Debt Camel

Answers to questions about debts and credit ratings - in plain English!

PPI – does new legal action mean you can still get a refund?

In 2017, the FCA imposed a deadline of August 2019 for PPI claims that could be taken to the Financial Ombudsman.

That deadline has now passed and you now can’t start a new PPI complaint with a lender and take it to the Ombudsman.

But there are still some court cases being brought to get PPI refunds.

These are being brought following a Supreme Court judgment in 2014 on the Plevin v Paragon Personal Finance case – you may hear this referred to as just Plevin.

A very brief summary is that the sales of PPI often involved the insurance companies paying the lenders astonishingly high levels of commission, some over 80%, without the borrower being aware of this when they signed up to the insurance. The court decided that this was so high that it gave rise to an unfair relationship between the consumer and the lender.

In autumn 2023, a legal firm called Harcus Parker has over 300,000 people signed up to make a group claim on a no win, no fee basis. Martin Lewis says “This lawsuit may well be re-opening the door to PPI“.

Should you sign up to this group claim? You won’t be able to get any more money back if you have already had a “full” PPI refund.

But if you missed the deadline to make a claim OR your claim was rejected OR you received a ‘tipping point’ offer (partial compensation on the basis of having not been told about high levels of PPI commission) then you may be able to get a refund.

See MSE’s article New PPI legal action: Could you reclaim £1,000s? which looks at this in detail.

It also explains that also this is a no win, no fee group claim, there is still some possible risk if you join it. Read the MSE article and make your own mind up as you may decide that risk is very small.

More Debt Camel articles:
scam email

A scam email to scare you into an IVA

refund sign in neon letters

Get refunds for unaffordable lending

No credit checks for new mortgage fixes?

Comments

  1. Chantelle Bernsen says

    Hello Debt Camel I am after some advice on a PPI claim I have with Debenhams which Santander, the account ran from 1995 to 2000. Following a PPI claim they paid me £365 but said that they could not pay me 8% interest as they did not have accurate information on the account anymore as to the balance it amount, but could confirm that PPI was applied.

    If this correct? If a company upholds a complaint that they missold ppi should the statutory 8% be granted regardless? Santander have also said that the FOS would agree with this ?

    I would welcome your comments, I can send you a copy of the letter if you would like it.

  2. David says

    Hello Sara, I’ve been using your payday loan pages quite frequently of late but have also just had a successful PPI claim from welcome finance honoured by fscs. They have legally set off the repayment against a separate loan with WF still with 2k owed but due to financial circumstances we were already in agreement that I could only afford to repay 10 pound per month.
    So despite winning the PPI back I won’t see it in real terms. Do I have any rights to contest this as I have other more priority debts with much greater monthly repayments that I intended to hit with my refund?

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      The Ombudsman has previously said “There may be other circumstances where we might decide that a business should pay all of the compensation to the consumer. We might decide to do this, for example, where the consumer is able to demonstrate to us that they have arrears on other debts that are more serious or that pose a greater threat to them than the debt to which the PPI is attached. Another example might be where the consumer is able to show us that the other debts came about because they were paying the PPI on this debt.”

      Your “other more priority debts” – what are these? They can’t just be ones with bigger monthly payments, but are they something like rent arrears? If they are, you can try to argue this with the FSCS, citing what the FOS says. I haven’t seen this done, I don’t know how likely it is to work.

      • David says

        Oh i wouldn’t say I have priority debts then, perhaps what I meant was I have other credit commitments which are close to or over limit and I’m incurring regular fees or where i am managing the debt better the monthly reoayments are still high.
        However the loan they are setting off the refund to is a refinanced loan of the original which had PPI so I should be able to argue that if the PPI wasn’t on the original loan I wouldn’t have needed to refinance perhaps. I’ll ask, they can only clear things up I suppose.
        Thank you as always Sara.

  3. Kerry Smith says

    I have been told by MBNA who I have a claim with for miss sold PPI that they wrote to me in 2013 apparently telling I may have been miss sold PPI. Obviously had I received such a letter I would have acted, who wouldn’t! However they are saying because I didn’t reply I am now time barred from claiming. I have asked for a copy of the letter but is there anything else I can do? I feel it’s an easy cop out for them oh yes we sent you a letter so now we can keep all the money we owe you. The clerk I spoke to said the claim would have otherwise been successful

  4. PDC says

    Hi I am dubious about making a claim for a number of cards/loans that I did not settle. They are past the 6 year mark so I know they can’t legally chase me for them, one is 19 years ago! My question is, if I was mis-sold PPI and I could get a refund could they still use that refund to offset the outstanding debt from that long ago? What is the time period where the debt becomes written off?
    PDC

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      The debt is never written off. If you succeed in a PPI claim it is possible (but not certain) that the money will be used to offset the old debt.

      You may decide it’s worth making the claim – but don’t use a claims firm, otherwise you could end up with no money and still have to pay the Claims firm their fees.

  5. Nick says

    Hi,

    I have had a credit card PPI claim against MBNA rejected in March this year. Today I got my ‘Plevin’ letter and they are paying me around £9k as a result.

    I would like to take the origninal ‘rejected’ claim to the obudsman. I imagine, if I cash the ‘Plevin’ cheque and then, sometime down the line the ombudsman finds in my favour, all MBNA will do is subtract the Plevin amount from the payment the ombudsman instructs them to make? Is it that simple?

    Additionally, I would appreciate any steer on whether I have likely grounds for appeal anyway.

    I took the card out by filling in a postal form in 1996. I still have the same account open, but it has had zero balance for the last few years and the PPI was obviously cancelled when I put in the claim earleir this year, so they should have ALL my records. When I put my PPI claim in MBNA contacted me to ask additional questions about what sick pay i would have receieved, whether i had savings, insurance, access to funds via relatives etc back then. They then rejected the claim on the basis that had I needed PPI it would have been of some use. However, they did not ask those same questions when I applied for the card/PPI, so surely it was mis-sold by virtue of the fact they sold me the ‘cover’ without bothering to establish at that time if it would have been of use?

    Any advice gratefully received – many thanks!

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      “Today I got my ‘Plevin’ letter and they are paying me around £9k as a result.” wow!

      “if I cash the ‘Plevin’ cheque and then, sometime down the line the ombudsman finds in my favour, all MBNA will do is subtract the Plevin amount from the payment the ombudsman instructs them to make? Is it that simple?” I haven’t seen anyone go through this process yet. What exactly does the letter you got today say? Does it say it is in full and final settlement of any claims about PPI?

      Also when did MBNA reject your complaint, because there may have been a 6 month window to go to the Ombudsman which you may now be outside of…

  6. Nick says

    MBNA rejected me in March, but said then that they would write to me again with the Plevin result and that would be the point from which I had 6 months to claim.

    I got that Plevin letter today and it says clearly ”our original decision about PPI mis-sale stays the same” and “This is our final response to your complaint” with the usual caveat about ‘unless you have any new information’ for them to consider (I don’t).

