Have you had big overdraft problems for a long period?
You can make an affordability complaint and ask for a refund of overdraft charges if:
- your overdraft limit was set too high at the start or increased to a level you are unable to clear; or
- your overdraft usage showed you were in long-term financial distress. For example, being in the overdraft all the time, or using an unauthorised overdraft a lot
- your overdraft was originally a student account with no charges, but now interest is being added and you are in the account all or almost all of every month.
This article shows how to make an affordability complaint to your bank, with a free template letter to use.
These complaints do not hurt your credit record. And if the bank doesn’t make a you a good offer, it is free to take your case to the Ombudsman.
Contents
Overdraft affordability complaints
Overdrafts are supposed to be for short-term borrowing
Overdrafts are intended to be used for short-term problems, not as long-term borrowing. A bank should review a customer’s repayment record and overdraft limit and if there are signs of financial difficulty, offer help.
One sign of financial difficulty is hardcore borrowing for a long period. The Lending Code defined hardcore borrowings as “the position where a customer’s current account overdraft remains persistently overdrawn for more than a month without returning to credit during that period”.
Some Ombudsman decisions
All cases are very individual. But these examples give you an indication of what the Ombudsman thinks is important.
In this NatWest decision, the Ombudsman decided:
NatWest did have an obligation to monitor Miss K’s use of her overdraft facility.
Any fair and reasonable monitoring of Miss K’s overdraft facility would have resulted in NatWest being aware Miss K was in financial difficulty … by October 2014 at the absolute latest. So NatWest ought to have exercised forbearance from this point onwards.
In this Santander case, the bank didn’t notice hardcore borrowing:
By this point, Miss C was hardcore borrowing. In other, words she hadn’t seen or maintained a credit balance for an extended period of time. Santander’s own literature suggests that overdrafts are for unforeseen emergency borrowing not prolonged day-to-day expenditure. So I think that Miss C’s overdraft usage should have prompted Santander to have realised that Miss C wasn’t using her overdraft as intended and shouldn’t have continued offering it on the same terms.
A similar decision was reached in this Lloyds case:
Mr and Mrs C’s statements leading up to the renewal shows they hadn’t really had a credit balance on their account for a prolonged period. Indeed, they’d had regular returned payments and had also exceeded their limit. In these circumstances, it ought to have been apparent Mr and Mrs C were unlikely to be able to repay what they owed within a reasonable period with overdraft interest, fees and associated charges continuously being added.
Decide which reasons apply to your overdraft complaint
You are in the overdraft all or almost of the month for a long while
This is the most common reason for winning a complaint
Overdrafts are meant to be used when you have a problem. Using the overdraft a lot for a few months is fine. Or for a few days at the end of a month before you are paid.
Banks should review your overdraft annually. This is in most overdraft terms and conditions. And even if it isn’t, the Ombudsman says this is good industry practice.
So at one of these reviews, your bank should have seen if you were in difficulty with the overdraft. For example if you are in the overdraft for all (or almost all) of the month for a prolonged period. Or if you were often exceeding your arranged overdraft limit.
I would say over a year is prolonged.
The bank set your limit too high
This may have been from the start when you were first given an overdraft. Or the initial low limit may have been fine, then the bank increased it to a level which it was impossible for you to repay.
If the bank saw signs of financial difficulty, it should not have increased your credit limit, even if you asked for it. And it should have considered offering your help instead (the regulator’s word is forbearance), for example by stopping charges.
But what is too high?
This depends on your income and expenses. An overdraft of £2,000 for someone whose income is £1,800 a month is a lot – but if you earn £5,000 a month, then a £2,000 overdraft may be reasonable.
Other points that help a complaint
You won’t win an affordability complaint by saying the charges were too high.
Instead, you say the bank should have known they were unaffordable for you because of all the financial problems it could see on your statements and your credit record.
Here is a checklist, do any apply to you?
- often having direct debits or standing orders not being paid;
- a lot of gambling showing on your statements;
- significantly increasing other debts with the same bank (you may also be able to complain about those loans or credit card);
- being recently rejected for a loan or a credit card by the bank;
- significantly increasing debts with other lenders showing on your credit record;
- a worsening credit record – maxed out credit cards, new missed payments, payment arrangements, defaults etc;
- using payday loans;
- mortgage arrears;
- a reduction in the income going into your account.
Making your complaint
What you need at the start
You don’t need to know the dates your limit was increased before complaining, my template asks for them.
If you have paper statements or you can download them from the app, that may be useful for you. But you don’t need to send these statements to the bank with your complaint – the bank already has them!
You can’t go back and see exactly what your credit score was in say 2021 when the bank increased your limit. But your current credit record shows what was happening back six years, so download your credit report now and keep it. The sooner you get the report, the further back it goes. I suggest you get your free TransUnion statutory credit report.
Send a complaint by email
I don’t recommend phoning to start off a complaint. It’s too complicated and you will be talking to someone that doesn’t specialise in these complaints.
I think email is the simplest way to make these complaints. Here is my list of bank email addresses for complaints.
An alternative is to send a long message in the app. But if this means using a chat facility, it’s not usually a good idea, as you are again talking to someone who doesn’t understand what you are saying and tries to tell you what help is available with your overdraft – when all you want is to have your complaint considered.
A template you can adapt
The section above looked at the reasons to complain and the other good points that apply to your case – you can turn those into a complaint.
