New figures from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) show that Barclays bank was the most
complained-about financial institution in the second half of 2010 – with 294,891 complaints lodged
by customers in the six-month period.
The bank also substantially revised the number of complaints it had declared in the first half of
2010, changing the figure from 259,266 to 307,622. It said the figure had been reviewed after “we
identified a need to adopt a tighter interpretation of when a complaint is closed.”
Antony Jenkins, chief executive of global retail banking at Barclays, said: “Barclays is committed to
reducing the number of complaints it receives and making substantial improvements to the overall
service we provide customers.”
The half-yearly figures published by the FSA show that the total number of customer complaints
received by banks rose 3 per cent from the previous six months, to a staggering 1.79 million –
equating to almost 10,000 complaints lodged every day.
A spokesman for customer watchdog group Consumer Focus said: “These figures show a double
whammy on customer complaints about the banking industry. Not only have total complaints risen
to almost 1.8 million, upheld complaint levels have increased too. Nearly ten thousand complaints a
day suggests the tide hasn’t turned and this is simply because banks aren’t treating their customers
fairly.”
The FSA report showed a particular spike in complaints about loan and credit card Payment
Protection Insurance (PPI), with the volume of complaints up 63 per cent. The other most
complained-about banks were Santander, Lloyds TSB and NatWest.