    It also states clearly about me having 6 months from the date of the letter (25/09/17) to refer the case to the ombudsman.

    I am keen to do so and know I should send them a £10 PO for a Subject Access Request, but am a bit lost after that as how best to proceed and whether I actually have a case that I could win. I don’t care how long the ombudsman process takes, but it would be nice to enter into it with some idea about my chances.

    To my mind MBNA mis-sold me PPI because they only discovered it ‘may have been of use’ 21 years after they sold it to me, when they asked me a series of questions related to my claim. If they had asked those questions at the time of selling me the policy, they wouldn’t have needed to ask them this year when they were trying to make a judgement. Or am I being naïve?

    Once again, thanks, it is good to have somewhere that gives ‘plain’ advice!

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      I am afraid you are pioneering here… I think you should email the Ombudsman ppi@financial-ombudsman.org.uk and ask them if you can cash your Plevin cheque AND still complain about the rest of the case. I would be interested to know what the Ombudsman says.

      “To my mind MBNA mis-sold me PPI because they only discovered it ‘may have been of use’ 21 years after they sold it to me, when they asked me a series of questions related to my claim. If they had asked those questions at the time of selling me the policy, they wouldn’t have needed to ask them this year when they were trying to make a judgement. Or am I being naïve?” I wouldn’t say naive, but possibly too optimistic…

      Have you looked at MSE’s mis-selling checklist? https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/ppi-loan-insurance#checklist

  7. Nick says

    Thank you. I will certainly email the ombudsman and ask and will let you know! I guess the reply from them may take some time.

    My letter categorically does not state anywhere that I should advise them of my intention to refer the case before they send me the cheque. Nor do they state I cannot cash the cheque AND later refer to the ombudsman, which, surely they would be under legal obligation to do if that were the case?

    I would be happy to send you a copy (photo) of the letter (with all identifying details removed!). It is SPECTACULAR. For a letter, the primary purpose of which is to advise you of a payment they are making to you, nowhere does it actually state this. You’re left to work that out for yourself, so my £9,045 figure may be wrong, it’s hard to tell!

    They have clearly spent some time designing a piece of communication to cause maximum confusion by obfuscation and intentional poor presentation, yet still (I imagine) comply with the regulations governing such a letter. Their legal team must have worked hours on the final format. They clearly detest having to issue these letters and have designed one of the worst pieces of communication I have seen in a while.

    Once again, many thanks and let me know if you’d like that photo.

  8. Helen says

    Hi, I had an Egg card back in the early days (opened July 1995) which was transferred to Barclays when they bought part of that business. The card absolutely did have PPI on it, and I am sure that its not something I selected (I applied online). However I did use it when I was made redundant in 2004 (although I didn’t have to thanks to a generous redundancy package, but given I felt I’d paid through the nose for it I used it for a grand total of 1 payment!). This card is still in use (it is now a barclaycard), although I removed PPI from it some years ago when I became aware that I could.

    I have 2 questions:

    1. I have been knocked back by barclaycard, they sent a “screenshot” of my application that was clearly not as screenshot! Can I start from scratch again with them having now ploughed through the reams of info I got from a SAR

    2. Does the Plevin rule apply here as the account is so old (even though its still in use, I’m fairly sure that I turned off the PPI around 2005 but will double check the info I have)

    Many thanks

    Helen

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Plevin only applies if the account was open after 2008, sorry.

      If you think the SAR information you got disproves what Barclaycard said, I suggest starting a new application. the MSE PPI forums are very good and are a better place to ask these questions!

      • Helen says

        Thanks for the quick reply – Found the blurb on Plevin ambiguous so wasn’t sure!

        Worth noting it was opened in Nov 2000 not as stated above!! My bad.

  9. Helen says

    Hi Sara,

    I have put in a couple of PPI claims and payday loan claims and will be putting whatever I get towards clearing debt. I was hoping to get lump sums so I could offer full and final settlements for my 4 unpaid defaults. (I am making small payments toward these monthly but they have still got large amounts outstanding.)

    I had a letter from Shop Direct yesterday saying they have upheld my claim and that I am owed £1,389 for PPI, interest, charges and simple interest.

    They also wrote that they have given this to Lowell who manages the debt I had from this account. The account defaulted at £1,754. The small payments I had made towards it has brought the balance down to £1,613 so I now still owe them £224.

    I have another debt with Lowell swell at £351 and I feel like if they had given me the money, then I might have been able to clear both of these.

    However, fair enough though. It’s their money.

    What I am thinking now is;
    1. Is there a point in phoning Lowell now and ask them if they accept this as full and final settlement for both loans?
    2. Have I got a case in arguing that the default was unfair, and that it was the PPI and charges that made it unaffordable and subsequently making me default?

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Well done for the PPI reclaim!

      It’s annoying that you didn’t get the cash, but this is what normally happens. At least with this debt gone, you can use other refunds to clear more of your other debts.

      1. probably not. If you want to try, ask Lowell if they will accept this as final settlement for the Shop Direct account, but I doubt it’s worth mentioning the other one.
      2. no. If the PPI claim had been a lot more than the defaulted amount, perhaps, but I have never seen anyone succeed with this. But as the PPI award was less then the defaulted amount, I don’t think this is worth trying.

  10. Jim says

    Hi I’ve put in for a ppi claim going back to apron 2006, I’ve done it now not thinking the debt was sold to lowell however has been long time statute barred or long time unenforceable ccj can’t quite remember will it make the debt enforcable again or remind lowell of the ccj and if it were from ccj this wasn’t enforced and just dropped off my file anyway

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      A debt that is statute barred will always remain so. If it was unenforceable for done other reason by now it is also likely to be statute barred! If there was a CCJ then it can only be enforced with permission from the court which is VERY rare and this won’t be affected by a PPI reclaim.

      HOWEVER it is possible that any PPI refund will be used to clear the debt, not paid to you. I hope you haven’t used a claims company because if you have and the PPI is set off against the debt you will still owe the claims company their fees :(

  11. Lorr says

    Hi, I applied for a credit card with the nationwide online in 2005, I tried to claim ppi back a few years ago however they said that as I had applied online I had accepted the PPI myself though I honestly cant remember ticking any boxes. At the time I was on medication for depression so never complained to the Ombudsman, is it worthwhile asking them to re look at the complaint?

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Yes it is – even if they still reject your mis-selling complaint you may be eligible for a partial refund (called a “Plevin” refund).