In the template below, I’ve invented some examples and dates so you can see how a complaint email could read. The bits in italics should be changed or deleted to tell your story.
The bit about other points is important – what should your bank have noticed that showed you were in difficulty?
I am making an affordability complaint about the overdraft on my current account number 98765432.
Your identity details (these are needed if you complain by email, not if you use secure message):
My name is xxxxx xxxxxxxx. My date of birth is dd/mm/yy. The email address I use/used for this account was myaddress@whatever.com.
Your home address (if you know the bank has your current address, ignore this):
My current address is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please do not send any letters to older addresses you may have on your records.
If your overdraft was originally a student overdraft with no interest include this, otherwise delete it:
My account started as a student overdraft and no fees were charged. I am complaining about the period after, when you started to charge fees.
START BY SAYING they should have noticed your financial difficulty
Overdrafts are meant for short-term borrowing but you could see I was unable to clear the balance in a sustainable way. I was using the account for long term borrowing as I could not get out of this. The fees and charges you were adding were making my position worse.
I am complaining that [every year since [20xx] OR for many years] you have failed to notice my difficulty during the annual reviews of my overdraft. You should have offered forbearance eg by stopping interest and charges being added.
By 2017 I had been in my overdraft constantly for many months, not getting back into the black even when I was paid. This “hardcore borrowing” is a clear sign of financial difficulty. My income was only £1,850 a month – after I had paid bills, there was no way I could hope to clear an overdraft of £3500 in a reasonable length of time.
OR
By 2021, although my salary took my account briefly into credit, within a few days, I was back in the overdraft.
include any other points that show you were in difficulty
You should have seen that I was in financial difficulty because you rejected my loan application in 2019.
You should have noticed that the income going into my account decreased from 2021.
From 2020-22 there was a lot of gambling showing on my account.
In 2021 you should have seen from my credit record that I had made payment arrangements with other debts.
Say if the intial limit was too high or it was later increased too high
You should never have given me an account with such a large overdraft. When I applied in 2016, you should have checked my credit record and income and seen I had recently missed payments to a credit card and had taken several payday loans.
OR
You should not have increased my overdraft limit in about 2017. When you increased the limit, you should have seen that my debts to other lenders on my credit record had increased a lot.
I do not know the exact months of the overdraft limit increases. In your reply to this complaint, please tell me when the increases were and how much the limit went up on each occasion.
END BY asking for a refund of charges and interest:
I would like you to refund all the interest and charges that were added to my account from 2016 when you increased my overdraft limit.
OR
I would like you to refund all the interest and charges that were added to my account from 2021 when you should have realised that my finances had got worse to the point that I was no longer able to clear the overdraft.
Please remove any late payment and default markers from my credit records.
Points to note
Student overdrafts
You won’t win a complaint about a student overdraft saying you were a student and it was unaffordable at that point.
But when the bank has started charging interest, it should start doing reviews and check if you are in difficulty. So from then on, you can win affordability complaints.
You can complain if the account is still being used or if it is closed
These complaints can be made in a lot of different situations. For example:
- you are still using the account or you have stopped using it and are paying it off;
- the account has been closed;
- the bank defaulted it and sold it to a debt collector (here you still complain to the bank, not the debt collector). If the debt collector has gone to court and got a CCJ, add a sentence to the template saying you want the CCJ removed as part of the settlement of your complaint.
But if you have had an IVA or bankruptcy after these problems, or if you are still in a DRO, then you shouldn’t complain – ask in the comments below for details.
Old accounts
Banks may say FOS won’t look at an old complaint, but this isn’t right. FOS will often look at a complaint if it has been open in the last six years. How far back FOS will go seems rather random, but it should be possible to go back at least 6 years.
Open and recently closed accounts aren’t a problem – the bank will still have your statements.
If your complaint is about an account that was closed more than 6 years ago, it’s going to be very hard to win.
Packaged bank accounts
These affordability complaints are not about the fees on packaged bank accounts. MSE has a page about packaged bank account charge complaints.
Personal accounts, not business accounts
The complaints covered here relate to personal accounts. For business accounts, talk to Business Debtline about your options.
The Bank replies
They want to phone me!
People are often scared if they get this message. But it may be good news! You can just ignore it or say you would like a reply in writing.
If you decide to take the call, it helps to be prepared:
- have a pen and paper handy so you can write down anything
- if they say they are partially upholding the complaint, ask them the date they are refunding the fees from, and how much. And say you would like to see this in writing before you decide whether to accept it.
- if they ask you questions that sound complicated or worrying, ask them to put the questions in writing as you find the phone difficult
- when they say they are rejecting the complaint, ask for this in writing, as you will be going to the Ombudsman.
Rejection/poor offer – go to the Ombudsman , it’s free
Banks reject many good complaints, hoping you will give up. So don’t! You know if the overdraft has caused you a lot of problems.
You can’t go straight to the Financial Ombudsman (FOS), you have to wait for the bank to reply, or for them to have not replied within 8 weeks.
Here are some things banks may say to try to put you off:
- you could have declined the increase to your overdraft limit – FOS probably won’t think that is a good reason
- you never let the bank know you were in difficulty – FOS probably won’t think that is a good reason
- your salary was enough to return you to credit each month – this is misleading if bills meant you very soon went into the overdraft;
- FOS will not look into things that happened more than 6 years ago – if your account was still open in the last 6 years FOS may well look at it.
