsman Service acts independently of the Bank and provides a free service as an impartial adjudicator. The Ombudsman can deal with concerns about most types of banking business from most types of customers.

However, there are certain types of concern and customers he cannot deal with, including the following:

• a mistake that has not caused financial loss, material inconvenience or material distress
• matters that have been (or are being) dealt with by a court
• the way the banking system operates
• the way in which the Bank used its commercial judgement, for example, whether or not to give someone an account, a loan or a credit card - and the terms applied - unless there was maladministration (maladministration includes a material mistake, undue delay, improper discrimination or failure to follow proper procedures)
• fees or interest that are charged properly under the terms of the account
• where the concern is from a business which has an annual turnover of £2 million or more
• where the concern is from a charity which has a net asset value of £1 million or more
• where the concern is from the trustee of a trust where the net asset value is £1 million or more.

If you wish to ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to review your concern you must do this within 6 months of the date of the Bank's Final Response letter.

Telephone: 0845 080 1800