  12. David gobey says

    Hello again Sara
    I put a claim through to capital one last Saturday thru Resolver for “Plevin” commission as I had lost a case against ppi against them twice last year ,within a day they emailed me back and within 5 days they had sent me a cheque for £645, even though I owe 1300 on the card it came straight to me not off the card balance which was a bonus,so if any of you have failed to get ppi off capital one or other ppi cases try this you may be surprised , I was so surprised that I had this result in only five days

    Dave G

    • Maria says

      That’s great news. I also filled in the commission based ppi form on capital ones website last week. With the interest owed I got more than I was expecting as I didn’t have the card all that long. My original claim was turned down a few years ago as they had a call script saying I’d agreed.
      I got £178 – they did use this to reduce my balance but I’m happy as it’s a step closer to debt free!
      I hope as many people as possible realise they can put in this claim before the deadline arrives.

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          This year a new type of PPI complaint is being approved – where there was a very high commission paid on the PPI which you weren’t told about. These are sometimes called “Plevin” complaints after the legal case. See the article above for details.

          You may be able to win a commission based complaint even if a PPI complaint was previously rejected.

          • Maria says

            What Sara said :-)
            If you’ve been turned down before it’s worth re-asking as with Capital One they were not automatically contacting customers if their original complaint was over 2 years ago. Capital One have a simple form ready to fill in on their website for this specific complaint- other lenders might not so it might be a letter needed there but it’s all in Sara’s article she mentions above.
            Goid luck

  13. Nick says

    I had a letter from rbos with regards to my mint credit card. I had it back in 1999 onwards and had a credit limit of 7500. I had ppi on it and cancelled it in 2004. I pretty much kept to my credit limit all the time. The rbos have informed me that I may be due back some money from high commission ppi? Any ideas of any ball park figures ?

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      It’s as long as a piece of string – sorry it depends how much you used your card AND what the level of commission paid was. Because it was so long ago the statutory 8% simple interest added to the refund may well be large. Definitely worth claiming for if RBS are asking if you want to make a complaint.

      • Nick says

        My balance remained pretty much at the limit of 7500 for much of the time… Took it out in 2004, ended 2009.

  14. Rachel says

    This is quite embarrassing really; how unaware I was when I was young!! A good few years ago I had a small £500 loan with Everyday loans and they added PPI to the loan. I was struggling to pay my bills and the rep asked me to go into branch so I could sort something out with my repayments.. she advised me to take a further loan of £2000 to consolidate some of my other debt together with my previous loan and again PPI was added.. Some months later I got into problems again due to me coming out of work unexpectedly and was struggling to keep up with the payments.. At this point a rep at EDL suggested I remove the PPI to bring down my monthly payments (I clearly didn’t understand what this PPI was back then!) .. About 2 years ago I sent an email to EDL loans attempting to claim the PPI back with my argument of what had happened – why something that was meant to be of help to me in my situation back then did not and instead was taken off… However I had a reply from them declining stating that I had signed the paperwork and therefore I agreed to the PPI being added to the loan.. Do you think this is worth pursuing again.. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Definitely.Even if your mis-selling complaint is rejected you may still get a “Plevin” payout because of high commission as the article above says.

  15. Brittany says

    Hello
    I’ve just received a letter from RBS regarding a previous attempt of claiming PPI which had been rejected. This time they are saying that I may be eligible for a commission only (Plevin) compensation. But I have no idea what to say as to why I’m claiming again for something else on the same PPI complaint. Does anyone have any winning ideas? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      A simple “I would like you to reconsider my case” is probably enough. If you want to be more specific, “I would like you to reconsider my PPI complaint in the light of the FCA’s rules on high undisclosed commission.”

  16. Janet says

    Shop Direct have upheld my PPI complaint and are refunding PPI premiums totalling £377 plus interest and fees from 05/2006 to 05/2008. I have received their calculation and the 8% interest is £1.12 ? I have queried this with them to be told it’s due done by a calculator and they don’t pay the interest on the premiums. I thought that I would get 8% on the £377 but I must have misunderstood.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      This sounds very wrong – send your complaint to the ombudsman as they haven’t calculated this correctly. the 8% is 8% per year since you paid the PPI premiums so it will add up to a lot.

    • ian boyle says

      By law they must give you 8% if they don’t write to them telling them to reconsider or you will escalate the matter to the next level

  17. Maxine says

    Put a claim in to mbna 4 weeks ago, I had previously applied for ppi with a claims mgt company and lost but got £700 back for charges so didn’t expect any luck as I also mentioned claim high commission (Plevin) , they sent me a letter last week saying it’s being looked at and today they have said it’s been upheld , they are not admitting the missale of it but after tax they are sending me a cheque for £3380 , they also said they brought the account of alliance and Leicester in 2004 and I had already had the account for 3’years with alliance and Leicester , they say they have informed them and I would also be getting a payment from santander for the first 3 years from 2001-2004 so not sure how much I will get from them , but so so happy, thanks to Sara and this website

  18. vickie9 says

    Hi all,
    I’ve received a letter from M&S to say that they don’t find in my favour because I signed the box for PPI. They are right i did sign the box which I think was a postal application, but I signed any box that they asked of me just so I could get another credit card. At the time I wasn’t in a good place and just wanted to transfer balances on any new card that came along.

    I took the card out in 2004, they have said they are willing to pay me £103.17 for the lender not disclosing commission. Is it best to just settle for this? They haven’t provided me with a statement so not sure whether to accept or to challenge it.

  19. Sarah says

    Hello please advise, I have made a complaint against House of Fraser store card which is now Santander. At first they said they had no record of me, then I wrote a letter stating I find that I find that hard to believe as I had finally paid the card off in 2012, and threatened the F.O. They replied with yes we know who you are, they also said I had PPI on the account. I wrote letter back saying I had no need of it as I had separate insurance for such an occasion. They have now replied saying I am not owed anything as I am out of time as when I set the card up in 1999? However, they kept increasing my card limit. Isn’t this the same as getting a new card? Each time they renewed my limit couldn’t they have asked if I wanted PPI?
    Where do I stand and what do I do now?
    Thank you Sara

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Well they could have asked you, but legally it’s not the same as giving you a new card, there is no change to your contract. The MoneySavingExpert PPI forum would be a good place to ask about this, but if in doubt, send your case to the Financial Ombudsman and they will make an independent decision.

  20. Marua says

    Hi recieved a letter from RBS saying that i may be eligible to claim for this and asked me to fill out the online form which i have…..my question is am i more likely to be successful if they have written to me first?

  21. Linda says

    Hi Sarah I received a letter out of the blue from Lloyd’s on 25/10 telling me I could lodge a complaint on 2 x old Lloyd’s accounts under the higher rate of interest rule. I called and did just this and received a letter with a final response date of 4/1/18. The date came and went and no final response I called Lloyd’s and was told that was just an indicative date and they couldn’t give me a date (even though they were past 8 weeks). I called the FO and a member of staff there said I could refer it as it had gone past 8 weeks, to be honest he said it would be better to or the complaint could just run on. So I did and today I received a rather odd email from an adjudicator saying and I quote ‘It may be best to wait for Lloyds Bank Plc (Lloyds) to respond back to you regarding the commission element of your complaint. This is because if we set up a commission complaint and then contact Lloyds regarding this, they will inform us that they are already reviewing your complaint.’ totally confused as it’s not about Lloyd’s investigating it’s about the fact we’re now on week 10

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Hi Linda – you have been dealing with payday loan and other affordability complaints before, where my mantra is always go to the FOS at 8 weeks.