And the bank may offer to refund fees for the last 15 months say, even though your problems have been large for many years. Think twice about accepting a low offer – you won’t put this offer at risk by going to the Ombudsman.
If you are offered a refund for the last 6 years but not any further back, have a think if this is a good enough offer. It is a bit unpredictable whether the ombudsman will be prepared to go back further than 6 years.
If you aren’t sure, post in the comments below.
To send the case to FOS, complete this online form:
- you can use what you put in your complaint to the bank;
- if the bank rejected your complaint or made a low offer, say why you think this is unfair;
- use normal English, not legal terms.
You don’t need to send your bank statements – the bank will send those to FOS. And you don’t need the policy documents for your bank account, the lender will supply those to FOS if they are needed.
Do these complaints work?
Yes! From 2024, some banks are making more offers directly.
A Guardian article featured a case where someone used the template letter here. Barclays denied it had done anything but made an £8,000 “goodwill” payment to the customer.
And if your bank rejects your case, people are winning cases at the ombudsman. FOS is a friendly service although it isn’t speedy. It isn’t faster to use a solicitor or a claims firm,
The comments below this article are from other people who have made this sort of complaint. That is a good place to ask for help if you aren’t sure what to do.
Is your credit card limit too high?
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Ag says
Hi, would like to say thank you to Sara and your colleagues, I used your template to send a complaint to Santander regarding my overdraft in April. This week I received just short of £6000 in my account which cleared my overdraft and a few other bits. I haven’t received any communication from Santander just this amount dropped into my account which was a massive surprise so thank you very much for your help, very much appreciated.
Scott says
Wow that’s amazing I’ve just sent one to Santander so fingers crossed
Out of curiosity then do you consider the matter closed?
Elle says
Hello
I am in around 14k of debt through a Monzo overdraft, Monzo flex and Monzo loan. Should I complain to Monzo about lending these to me irresponsibly in one letter or keep them separate?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I would keep them separate and cross refer – “I am also complaining separately about ….”
this allows you to use different templates. Also you may get back the decisions at different points. And the Ombudsman WILL split these into different cases, so it’s best to send them to the Ombudsman separately.
Mike says
Hi Sarah, I sent my complaint to monzo before I saw this email. I included all three products in one complaint. Could this cause any issues?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, you just need to be careful that you get a reply to all three products. Sometimes a bank replies about 2 and ignores/doesn’t spot the third
Stuart Mangan says
Hi, I’m with First direct, so I complained to the HSBC/First Direct email you provided but the answered stating that I need to email First Direct directly? Do you have that email address? Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Reply saying that is the address listed on the FCA register for First Direct so they should forward the complaint to the correct address
Jamie says
Hi , I Have had a message from Lloyds to say that my complaint is taking longer to resolve than it should and they apologise. They said that because it is now 8 weeks, i have the option to go to the FOS should i wish to do so.
is this a good sign or just that they are having delay’s?
Should i wait for them to come to a decision, or go to the FOS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Lloyds/Halifax/Bank of Scotland seem badly behind with overdraft complaints.
I don’t think anyone has looked at yours yet.
I would give them another month and then send this to the ombudsman
AJ says
I had the same and if you call them they will allocate it to a complaint manager. Once I done this my complaint was resolved within 3 weeks.
C M says
I’ve now had 2 overdraft complaints upheld using Sara’s template. One was a Santander OD I’d had since I was a student and they got back to me within a few weeks and that cleared the balance and left me with some money to spare. The other was for Monzo which they originally gave me a very low offer for despite being in it for a few years persistently, I took it to the financial ombudsman who upheld it, and now it is a few hundred pound off from being cleared.
Sara’s templates and advice have helped me to significantly reduce my debt and meant I feel much more positive about my finances! I’d have never known about any of this if it wasn’t for seeing her mentioned on @thatgirlindebts TikTok page and it’s honestly helped me to face my debts and put a plan in place to pay them off and become financially stable. Can’t be more grateful!
Harry says
Hello,
I am completely debt and bad credit free for about 7 years now. Still with Lloyds but whilst a teen and student I had an overdraft of £2500 which I completely lived in amongst a host of other debt issues payday loans, returned DD etc. This was around 10 years ago now. Would a complaint be possible or is there a time limit on it? I can see all entries on my bank statements even now.
Thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If all your debts were cleared over 6 years ago, you have very little hope of getting a refund.
A says
Hello,
I emailed TSB on 08/04/2025 using the template above and email provided but I haven’t heard back at all. Would you recommend me resending the email?
Thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No – phone them up and ask why you haven’t had a reply – It may have been posted to you and got lost in the post.
Danielle says
Great template, Sara. I’m just draughting mine out now. A quick couple of questions, if I may?
On a couple of occasions, I myself, requested the overdraft to be increased. Is this an issue? I can remember it increasing without me asking a couple of times too.
Also, what is best to put in the subject box? Any preferred sentence for maximum visibility.
Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It doesn’t matter if you asked for the increase, the bank still has to are the same check that it’s affordable.
Subject – Overdraft affordability complaint
J says
Want to say a huge thanks I used your template I changed dates and added in my personal details name ect to complain to Barclays about an overdraft. I was refunded the last 6 years of charges within 10 days of my complaint. They asked to call me but I asked to keep everything over email and they had no problem with that.
I also complained to newday about an increase in credit card however they have still not even responded other than an initial confirmation of my complaint.. I will now be taking it to the financial ombudsman.
