NatWest PPI Claims

If you're looking to make a PPI claim against NatWest the following page tells you all you need to know. Aside from explaining all the info you need in order to pursue your claim, we also explain exactly how to go about making your NatWest PPI claim. Of course, we'd love you to use us to help you with the process, but unless you have all facts first, how you can you decide the best way to proceed?

A bit of background on NatWest...

NatWest is one of the best known names on the UK's high streets. It was acquired by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in 2000. Although NatWest trades under its own name, any complaints made regarding PPI should be directed to RBS.

NatWest sold PPI on mortgages, personal loans and credit cards.

RBS increased the amount it set aside to cover PPI claims to £1.7 billion in November 2012. This figure includes provision for complaints made about PPI sales made by its subsidiaries, such as NatWest and Ulster Bank.

NatWest PPI Claims - were you mis-sold?

In November 2012 an anonymous former employee told The Guardian newspaper of her experiences selling financial products in a branch of NatWest between 2002 and 2004. 'It became apparent the primary focus was to sell PPI' she said. The article goes on to reveal the pressure NatWest put on its sales staff, with statements such as:

• "If ... an adviser's PPI penetration [the proportion of loans on which PPI was sold] was less than 70%, the regional manager would phone to ask why"
• "Working in a branch didn't pay very well, so the bonus [for making sales] really helped."
• "If an adviser hadn't hit their target for the month they would be placed on a performance development plan. This could lead to dismissal if sales remained below target."
• "If I had given her honest advice I would have been disciplined"

The last of these is perhaps the most shocking, suggesting that if bank staff dared to treat customers fairly, they would suffer for it! Given the opportunity to respond by The Guardian, NatWest did not dispute these claims, and merely spoke of the changes that had taken place since that time. Given these experiences, by no means atypical of bank salespeople, is it any wonder that large numbers of unsuitable policies were sold?

NatWest started writing to some of its previous PPI policyholders in September 2012, saying that they may have been mis-sold their insurance, and inviting them to complain. But you can still complain if you don't receive one of these letters, and the bank has a duty to consider the complaint fully and fairly.

Complaints about PPI sold by NatWest can be made:

• by calling 0800 015 0319 (Monday to Friday 8am ñ 5pm only);
• by writing to: PPI Customer Concerns Team, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, 5th Floor, Hardman Boulevard, Manchester M3 3AQ

How long will my NatWest PPI Claim take?

Most providers will ask you to complete the PPI complaints questionnaire of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) at some stage of the complaints process. However, the NatWest site, www.natwest.com, asks you to do this at the outset if you are submitting a written complaint. A copy of the form can be accessed via the site.

The company site (www.natwest.com) says all complainants will receive a decision letter within eight weeks of making contact. If the complaint is rejected, or you are dissatisfied with the amount offered, you need to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) - www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk. The FOS resolves most complaints within a few months, but in exceptional cases can take over a year.

The FOS ruled in favour of the customer in 89% of the NatWest PPI cases it closed in the six months to June 30 2012 ñ well above the industry average of 71%. This suggests that NatWest is not too keen to pay out compensation itself, and suggests you may need to be both adept and patient when making a claim with this organisation.

One thing to bear in mind before making your claim either through us or direct with NatWest is whether you were sold PPI by NatWest or an intermediary. If it's the latter, then you'll need to make the claim against them, rather than NatWest.

Next steps to making your NatWest PPI Claim...

Now you know all about NatWest PPI claims, let us take all the stress and hassle out of your hands. Simply fill in the form on the right and we'll crack on and get your claim processed straight away.

All information presented in this article is accurate as of January 2013