      For PPI, and in particular high commission complaints, sometimes called Plevin complaints, I would be much more relaxed about waiting. The banks have a set calculation they have to go through. they don’t have discretion to rule out your complaint here – there either was high commission (in which case you get the set amount back) or there wasn’t. As they contacted you I would say it is HIGHLY likely you will get the refund and going through the FOS won’t speed this up.

      I suggest you reply to your adjudicator “I am happy to wait longer, but will you then look at my complaint if Lloyds don’t uphold my complaint? Will I need to complain to you again, or just tell you I want this complaint looked at? And are there any timescales for this as I don’t want to be time barred by not complaining to you in time?”

      • Linda says

        Ok Sarah thanks, yes I was going by the same affordability rules as my other complaints. I think I was just a bit miffed as I called up the FO beforehand explained everything and asked about the referral as I hadn’t received a response and was told as they’d gone past the 8 weeks to refer in order that the complaint didn’t run and run which goes against what the adjudicator says now a bit. But as you say as Lloyd’s have contacted me a complaint has been acknowledged. I still don’t think it’s professional that Lloyd’s set a date for response then simply ignore it when it passes, a simple letter from Lloyd’s stating it would take longer would have been ok but their attitude on the phone was really unhelpful which was part of the reason I dug my heels in. I’ll call the adjudicator Monday and say I’m happy to wait longer. And maybe call Lloyd’s every week or so. This came as a complete surprise last year when they wrote to me so it’s good news anyway. Thanks again Sarah

  22. Kara says

    I took out a Mint card in 2005 and PPI was included from the start date until I cancelled it 3 yrs later. I am writing to them to obtain a copy of the application as I think that either they added the PPI or maybe I spoke to them and ticked it as I was told it would increase my chances of being accepted ( this definitely happened with some lenders). I would not have opted for it otherwise as it wouldn’t have been of use to me. What info are they likely to send in response to me asking for a copy of my application, and is it likely that I can put a good case together without being sure of the exact circumstances?
    Thanks.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      I don’t know what they will have retained from that long ago. I suggest you just put in a complaint now. Even if you don’t win the main complaint, it is likely you will get a “high commission” refund whatever the circumstances of your application.

  23. Nick says

    Help!!!! I sent a sar request to Santander for a topshop card I had in 2000… The said I had ppi on 2 accounts.. I rang and put a complaint it… Santander are now saying that my complaint was investigated in 2012 and they refused not complaint … The state I rang in 2000 and requested ppi cover .. this is a total LIE!! I have never requested it in any product. The told me I was unable to have it investigated as i have missed the 6 month window… I do not recall ever receiving a response from them .. I am fuming !!!! What can I do next ??

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      You should make a complaint and ask for a Plevin refund as the article above explains.

  24. Dave G says

    Hello Sara
    My partner had a loan with firstplus financial in 2007 with ppi, She has no proof of agreement numbers whatsoever , but in 2007 my partner and me had a joint loan to which we cleared the loan straight from the the new loan gemoney , so the only proof we have is on my credit expert it as me as (asssocited) with her name and firstplus financial named on there dated July 2007, firstplus say this is not proof that she ever had a loan with them and she is not on their system so will not be looking into the ppi claim, how can I find out the agreement number , what can I do now ???

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      She could send a Subject Access Request to Firstplus, this takes a month and it’s free. Lenders aren’t obliged to keep old data over 6 years after a loan was settled, so if they have deleted it, then a SAR may not produce anything.

      Has she tried to get old bank statement that would show payments to them?

  25. Linda says

    Hi Sarah I’ve put some payday loan complaints through and won using your advice now I thought I’d have a look into PPI. I’ve been contacted by Lloyd’s for an old account (still waiting for a response on that at week 10) but I can also remember having a monument card around 2003 which I think I was paying PPI on. Thing is I dont know who to complain to. I’ve drawn a blank with Barclays who I thought thought owned monument at the time, they say they can’t locate my account as I have the credit card number. Another option I took was to go through Resolver who recommends Raphaels Bank as the company to complain to but I’ve received no response as yet. Any ideas who I contact re: Monument? They have a PPI claim page but it says to quote a reference number from their correspondence which I haven’t got. There’s no section for an account number. Bit lost at this point can you help?

  26. Shirley Ashby says

    Hi
    I am having a battle with Britannia Buiding Society (Co-Op) regarding an insurance policy taken out with mortgage in 2005 which run for 6 Years, they rejected my PPI complaint. I have since requested they look at my account re: Plevin and commission paid. I have original paperwork that states this is a telesales quote. Once again they have rejected my request, stating that the date the policy was taken is not in line with the Plevin ruling. Can you please advise if this is correct? Do I have a case to forward to Financial Ombudsman.
    Thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      The Ombudsman describes the date rules for Plevin as follows:

      “In general, you might be able to complain about commission if:

      – you took out the credit the PPI was sold with (for example, a loan or credit card) on or after 6 April 2007;
      – you took out the credit the PPI was sold with before 6 April 2007, and it was still running on or after 6 April 2008.”

      From what you have said, you meet the second of those rules, so yes, I think you should send your case to the Ombudsman.

      • Doomed says

        Mortgages have different dates as they were not always in-scope under the consumer credit act. If they fell under MCOB rather than CCA, then they are not in-scope of Plevin. A 2005 mortgage was under MCOB and plevin does not apply to that.

  27. Kara says

    Just spoken with Mint (RBS) with regards to my PPI complaint as the 8 weeks is up. I complained with very little info – couldn’t remember how I applied or how the PPI was sold, but said I don’t think it would have been of use to me and that I either didn’t initially know I had it or took it under duress. I took it out in July 2005 and cancelled it in June 2008 during which time I paid £125. Apparently they are offering a full refund plus interest totalling £1600. Thanks for encouraging me to go for this one, Sara – I nearly didn’t as the details were so scant!

  28. Nick says

    Hi just some advice from someone going through the Ombudsman system.

    I posted some messages above regarding an MBNA PPI claim which they rejected, but then had to process for the ‘Plevin’ payments. My PPI claim against MBNA was rejected by them in April 2017, but I didn’t hear from them until September 2017 regarding the ‘Plevin’ payment they owed me. When the cheque for that came through they said I had six months to ask the Ombudsman to review the initial complaint.

    I dragged my heels a bit and only forwarded the case to the Ombudsman in February, five months after MBNA’s September ‘Plevin’ letter, but clearly within the six months allowed. I was a bit surprised to receive a letter from the Ombudsman this week stating that I had breeched the six month limit and they couldn’t progress the case.