AK says
so i have been in my Santander, nationwide and monzo overdrafts since a grad , and at times managed to just about make a full payment, but I am constantly having to go back into overdraft as my financial situation has always been difficult. I’ve been supporting family members but I can honestly say i haven’t been frugal either, plus having bipolar disorder can take me off the rails. I earn around 3.7k monthly but accumulated a few debts along the way to pay for living expenses so it doesn’t cover the tons of debts I have (I also have cc debts). Monzo recently increased my overdraft from 2k to 3k after requesting but nationwide rightfully rejected me. Aqua also increased my credit limit. I once tried to close my santander overdraft after having a brief period where I didn’t have to support anyone, but the app wouldn’t let me do so. I tried to do a debt consolidation loan with mycommunitybank which has only made things worse as the interest is ridiculous. I don’t know if I can still claim a refund since my income may seem too big, and I pay into the monzo overdraft regularly. do you have any advise?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Who are these family members that you are supporting, are they living with you? Abroad?
AK says
they live both here and abroad
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So this may be hard if a lot of your money was paid to family members, but it sounds like the my community bank loan should not have been given, so i suggest you complain about that and send that to the ombudsman if its turned down.
How long ago was the Aqua credit limit increase and how large?
CC says
Hello,
I had an overdraft for 10 years, it was initially a student over draft for the first 2 and then I could not get out of it with RBS.
I took out a loan to repay the overdraft over time in Jan 2024 – this loan also came from RBS so it will be viable on my accounts this is what I used it for.
Can I still complain about the overdraft and additionally have I been mis-sold a loan, can I add this to my complaint?
Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes you can complain about the overdraft. Expect RBS to reject this so it will have to go to the ombudsman.
The loan – has repaying it caused you difficulty?
CC says
Thanks for the response. Have people had success by going through the ombudsman with RBS?
I have had no issues with the repayments on the loan, it will continue until Jan 2027. It was used to consolidate the overdraft debt with 2 small credit cards.
Over the years of the overdraft my credit score has fallen hugely with missed payments on credit commitments such as a default on an account, missed payments for credit cards, sofa repayment etc.
The other thing I would like to check is does the impact my credit score in any way?
Thanks again
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If repaying the RBS consolidation loan hasnt been a problem its unlikely you would win an affordability complaint about it.
What debt did you get a default for and when ? And the missed payments?
Read this about credit scores https://debtcamel.co.uk/affordability-complaint-credit-record-faqs/
Bex says
I’ve had a message from Lloyds regarding my overdraft complaint and they want to call me to discuss. Has anyone had experience in them calling and what they might possibly ask so I can be prepared? Many thanks
Rebecca says
Hey, I’m waiting an outcome and would be interested to no this also, If they do call would you mind posting back here with what they say?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Banks sometimes do this. It’s not good or bad news, it seems random.
if they start asking questions and you aren’t sure what to say, just say you aren’t good on the phone and can they ask in writing.
Same if they make you an offer or say they are rejecting your complaint -ask them to put it in writing so you can think about it.
But if the idea makes you very anxious just say you would rather not talk on the phone as you find it hard to concentrate
Jamie says
Hi,
When did you send the original complaint may i ask?
Bex says
I sent my original complaint on the 12th May, I had a text saying they will respond by 7th July and then on the 6th of July I had a text to say it’s taking longer than expected they will respond by the 4th August. And I’m now waiting for a written response. I did send a complaint to the FOS on 7th July just to speed up that process as they seem to be taking their time.
Dan j says
Hi my current overdraft is -2800, Lloyds have offered £966 after 5 months of waiting (been in an overdraft for 8 years) They’ve also stated I need to clear my overdraft before 1st august and they’re not going to allow me to have one. Even when my wage goes in I’ll be in a much worse position with some bills surely to bounce after the 1st. Can they do this?
Any replies would be appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The 966 – what years is this a refund for?
Do you have another bank account you can switch to? What is your credit score like?
Dan j says
Jan 2020 to jan 2025 they say they won’t refund before are after then something about 3 and 5 year rules, I am using the FOS but don’t know how long they will take to reply and if they will have an answer before the 1st, I do have another bank I don’t use too often, would you suggest swapping my bills and income into there? My ClearScore is 760/1000 so not too bad.
I am waiting on a reply from the FOS who are investigating it so I might get a better offer but I’m not sure how long this will take.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes I suggest swapping your income and bills to your other account now.
£966 seems a low refund for 5 years if your balance is 2800? It is an average of only about £17 a month. Was your overdraft a lot smaller or used a lot less a while back?
Dan j says
It has varied over the years, I would’ve thought it would be more, what happens to the overdraft left in the account?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you go back and look at your back statements? And literally make a list of what interest and charges you paid in each month. This does sound very low
the remaining overdraft becomes and unarranged overdraft and you need to treat it as a debt, making a payments of at least the amount they charge you each month in interest, preferably more as the interest is so high.
Vik says
I have just had a Nationwide overdraft affordability complaint denied.
I have been in my £1000 over draft for over 3 years and very rarely come out of it.
They say that at the time of issuing me the overdraft and subsequent increases, I passed all financial checks.
They also put…
“Repeat Usage Letters were issued over the years, and attempts were made to contact you regarding your overdraft usage, in line with CONS 6.3.”
Would it be worth taking this to the ombudsman? Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how much have you paid in overdraft charges in the last couple of years?