    Happily a phone call sorted it out and they apologised, accepted that despite me enclosing all relevant correspondence, they had made an error and agreed that the case will now progress to the next stage. The moral of the story is to ensure you read all the conditions closely, include everything the ombudsman could possibly need to see and challenge anything if you think they’ve made an error.

    • Nick says

      The adjudicator upheld my claim! I got a copy of the letter he sent MBNA explaining why. In brief I think the Financial Ombudsman has made a decision that the printed form which MBNA were using for credit card applications in 1996 (when i got my card) did not contain sufficient information for the applicant to make a fully informed decision about PPI. This bodes well for other people who, like me had their application for redress rejected by MBNA – it’s worth going to the Ombudsman.

      MBNA pushed back and I the adjudicator called me to discuss their questions. They asked for more information on the sick pay I was entitled to in 1996 and any other sources of cash i would have been able to draw on. This seemed daft as I’d disclosed this on the original application. He was helpful, explaining the next steps and what they could and couldn’t do. They could either challenge and go for a the Ombudsman’s review, or pay up in full. He gave them two weeks to decide and said if they did ask for a review, then they’d need to provide ‘new information’ or his original decision was unlikley to be reversed.

      contd…

    • Nick says

      Contd…

      Two days ago I got a letter saying they had agreed to pay the claim and I should allow them eight weeks to calculate the payment! If I haven’t heard from them by early August I can contact them to find out what is going on. I am aware of concerns with how they interpret the ‘rules’ in regard to reconstructing interest etc, so I intend to educate myself on how to appeal if I feel the amount they come back with is unrealistic.

      I did this all through the Moneysaving Expert Resolver tool. It was simple and cost me NOTHING. You DON’T need to use a firm who’ll take a huge chunk of any compensation, you CAN do this yourself without being a finacial whizzkid or legal expert – I am patently neither!

      If anyone has advice on how to best establish if a PPI refund on a credit card has been correctly calculated then I’d be very grateful for it :-)

  29. Chris says

    I had a plevin payout but Lloyds say I can’t claim PPI refund (whixh was my original complaint) I am outside the 3 years of when they made me “reasonably aware” that I may be eligible. However, at the time my credit card debt had been sold on and it wasn’t clear that I could claim on a debt that Lloyds no longer owned. I just thought they sent me a generic letter and leaflet. Do you think an adjudicator would uphold my ppi complaint on the basis I didn’t realise I could claim on a sold debt? Or is it not worth pursuing as the time bar has been exceeded by a few months?

  30. Gary says

    Hi looking advice.wrote to my bank about ppi…they came back saying had two loans with ppi but could not claim as I had payed them. And yes I did sign ppi form on one the other done over phone..and that they feel there staff done there job. right..I did tell them that I was not told about any ppi and basically to go away can I reclaim or should reclaim

  31. IAin says

    Does anyone know the conditions around employment sickness policy payment which would mean that PPI would have potentially been mis-sold? I’m dealing with MBNA and despite filling in my employment info I’ve received a letter today asking me to phone them to confirm details. I was in a good job with 6 months full sick pay and 6 months half pay and also had a civil service type pension that would have paid out ‘made-up’ if unable to work, both of which should contribute to PPI being unnecessary in my mind. At a later stage of my career, start date unknown how it aligns with a PPI policy, I had a work provided salary protection policy that provided 75% of my salary for 5 years then a lump sum of 2x annual salary if unfit to work, in addition to the pension made up. Any thoughts appreciated before I speak to them…..or maybe I shouldn’t speak to them as I’ve provided all this detail already and they might twist things? Cheers

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      It is the cover you would have had at the start of the policy that matters because they are looking to see if it was mis-sold at the begining, not what you later had.

      I think you sound well on top of things, but if you are worried about a phone call, just say you would prefer to correspond by email.

      • Iain says

        Claim upheld ????
        Letter received today;
        Ppi premiums £651
        Fees refunded £0
        Associate interest £336
        Applicable 8% gross interest** £1329
        Less Uk witholding tax** -£265

        No….”we will pay you £xxxx” total, so still not sure what I’ll get ????
        Good result though. #justdoit

          • Iain says

            Thanks Sara, really useful. I was just looking at the tax reclaim on a different post, I had a distant memory of an allowance (and as interest rates are so pants my meagre savings won’t be eating into it too much!). ????

  32. Wendy says

    Hi Sara

    I would like to check if I had ppi on an old black horse loan. I have no account numbers for it but I found an old bank statement with the direct debit from black horse with no agreement number beside it. The only catch is the bank account is closed now as it was northern bank now taken over by danske. The bank statement was dated 2005 and I think I took the loan out around that time for 3 years. What would you advise that I do? Thank you

  33. janice says

    I had a mortgage in 1991 with mis sold ppi. Was told it was compulsory. I have the letter from the insurer stating Alliance & Leicester mortgage protection policy and the account number, monthly payment etc. Santander now own A/L and dont have any records. What are the chances of them paying out?

  34. luka says

    Has anyone reclaimed PPI from Very?
    I am awaitng a cheque, but they have said it was sent on the 18th April. And that it could take 14 day to arrive.

  35. Nicky Swain says

    Is there a way to check if I had PPI on my credit card….I’ve had the same card for over 25 years! Plus an old access card many moons ago….any help really appreciated

  36. Tina Waterfield says

    Hi
    I have ppi on my mortgage and are still paying it now. I tried a claim in the past that was denied. I still don’t think I should have it but feel unsure. It wa set up 18 years ago.
    Can I still claim if I decide to cancel it?
    Thanks

  37. Matt says

    Hi Debt Camel

    I have just found out I had ppi on a loan with rbs back in 2008 . My question is I deufalted on the loan and overdraft and it was sold to a debt collection agency. I paid a full and final settlement of £3000 for a £4000 Loan and overdraft back in 2012 which still annoys me as it was four years old anyway back to the point in question. As I paid a full and final settlement will I be able to claim back the £674 premium on the loan or will they decline it as I defualted .

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      They won’t decline the complaint but any refund may be offset against the bit that was written off.

      But the refund will include 8% interest added which adds up over the years.

      Overall it’s worth trying to reclaim the PPI as there is a reasonable chance of a refund BUT don’t use a claims company as you don’t want to – in the worst case – have to pay their fees when you never got a penny as it was all offset

      • Matt says

        Hi I don’t know if it makes a difference but I just spoke to aig the debt collector who bought the debt of rbs and they are sending me out a letter to comfirm that we agreed a full and final settlement and no other action could be taken . Are rbs still allowed to claim against the debt with this letter.
        Thanks again
        Matt

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          Unfortunately even if there has been a full and final settlement, aig would be entitled to set of the PPI against the amount that was written off – this wouldn’t count as “taking any action against you”. I can’t guess what they will do. RBS may send the refund to you straight away, or they may send it to aig who may decide they don’t want it or aig may go for set off.