Do you have other debts as well, as often an overdraft is a symptom of a bigger problem
Vik says
Over the last 15 months I’ve paid just over £350 in charges. I do have CC debts too. 2 cards have just upheld my irresponsible lending complaints.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is quite a low amount paid, and 3 years isn’t very long.
As you have won a couple of credit card complaints, is you finacial situation improved so your overdraft usage will drop?
Jess says
Hello,
I have sent two separate emails to Halifax and HSBC, HSBC have responded instantly to say they won’t be taking my complaint any further as they believe the £2,500 was affordable at the time. At the time I had another credit card (£1.5k) at limit constantly and paying interest every month and also constantly in overdraft.
What should I do now? I stated those points in my initial complaint. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send it to the Ombudsman to look at
Lewis says
Hi, Firstly many thanks for the template and advice above it has been invaluable in helping me get this sorted.
I have had a response from Santander, they insisted on calling me and they have offered an amount of £750. I asked for this to be put in writing so I can have a chance to assess and think on whether to accept this or not as. The complaint handler that called me advised that the money is already being transferred and my overdraft adjusted. He also told me I would receive a letter with details on the amount refunded and details related to financial support regarding the matter.
While I’m not completely dissatisfied with the offer I am keen to know how they came to the amount refunded as this wasn’t particularly well explained over the phone and I’m left feeling unsure if I’ve done the right thing here – the money has now hit my account and I have no idea what this letter will contain and when it will get to me. Santander have been so far insistent that they won’t communicate by email, their online web chat function is also really not very good.
Does anyone have any advice on what I do from here?
Many thanks in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Come back when you see what the letter says? If they have offered you exactly £750, how did they arrive at that number? If it was 736.40, how many years are they refunding charges for, and do you feel that is reasonable?
Lewis says
The exact number was £764.54. I do feel that number is on the low side given that the overdraft balance was sat at £2200 for at least the last 2 years and crept up to that point over the last 5, which I did make clear in my complaint. By them sending a letter it feels to me like they are trying to close off communication regarding the issue. Do you think I would need to open a new complaint if I do not feel their justification for their offer is reasonable? It seems they are making it difficult for me to respond to their offer by giving it verbally over the phone and justifying it in a letter. Is this a common thing banks do in these cases?
Thank you for your response.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There is no point in trying to get a bank to change their mind. If you don’t think the offer is reasonable, send the case to the ombudsman when you get the letter.
It may help if you go back and add up from your bank statements how much interest you have paid in each of the last few years.
Harvey says
Hello,
I have had an overdraft with Barclays for 10 years or so, started at 900, increased over time to 3250, I’ve been paying charge and fees of around 75-85 every month for around a decade, I’ve never once had a salary that would mean I could pay this back,
I’ve put in a complaint, do you think I have a chance at a refund of the charges ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That sounds like a good complaint to make. You may only get a refund for the last 6 years but even 3 would be a good result for you!
Alex says
Hi Sara,
Firstly thank you so much for this information i appreciate it.
I received this from santander yesterday,
“Thank you for contacting us about your concerns.
Email isn’t a secure way of contacting us. It’s important that your personal details aren’t put at risk. Please don’t send any personal or sensitive information by email.
We want to put things right for you. We have logged your issue on this occasion, and you should expect to receive a call. In future, it is safer to contact us using one of the options below”
Was just concerned as i work full time and I dont want to miss the call, should I call them, I emailed them back to this,
“Thank-you for taking the time to contact us.
To help ensure that your personal information is kept safe and that we answer your query as quickly as possible this mailbox is no longer available, and you will find alternative ways to contact us detailed below.
Any emails or replies to this message will not receive a response.”
Thanks, Alex.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do they have your correct home address
Ale says
Sorry what I wrote above is mis-leading, i meant when i replied to them “i work full time can we do this over email I dont want too miss the communication”, the email they sent back to me was them saying there mailbox is no longer available find other ways to contact us bellow.
Should I call them or just wait for them to call and hopefully take the call, its only been a week and they got back to me with the original email within the fist week.
Sorry for confusion.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Just wait for them to call and say it isn’t convenient to talk at work
Mish says
Hi, i received a call and email from HSBC noting they will not be going further with my complained for the reasons you stated eg. Not having records for more than 6 years ago and my salary bringing me back out of it every month, even though I was on zero hour contracts often. Do I have a chance with FOS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how long out of the overdraft are you typically each month – a couple of days or a couple of weeks?
Mish says
It can really depend but I’d say back in within a couple of weeks usually. When I was earning a lot less for sure often within a few days.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
can you look back at your bank statements and find out how much you have been chrged each month, so you can see what you paid in the last few years? in the last 6 years?
Sian says
I’d like to thank debt camel!! From your template I emailed Vanquis bank to make an affordability complaint. They rejected me initially and quite quickly so I got the financial ombudsman involved. They were very helpful and sent an email to Vanquis including all my information. They got back to me a few weeks later explaining they’re sorry for any distress and I’m getting my interest that I paid back, totalling £2700! I couldn’t have been happier with your template and for making it so easy!
Bc says
Just a heads up for anyone else raised a complaint to Halifax bank for their overdraft, I submitted mine four weeks ago, and received two text messages since then, I’ve emailed but got no response, so I called yesterday and apparently there’s a backlog (which Sara did say about) but the lady said it’s not been allocated to a case manager yet, but when it is I’ll be receiving a telephone call but if it gets to,8 weeks they will text me to let me know what is happening.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have been suggesting that people wait until 12 weeks before going to FOS. But there is no sign of Lloyds/Halifax getting on top of this backlog… a lot of people have now been waiting 4 months…
I now think you should consider going to FOS at the 8 week point. The bank will crry on with the complaint and if they make you a decent offer you can tell FOS you want to accept it
L says
Mine has been with them 10 weeks now. I’m giving them the 12 weeks (9th August) and then going to the FOS.
charlotte says
Hello, who would i go to about Klana?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can’t make an affordability complaint about klarna’s “pay in 3” debts – they aren’t regulated.
How much difficulty are you in with them and what other debts do you have? Klarna debts can be included in a debt management plan
Rachel says
Hi,
I used your template to contact RBS. After waiting a week they have replied saying that they don’t agree with my complaint, because they sent me automated emails over the last few months saying that I have been in my overdraft and that they can provide “support” and I didn’t respond to them. I have been in my overdraft almost constantly since I opened the account in 2017. It was a student account until about 2 years ago but the overdraft limit has increased and it is now £4000. I’m full time enjoyed but I still can’t get out of it. What should I do now?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send it to the Ombudsman!
But a refund for only 2 years isn’t going to clear a 4k overdraft… do you have other debts as well?
Rachel says
Yes, unfortunately I’ve got credit cards and loans which we had to take out for IVF which is why it is so hard to stay out of my overdraft.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
have you looked into affordability complaints about those too? They are the root cause of your difficulty, the overdraft is only a symptom
Rachel says
I haven’t yet. They are all with different lenders and to be honest I was scared they would just refuse to lend to us again if I complained. We’ve been managing to do balance transfers to stay out of paying interest for the most part. But the minimum payments themselves are a lot to pay off each month.
One thing I’ve noticed about my overdraft is that my current account statements still say student current account. I don’t know if this helps or worsens my case. I didn’t notify them that I wasn’t a student anymore but I assumed it would revert automatically after a certain time period and they’ve never asked me to provide anything to confirm I was still a student. However my banking app states that I actually have a select account, not a student account. Presumably they changed this at the same time they started charging me. But I can’t find any correspondence notifying me of the change or that I would start paying interest. They started charging interest since April 2023. I’ve paid £1150 in interest since then.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“I was scared they would just refuse to lend to us again if I complained.”
You are probably close to that point anyway if you are struggling to pay the minimums. Look at complaints now about the loans, if if you have paid little or no interest on the cards.
I think you need to talk to stepchange about a debt management plan for this overdraft and all the cards and loans. You can’t keep shuffling 0% debt where you aren’t able to really overpay it. You need to get out of this cycle,.
Then getting a refund for the overdraft will reduce the DMP balances so it will end sooner.
https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx
Karen says
I am going to send a complaint & was wondering if you think I also have grounds for extra compensation on top of overdraft charges being reimbursed. My student overdraft was accepted for my 1yr masters degree – allowing me to make increases for 3 years up to the value of £2000. After Covid hit, I struggled with my finances and continued to increase my overdraft year on year, and was maxed out pretty much the whole time due to struggles with my mental health and employment. Lloyds increased the value to £2000, no questions asked. Charges started in 2023 (Jan) & I have spoken to two people on two separate occasions regarding hardship. The outcome of which on both occasions was to refund 1 month & to put a hold on the account for 3 months. In order to get this, I had to go through a series of humiliating questions relating to my mental health. Therefore they are aware of my neurodiversity & vulnerabilities. One of the people on the phone was very insensitive & caused me distress by making assumptions around my condition.
Once those 3 month periods were up I received letters explaining the charges were coming back, even though my financial situation was the same & they were aware of my struggles/disabilities. I have been bubbling around the -£2000 mark ever since, with no one checking in & offering any sort of help. Due to the humiliating nature of trying to get those pauses put back in place, I have been putting up with the charges ever since. I recently received a text explaining that the interest was about to increase on the 1st of August. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Not in work still, have a Lloyds credit card that I have been over the 50% limit of for the last 6 months, they have been aware of my struggles since the charges first started in Jan 2023. I have a loan with DWP, owe a £1200 debt to council tax, and a overpayment UC debt that I have been paying off since 2022.Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you urgently need to talk to a debt adviser about the council tax and other debts. And you need to ask Lloyds to freeze interest on the overdraft and credit card until the council tax debt – which is a priority – is cleared. The best people to talk to are probably your loacl Citizens Advice. they can also talk to you about benefits.
With charges only starting in 2003 and having had a a couple of 3 month holds, you are not going to get a large refund as you havent paid that much in charges on the overdraft, not likely to be close to 2000. You can try asking for extra compansation, but my guess is that at some point lloyds will have suggested you should take debt advice.
Karen says
Hi Sara,
Thanks for the advice. I have worked out a payment plan with CT, and the DWP debts are coming out of my UC allowance. I think the total charges are £170 for my overdraft so far – not a huge amount, but will help take the load off a little if I can get that refunded, and especially if I can get the charges on the account paused for the next 24months while I pay off the CT debt. Do you think a complaint would still be the best avenue to take, or shall I talk to them first and ask them to reimburse charges, hoping they will in good faith?
Cheers
Sara (Debt Camel) says
A refund sounds nice but really the reimbursement of £170 would make no practical difference to your current situation. lloyds is very slow at dealing with these complaints at the moment, you would be looking at 4 months or more and a result at the end that means lloyds may give you back a tiny bit but would remove the unaffordable overdraft .