          As I said before, it’s worth making a complaint but do not use a claims firm or you may lose out!

  38. Claire says

    Hi sara
    I recently had a letter confirming I was mis-sold ppi for Littlewoods I’ve had the letter stating I would recieve cheque within 14 days that
    was on the 24 April have phoned them twice the 1st time said the cheque was posted out the same time as letter and looking to see if the cheque has already been cashed, the 2nd call again they say the same thing again also if I get the cheque iam to call them back and tell them so they can stop the cheque they have sent very
    confusing is there anymore I can do or do I have to wait some more, the thing is if you owed it to them they would be on your case all the time different when you are owed it.
    Thanks Sara

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Did this letter come out of the blue, or had you complained to them about PPI?

    • Claire says

      I had complained about ppi to them I had the letter back saying that I was mis sold it and the cheque would be with me in 14 days.

      • Sara (Debt Camel) says

        ok, then I suggest you contact them and say if you aren’t sent a replacement cheque in the next 2 weeks, you will be sending the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. That was why I asked if you had already complained – because you have, this will be over the 8 week limit the ombudsman says you have to allow a firm to resolve a complaint.

      • Claire says

        Hi Sara
        Called back to shop direct they said it is on the system that they are collecting information regarding my cheque and that is should be resolved by next week and to give a call back next Friday, so I guess I will have to call them back if no cheque has been sent.

  39. Hayley S says

    Hi im pretty sure im paying off ppi on a JD Williams account… which iv been to paying to a debt collector after disputes with the company over interest ect!! Iv been paying solidly for some years and the balance is down substantially..i have no paper work to view and the copmany im paying told me they couldn’t tell me if i am ..so could you please advise how i could find out…also could i have this removed from the debt or make a claim if this is proven ? Do i have a case ? ????

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      If this has been sold to a debt collector, PPI won’t be being charged any more. You need to put in a complaint to JD Williams and ask for a refund of the PPI.

      This may come back to you or it may be used to pay off the balance still owed.

  40. bruce seaton says

    Hi Sara, I recently contacted the ombudsman after Black horse failed to even acknowledge my ppi claim , for loans in the past.
    I then received a reply from the ombudsman saying they had contacted black horse and they “would” be paying me compensation.

    However I have now received a strange response from black horse, in that, they are saying they have not upheld my ppi complaint, they do not accept there was any problem with the selling of it.

    They have said they will however pay £589 for not telling me they had been paid commission on the ppi.

    While this is at least something back, is it normal for them just to be allowed to say ,we didnt find any problem with the sale ? and if i follow it up with the ombudsman again, which it says I can do, is it likely to be worthwhile, or as they have agreed to pay this other money, maybe not worth it?

    Oh and the £589 cheque arrived the day after the letter.

    Bruce

  41. Katie says

    I’d welcome any advice on claiming with regard to a mortgage. I had high and unaffordable bank charges and potentially unwanted PPI. I’ve yet to send a SAR and I wondered if it’s worth putting in one SAR that asks for details of both charges and PPI or will this confuse things?

    As ever, thank you!

      • Katie says

        I agree. I recall that we had the mortgage right at the start of our financial problems and the charges were often and high so I do believe we would have a claim there, but I need statements to check. I don’t know if PPI was included so I would need to check that too. I’m happy just to claim for the PPi but am worried that if an SAR shows we actually didn’t have any, I’ve then lost the right to pursue re bank charges.

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          PPI and a refund of bank charges are two totally seperate matters. I don’t see why you shouldn’t purse both, I was just saying don’t mix them up.

  42. Kelly says

    Hi Guys

    I have another couple of questions and apologies if this has already been covered. I put a complaint into capital one for PPI. I received a long winded reply to say they were Not upholding my complaint. They also said in the letter it was done by way of a tick box and they didn’t have pre printed ticks. So should I now go for a SAR as it’s sounds like they have the original paperwork. The next question is again in the same letter they said I was due a refund of £48 under Plevin. The cheque has arrived today. Should I cash it. Would I still be due this if I take my complaint further or would I have to reflect it.
    Thanks in advance for advise
    Kelly

    • Nick says

      I’ve had a very similar experience with MBNA detailed in replies above. I hope this helps you. They rejected my main claim but gave me a Plevin payment. Cash the Plevin cheque, it’s yours regardless of what happens next. I went to the Ombudsman with my rejected claim and they upheld it, so MBNA are currently working out how much they owe me. I’ll get this, minus the amount of the Plevin payment. I think, but don’t know for sure, that the reason the ombudsman upheld my complaint is that they judged that the application forms MBNA were using simply did not give enough information. The argument that the tick wasn’t pre printed would be irrelevant if they decide the same for Capital One. The banks often know this but count on the fact that very few take the complaint to the ombudsman, so they can limit their payouts by flat refusing people and hoping they give up. By all means ask for you DSAR, it’s free now, but take your complaint to the ombudsman, the worst that can happen is they say no.

      • Kelly says

        Thanks for the reply Nick. I have had a look over your previous posts and there is a lot of info that will help me. I had a company looking into PPI and they keep coming back with nothing. Since researching and finding this site I have had more success on my own. I would recommend anyone to give it a go. I wholeheartedly agree with you about company’s asking about employment status and saving and sick pay at the time of sale. Is that in itself not an indication of miss selling. If they had asked at the time and hadn’t made a fortune in commission from us they wouldn’t be in this mess.
        Kelly

        • Doubledoom says

          Companies asking for sick pay and savings at the point of sale is not an indication of miss-selling. Regulation of insurance did not start until January 2005. However, banks have to consider earlier sales when that sort of information wasn’t required to be recorded. As around half the people complaining about PPI (and making all sorts of allegations of wrongdoing) don’t actually have PPI, they cannot just accept your word for it.

          • Sara (Debt Camel) says

            the banks and credit card companies have themselves to blame about being contacted by people – usually through claims companies – who never had an account with them or didn’t have PPI on that account. The banks and credit card companies could work out from their own records who is due a Plevin refund, it doesn’t require any info from the customers, and then they could give that refund automatically. If that happened, the customers would be happy and they wouldn’t have so many pesky complaints to deal with.

        • Nick says

          Exactly! Much of MBNA’s justification for rejecting my claim seemed to rely on information about my 1996 financial situation which they requested in 2017 when I made my PPI claim. The claim is for misselling, so by doing this they pretty much proved themselves guilty. If they’d asked those questions in 1996 when they sold me PPI, they’d have been in possession of it in 2017 and wouldn’t have needed to ask for it in order to make their decision.

          I didn’t have space in the last reply to say this but one of the spurs for me to send my case to the ombudsman was an article I read which specifically mentioned MBNA and Capital One. They’re both owned by US banking interests and have a reputation for rejecting claims and issuing long letters explaining why, most likely as an attempt to convince claimants its pointless fighting on. Compared to UK institutions they reject far more claims, I think the article stated around 80%. The real eye opener for me was next sentence which said that 70% of MBNA / Capital One rejectees who take the case to the ombudsmen have their claim upheld. I guess I’m one. I hope you will be too!