Instead I think you need to move your banking to an account you dont have an overdraft with – do you have one open?
Move just the benefits income and any DDs you need, not the DD to the credit card.
Then when that is sorted, you need a payment arrangement now for both the overdraft and the credit card, with interest frozen and paying a token £1 a month to each until your priority debts are clear.
if you want to talk these suggestions through with a debt adviser, try Citizens Advice or phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000
Jadie says
I put a complaint in for my overdraft and loan on June 7th, they have come back to me agreeing about the overdraft but will only go back to July 2020, they have said they will take the overdraft away and refund charges, does that mean the refund will be used to clear the overdraft? They haven’t given me an amount, and have said that I will be told the amount on the day they remove the overdraft which is on the 18th August, regards to my loan they said it has passed the time, I think it was 2018, and also I didn’t complain in time, but I only recently found out I could complain, they have also said that my loan was written off, which it wasn’t I ended up lending money from family to finish paying it as I was struggling with it all the time.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
which bank is this?
when was the loan cleared?
Jadie says
I am with tsb, in the email it says the loan was charged off in 2021.. I believe charged off means they wrote it off, but that’s not the case.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes that is its normal meaning. Send the loan complaint to the Ombudsman now and say the loan was not charged off, you had to borrow from family to clear it. Also get your bank statements for the 3 months before and 3 months after the start date of the loan as FOS will want them.
re the overdraft, TSB I think has an annual statement of the overdraft charges? If you can see these, add up what the refund is likely to be. People getting a 5 year refund normally find it clears the overdraft amount, but you need to know this
Dan says
Having come across the website recently I used your template for a complaint against HSBC for overdraft interest. After around 4 weeks they have gotten back to me today to advise they have acted responsibly and won’t be furthering my complaint. Brief overview, I had around £4000 overdraft from around 2015-2018 which was then cleared via family due to me very much struggling with my bills. Many times during these years I was over my overdraft limit and subsequently charged overdraft fees for going over and standard overdraft fees. Due to my irresponsible spending over these years I managed to again get an overdraft agreement again through HSBC, this time for £4500. I have since moved this down to £4000 but I’m still at my limit on most months. They said they wouldn’t be looking to refund me any charges because some months they refunded the payments (I had no choice but to call about this as the OD interest payments actually took me over my OD limit). Although they were able to refund me on occasion, I still think it is inappropriate lending from them, especially since they allowed me to rack up an overdraft to the same level barely a year after it was cleared. I did mention they FCA to them, do you think this is now the best route?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So your recent overdraft borrowing has been 2019/2020 – present day?
roughly how many months were refunded?
Did HSBC never talk to you about your options when giving you these refunds?
What other debts do you also have?Are you behind on any bills? How much is your income that is paid into this account?
Dan says
That is correct, 2019 to present day. They have since sent me a complaint closure email advising they refunded me on 5 occasions and did not charge me interest from December 2024 to May 2025. The most recent ‘freeze’ was due to me going through affordability with their finance team who agreed I did not have enough incoming to pay the interest at that time. They referred me to Step Change.
My income is 1960 per month, I have debts including loads that are debited out of this bank account which they are well aware of and actually mentioned in their latest email. I’m not behind on any bills thankfully but I simply don’t have enough left to reduce my overdraft each month.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Their suggestion of going to Stepchange was helpful. I think you should do that as well as sending this complaont to the ombudsman.
What are your other debts and have you also made complaints about those?
Robbie says
Hi
I had a similar complaint, £1500 overdraft for 20+ years and other debts. HSBC also didn’t agree and had refunded a couple of small charges. I went to the ombudsman but the investigator agreed with HSBC so now I’m waiting for the ombudsman.
Charlie says
Hi, I complained to NatWest for my student overdraft lent to me in 2016 which I am still in £1000 of. The ombudsman has come back asking : Why did you only bring this complaint to the business in June 2025, When did you first realise that you were struggling financially, When you were first struggling to make the payments, who did you think was responsible for your financial situation, Were there any exceptional circumstances that caused delays in raising your complaint?
I’m not sure if there is a correct way to answer these questions please? I didn’t know I could make affordability complaint and also didn’t know I could ask the bank for help in interest charges
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Two points to start
1) don’t ask ChatGPT to help, unless you already have detailed replies. It comes up with nice sounding but vague replies that could have come from anyone! But the investigator at the Ombudsman is interested in the details of your situation
2) the investigator is asking this to decide whether FOS can back over 6 years. At this stage they are not trying to decide if your complaint should be upheld so don’t complicate your replies with a lot of details about why Natwest should have known earlier and offered help – all probably true but they just get in the way of this look at the time bar situation.
So the following is some points to think about. Some won’t be relevant for you, others will need changing for your case. And you can use your own words but these give you a feel for the sort of things to put in answer to which question.
Why did you only bring this complaint to the business in June 2025
Explain how and when you found out about affordability complaints. There are no wrong answers, just try to give some specifics if possible. Some examples:
– “In February this year I saw an account on TikTok mentioning getting refunds from overdrafts that were too high (name the account if you can remember) and they referred to @debtcamel on Instagram. From there I found the Debt Camel website whoich explained that a bank has to make annual checks that an overdraft is affordable. I didn’t think NatWest could have been doing that so I made a complaint in month/year.”