  43. Louise says

    Iv had a letter to say MBNA are going to pay out on my PPI claim. The letters say the funds will
    be in my account with 28days, how quickly did people get paid?? Thanks

    • Nick says

      When MBNA told me they would be sending me a Plevin payment ‘within 28 days’, I got the cheque 26 days later. Not sure why they delay as the interest keeps building every day until they issue the cheque, so they could save themselves a bit by being a little more lively.

  44. Gary says

    Well out of the blue comes a letter from capital one saying they are refunding me 1795 due to misold ppi .My question is should i accept this offer or as it says on the letter i can send it to the ombudsman within 6 months,firstly would i gain anything by doing this and secondly i havent even complained to the company about ppi so where has this come from should i just accept this little windfall or wait to see if the offer grows in size.Many thanks Gary

  45. Kelly McCandless says

    Hi guys, just wanted to pass on a bit of information that may be helpful. With the new deadline announced for ppi In January I decided to get one of the big name claims company to look into it for me. What did i have to lose. If they didnt find anything it wouldn’t cost me anything. They e-mail me updates and so far they have found nothing. They e-mail to say that bank X can’t identify me or bank why has identified me but no ppi. After reading some tips on Sara’s site and the new rules on GDPR I decided to send SARS to some of the big name banks. One in particular was for ppi I knew I had with HFC. I discovered HSBC IS now responsible. I received all the paperwork they have on me and included in it was a letter dated April they had sent to the claims company saying YES they had identified me and YES I had PPI. If their client (me) wanted to complain they were to get me to fill out a questiionaire. The claims company had emailed me 4 weeks ago to say they found nothing and they closed the case. I have successfully claimed back the ppi and 8%. This was just under £300. I now have another given me £250 plevin and a few more in the pipeline. So I think the claims companies are really only interested in the big claims and don’t want to bother about the small ones. For the price of 3 stamps I have £500 back that I wouldn’t have had if i took the claims companies word for it. Give it ago.
    Kelly

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Very interesting! These claims companies too often do what suits them, not their customers.

  46. Cathy Kelly says

    Is there a simple way to work out a potential plevin pay out? RBS have told me I paid a premium of £740 for a policy that started in May 1993. The credit card it relates to has since been paid and cancelled. I lodged a complaint with RBS at the end of June 2018 which they’ve acknowledged

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Have you already asked for a PPI refund on the grounds of mis-selling for this and was it rejected? When was the credit card account closed?

  47. bruce seaton says

    Hi Sara, I am wondering what you think of this, a couple of months ago I put in a claim for my mum to lloyds bank as she knew she had quite a few loans with them over the years and thought she may have had ppi, however when she got her letters back from them , they said she did have ppi, but offered her £6 !!! Now surely that is impossible to have such a low refund, and in view of the fact ,I have now had my own claim back from them, they turned mine down, but after speaking to the ombudsman, they then agreed i was entitled to it, but paid me out 580 pounds for the commision side, saying it hadnt been mis sold. However i got back to the ombudsman who has just called to say ,he has spoken to them again, it should have been a full payout for mis selling and commision , so they have now got to recalculate my payment. So i’m thinking it sounds like lloyds,black horse are very economical with their offers in the hope people will just accept and forget.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Well it is possible that £6 is right – but it doesn’t sound very likely! I suggest sending her case to the Ombudsman.

    • bruce seaton says

      yes sara thats what I thought, apparently with mine, they made a mistake,and only offered refund on the fact they hadn’t told me about commision, not on mis selling, which to me sounds very convenient, as had i just accepted it, i would be none the wiser. Thank you

  48. david says

    Hi all,
    bit of a strange one, i had contact from Black Horse finance saying i’m due a PPI refund of just short of £3k due to mis-selling and will be sent a cheque by 2.8.2018. big win, you’d think.
    however i already have a seperate Black Horse Finance loan outstanding with a higher balance than that which i pay back via a DMP. no word from them saying they will set off the refund against that debt – the letter from them definitely says they will be sending me a cheque by 2.8.2018.
    i’m just wondering whether this is common and whether the refund does actually come to the customer and is not used to set off against other debts, and the letter is just a standard response and in the meantime they will establish i have another account and pay it off that rather than refund it to me instead?
    i hope its sent to me obviously, as i can then use it for my DMP rather than just one loan.
    any thoughts please?

    • david says

      i will close this query off before anyone responds – they sent me the cheque!
      i think there is an unofficial rule where if they’ve sold the loan on to a debt collector, technically they have their money so won’t look to set off.
      i suppose i’ve been lucky – i will make sure i use the money wisely on my DMP and a little treat during the summer to celebrate!

      • Sara (Debt Camel) says

        I think you got lucky. A lot of people who have had debts sold to debt collectors have had a right of set off exercised.

        So are you going to use the money for Full & final offers?

        • david says

          hi Sarah, i have been very lucky, yes. to be fair if it had been set off i woudln’t have minded, but the fact i have receievd the settlement instead is obviously a big bonus.

          i’ve already planned to pay £750 off an Amigo loan and then blitz my accounts where i have only around £200 outstanding. just waiting on the cheque to clear now.

          still room for a little treat too. and to think i nearly didn’t even bother trying out a PPI claim on this account!

  49. jackie says

    I’ve had a company contact me to say I have overpaid on my mortgage and could get thousands back in a refund. They claim this is the next “ppi” type claim that banks will have to prepare to start paying out for. Has anyone heard of this and is it worth pursuing?
    Many thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Do you have repayment or an interest only mortgage? Do they give any reason for suggesting that you have overpaid?

      • Jackie says

        Hi Sarah
        It’s a repayment mortgage. I did have arrears on it at one point and they say that I was probably paying too much on the arrears and also, they may have had my rate at 5.1% but errors on their part meant I was actually paying more like 6.1%. I have always thought my mortgage payments were high but put this down to having a higher rate due to my poor credit status. Just wondering if anyone else had had any companies claiming they could get refunds on their mortgages too.
        Many thanks

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          I suggest you ignore the claims company and send your mortgage lender a Subject Access Request for a copy of all your personal information. When you get that (it will probably take a month) I suggest you take it to your loacal Ciatizens Advice or a Law Centre and ask for their help to look at if you have been overcharged. If you have, they can help draft a letter to the lender asking for a refund. No need to lose 30% plus of any refund for just writing a letter!

          But my guess it’s the claims company are just fishing for business. They know it’s unlikely they can get any money back on the mortgage, but once you are on their books they will then hope to get money from PPI, packaged bank account, payday loans etc.

          • Jackie says

            Hi Sarah, that’s great. I will definitely take your advice. They were definitely pushing for me to sign up for this. I’ll let you know how I get on. Thanks again

  50. Wendy says

    Hi Sara just a question to ask please? I sent off a ppi questionnaire along with 2005 old bank statements with black horse direct debit outlined and also a reference number from the bank that I originally banked with but I have received a reply today from Lloyds bank saying that because I don’t have an account number for this loan that I had taken out that they are closing my case but I can complain to the ombudsman if I choose to. So what is your take on that Sara please? Thank you . Wendy

  51. Joanna Wilson says

    Please help, my husband has a ppi claim with the Royal Bank of Scotland but some debt from years ago,, this is being paid to Lowell and Walker Love collection agency. Does this mean the bank has to pay him the ppi as they no longer own the debt. Don’t want to complete claim as he may end up out of pocket. Thanks a concerned wife

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      RBS may decide to “set off” the refund against the debt still owed.

      He won’t end up out of pocket unless he uses a claims firm. Make the application for a PPI refund himself and the worst that can happen is that his debt to Lowell is reduced.

  52. donna stephen says

    Hi looking for some advice.. I sent a Ppi to my mortgage company ( no longer have the mortgage) and the building society was taken over.. they said that there was ppi on it but can’t find many details on it and that because it was more than 6years ago and I’m complaining more than 3 years later than I should have realised they won’t uphold my complaint despite acknowledging there was ppi on the mortgage.. should I go to the ombudsman?
    Thank you

  53. Wendy says

    Hi Sara
    I have been awarded ppi from shop direct but I got into financial trouble and wasnt able to pay my bill and then it was sold to a debt company called capquest. Shop direct therefore have I formed me that the amount I was due was being offset towards the debt and as I could do with the money is there anything I can do or is that game over really….thanks. Wendy

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      That’s it, unless you can argue that you have urgent priority debts such as rent or mortgage arrears, in which case the Ombudsman will sometimes say the refund shouldn’t be set off against the old debt.

      • Wendy says

        Thanks Sara I do have rent arrears and housing benefit overpayment as I rent from my local council and that alone is around £1000. My case went through the ombudsman so do you think I should contact them and explain this to them? Thanks . Wendy

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          Do you have an arrangement in place for the rent arrears and HB overpayment? It’s worth asking the Ombudsman but set off is the norm and the few cases I have heard of where it has been avoided is whether people are being threatened with court action for priority debts eg a possession order.

  54. Jean says

    I’m trying to sort things for my son in a similar situation. He has a ccj for an unpaid mbna debt from 2012. No longer on his credit report but we contacted them in 2014 offering reduced settlement, which they refused. He was hoping to claim PPI, even if just to reduce the debt, but he daren’t if they will start again for the balance.
    He paid reduced full&final settlements on quite a few debts in 2013, including his mortgage(also has PPI).
    He’d frightened to claim in case it just opens old debts again

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      The CCJ – I suggest he should talk to National Debtline about this situation,

      Other debts where there has been a F&F – if he reclaims PPI, it may be used to set-off against the written off debt, as the article above says.

  55. DAVID HASTE says

    Iam getting letters from the claim guys for work they never done . I have made 8 calls to the ombunsman and seven to tescos .the money was paid in my bank in june and in September I had a letter from the claims asking for money . I checked with tescos and the ombudsman and the claim guys made no contact with them.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Has the claims firm gone to court for a CCJ or are they just threatening no it?
      Had you signed up with them for anything?

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          When they did some work for you, did you tell them you had PPI with Tescos? Or did they tell you?

  56. Jon says

    Hi :)
    I had 3 substantial loans from Blackhorse finance dating back to 2005, totalling £28,000. I contacted them to confirm that all 3 agreements had PPI and was told that they all had. (the exact phrase they used was “All 3 agreements are showing green lights for PPI..” I completed all the forms with the details of when, where, and how the loans were arranged and that I was under the impression (at the time) that the loans would be refused if I didn’t take out these insurance policies.
    I’ve received 3 letters today informing me that Blackhorse were in fact mistaken, and now none of the loan agreements had PPI included.
    I’ve asked for a SAR and will be pursuing them further, but I was wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation with Blackhorse or other lenders? I find it very odd and not a little confusing!!

  57. Jon says

    Hi Sara,
    I’m looking for the documents at the moment. Will the SAR I’ve requested include copies of the original agreements?
    Thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      SARs should contain the data the bank has – after all this time that is uncertain.

  58. Baggy70 says

    Hi Sara
    I made a claim for PPI with Citifinancial through a claims agency ( won’t do that again), they paid out on the 2 smaller loans but refused the largest.
    I referred this to FOS in August and have just been told the FOS has upheld my complaint, they are now waiting for Citifinancial to respond.
    Is there a specific length of time Citifinancial have to respond and do the normally accept the FOS initial view?

    Thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      The bank is normally given a couple of weeks to reply. I don’t see enough of these cases to know if any particular bank is fast or slow or what they tend to say.

  59. Maria says

    I had a debt management plan which ended in Jan 2015. As part of this I was in an agreement to pay off so much a month back to Barclaycard. I then came into a bit of money and although i was only part way through the DMP, was able to clear my debts. However, some of the creditors, Barclaycard included, agreed to reduced settlement figures. I have now found out that I can put in for a claim for PPI with Barclaycard. However, will any repayment by Barclaycard be taken back by them in lieu of the ‘written off’ money I owed them? Many thanks in advace.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Hi Maria,

      it is likely (but not certain) that Barclaycard will use any PPI refund to repay the written off debt. Although they said this was written off, it still legally exists and they are allowed to do this.

      I would say it is worth making the PPI claim – some payouts can be very large so even if there is a debt to be written off you may still get some money. But it’s important that you don’t use a claims firm for this, otherwise they will still insist you pay their large fees even if you never received any money.

  60. k says

    Hello im just wondering if its worth me putting PPI claims in, i have no idea if i had them or not, i had a loan in 2009 with RBS and have had multiple credit card accounts opened between 2013-2015 did they stop ppi after a certain year? am i wasting my time?

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Definitely contact RBS and ask if there was PPI on that loan!

      There was a ban on PPI being sold at the same time an account was opened from 2012 but it could still be sold after 7 days. And Vanquis always sold ROP, their rather different variation on PPI, at the same time as the account. It’s worth checking on the credit cards, just put PPI and the name of the card into google and it will give details from the lender about how to find if you had PPI. Here for example is MBNAs https://www.mbna.co.uk/support/ppi/. It will take about 10 minutes to do each card.

      As your debts are in a DMP you MUST avoid the claims firms as a refund may only reduce the amount you owe, which is good but leaves you with no cash to pay the claims companies high fees.

Recent articles

Help with your debts

Recommended places for debt advice

Get an email after a new article:

Follow on Instagram & Twitter

About Debt Camel

This is the personal website of Sara Williams.

More about Debt Camel.
Privacy policy and Comments Policy
Contact (not for debt advice)