– “I saw an advert from a claims company on Instagram about affordability complaints in month/year. That was the first I had heard of these, but googling took me to the Debt Camel website which had a free template letter to use.”
When did you first realise that you were struggling financially
I didn’t think about my overdraft at all until NatWest started charging me interest in about [year.] Even then it seemed a necessity, as I needed the overdraft to get through the month.
If Natwest increased the overdraft after they were charging interest, mention this and say it seemed helpful
If you had other debts such as loans or credit cards that felt more pressing, because the overdraft fees were deducted, but you had to make the payments to the other debts and the other debts were increasing, say this [many people feel this, but some think it’s weird, don’t say it if it isn’t right for you]
When you were first struggling to make the payments, who did you think was responsible for your financial situation?
I thought my debts were my own problem, caused by all my borrowing and the fact my income after graduating hasn’t been great.
I had some difficult/expensive life events as well including having a reduced income because of furlough over covid, having a baby in 2022, losing my job in 2019, etc etc. It was hard to manage these, but that felt like my fault for not being better with budgeting and money.
If you had a gambling problem mention this.
Were there any exceptional circumstances that caused delays in raising your complaint?
I complained immediately/within a few weeks/a couple of months after finding out that Natwest had done something wrong.
Things its best NOT to say.
Don’t talk about why Natwest should not have let you have the overdraft as a student (irrelevant, affordability only applies after interest is being charged, all student overdrafts are unaffordable!) or complain that the interest rate was too high (you were told what it was, you won’t win a complaint about this), or say why they should have seen you were in difficulty in [year] (probably true but that isn’t what these questions from the investigator are about, so its a red herring). Stick to the simple line – I blamed myself for over spending or poor money management, only when I found out in [year] about affordability complaints did it occur to me that Natwest were partly to blame.
Eva says
Hi there, I just had a quick question, I’ve just logged a complaint with bank of Scotland regarding an overdraft I’ve had since I was 18 in 2019, the overdraft is currently at £2,300 and I don’t think I’ve been out of it at all in about 3 years. Recently I went into an unarranged overdraft with the same account because of unemployment, and to get me out of the unarranged amount the bank refunded me £100 of recent interest payments. Will this affect my claim for a larger amount with the complaint? I’m worried the bank say they already noticed I was struggling and offered some help and so they can’t do anymore, however I feel they should definitely be obliged to offer a bit more as I’ve been paying at least £40-£60 in interest every month since I was 20. Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can I ask what other debts you have?
And how old are you now?
Eva says
I just have a credit card with Amex which has a limit of £1400 which is maxed currently
I’m 24 now, does age make a difference in successful complaint?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Age doesn’t but how long go the debt started does.
In your situation a refund isn’t likely to clear the overdraft. Andreally you need the interest stopped on it and on the Amex. With only 2 creditors you can ask them both for a payment plan and to freeze interest or talk to StepChange bout a small debt management plan
Winning any money back from this overdraft or Amex (have you complained to them?) will speed up getting the debts repid
Alana says
Hi Sara I’m just writing to ask you, I have filled the overdraft complaint to hsbc saying what started out as a student overdraft back in 2010 has changed to a interest overdraft over the years and I haven’t been able to afford it. They have rang and said they can’t do anything until I have done an affordability plan with them and they will refund this month interest as goodwill. Is this correct? Do I have to do the affordability with them first before they go further with the complaint? Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
no this isn’t right, send this complaint to the Ombudsman if you have been in the overdraft for all or nearly all of the month for a long while.
It may be that you also need help with frozen interest right now – talk to Stepchange about this for the overdraft and your other debts. https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx
sarah says
HSBC have responded to me today like this:
Having reviewed your complaint in full, I am unable to agree to an error or to irresponsible lending. These are the reasons I’ve taken into consideration for my decision: - Your limit was available for you to see in your Online Banking and Mobile Banking app, so you had the opportunity to contact us at any time to decrease it if it was not suitable.
– You are responsible for your account and your overdraft, and agreed you’ll managed it according to the T&Cs. This included keeping the balance without going over the limit and for the overall the use of your account and overdraft.
– We have sent you communications over the years about your overdraft and the charges and interest for it. The information is also available in our website.
– We have been monitoring your account, and as a responsible lender, we reduced your overdraft on 20/6/24 after completing a review of the usage of it.
– Your charges were correctly applied as per T&C’s.
I don’t know whether to give up or go to the ombudsman – for info I am in my overdraft all month every month and they are saying my application has exceeded the limit basically because I’ve had my bank account since 1997 and it has morphed over the years, through student account, graduate etc.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send this to the Ombudsman now. You may only get a refund fro the last 6 years, but HSBC have offered you nothing
AJ says
Dear Sara,
Thank you for what you do and all the online support you provide to people.
You supported me with my OD with Lloyds bank, I used your OD template from your page.
Although I waited over 8 weeks for a final response I had regular texts from Lloyds to say they was still dealing with it. I asked the bank to stop my daily interest fees and this was done, I then complained using the template & they froze the daily fees for 3 months whilst actioning my complaint.
Start of July I spoke with a complaints manager further about my situation and they was really supportive and helpful.
Today I received a letter explaining my complaint and I was refunded £2711 as they agreed with my complaint and I also received an extra £250 for distress and inconvenience.
I’m so happy with this and can now say my OD is now closed!!!
Thank you again Sara, you’re a real star!!