Bank Charges Financial Hardship Disussion

funkydan

Hi,

I sent off the completed Budget Planner to Barclays today. Wifey and I are both in (low paid) full time employment, but she is halfway through her pregnancy so am I hoping that Barclays can help us as we struggle with our bills every month and we have little (if any) disposable income between us. If we can use the money from the hardship claim to pay off most of our debts, things will be easier when the baby comes along. I've asked for a charges refund of around £2500, so fingers crossed.

Good luck to all the rest of the folks attempting to get their charges back on a hardship basis.

Dan

natweststaffmember

emo wrote: »

I have just received my third financial statement to complete from HBOS can I be right in thinking this is a stalling tactic? They have asked me to complete the form again as they can not see any clear signs of financial dificulties with them or others. I sent a letter from my mortgage provider stating I was in arrears and the financial statement could not have been clearer, it shows the difficulty I am in, and all they keep doing is sending me the form to complete over and over again. Feels like I'm hitting my head against brick wall. Do I go to the ombudsman now?? Please help!!!

Fill the form in. Keep a copy. Send it recorded delivery. If they then say they haven't received it you have your copy which a branch can fax to them.

emo_2

Hey natweststaffmember,
I have done this on the previous two occasions and yet they still say that the form has not been completed properly. Just feel that they are stalling on me when its obvious that the form has been completed fully and properly. Is the Obudsman now or hope that they accept the latest completed form?

natweststaffmember

emo wrote: »

Hey natweststaffmember,
I have done this on the previous two occasions and yet they still say that the form has not been completed properly. Just feel that they are stalling on me when its obvious that the form has been completed fully and properly. Is the Obudsman now or hope that they accept the latest completed form?

Most banks use something like a common financial statement
http://www.moneyadvicetrust.org/content.asp?ssid=38
Fill the above in and send it to them.
Have they said WHY it is not completed correctly?

MASY

I originally reclaimed in July 2007 to RBOS and was put on hold due to test case. I recently claimed financial harship and had to complete a financial statement. RBOS wrote to me asking for proof of priority and non priority debts last week. I sent these in and today I received a letter stating that all charges and interest to my account were suspended until test case outcome. Also that they had agreed refund of charges and I would receive an offer in 21 days. Horray a positive step at last!

lilmissmoneysaver

Hi i recently put in a claim to NATWEST for financial hardship.
This is the reply i got........

We acknowledge receipt of your complaint about bank charges. We believe that your complaint concerns the level, fairness or lawfulness of the charges.

It would be our normal approach to resolve your complaint through out internal complaints process as quickly as possible. However, the bank (along with a number of other banks) have now become involved in legal proceedings with the officer of fair trading (OFT) in relation to personal current account charges which will resolve the legal issues regarding the fairness and legality of your bank charges. This has become known as "the test case".

Until the determination of the legal issues in the test case, we have asked the financial services authority (FSA) to suspend the normal timetable for dealing with bank charges complaints, and the FSA has agreed to this request subject to conditions that protect your rights.

In accordance with our agreement with the FSA we are obliged to review accounts to establish if customers may be experiencing difficulty meeting their financial commitments.

In order for us to understand and review the full extent of your financial position, please complete, sign and return the attatched "customer financial statement form" together with an explanation of the circumstances leading to your inability to meet your commitments.

Following the receipt of a signed and completed form, we will review your overall financial position. If we determine that your case can be considered as financial hardship we will take it forward in line with our hardship policy. This aims to help you and avoid further debt and to assist you recover from your hardship. In doing so we will review your exisiting banking facilities which may involve:

*Opening a new account or changing your account to a type with no lending facilities attatched.
* Cancellation of non-essential direct debits and standing orders on your account- essential direct debits and standing orders can be reset up on the new account if necessary eg (mortgage,rent,council tax,utility bills etc)
*Return cancellation of cheque guarantee cards/maestro cards - a cash card can be issued on the new account.
*Return and cancellation of cheque books.
*income to be diverted to any new accounts opened.
*A mutually agreed monthly sum would be set up on a standing order from the new account to any debt on the existing account.

Please note that recongnition of financial hardship does not necessarily indicate that a refund of charges will be made. Our hardship policy aims to help our customer avoid further debt and to assit them in recovering from hardship.

(thats it).............

So basically they are saying fill in the form send it back, and well i wont get my money back, yet i will have a change in my whole banking facillities and will have another OUTGOING to repay the overdraft on my account?????????

erm how will this HELP ME?

I cannot afford yet another outgoing from the little amount of income i have and the outgoings i have already...

PLEASE HELP ANY ADVICE????

ANYONE HAD A SIMULAR LETTER?

WHAT WAS YOUR OUTCOME.......

LOOKS TO ME AT THE MO THAT I HAVE NO CHANGE OF GETTING ANYTHING BACK, ONLY GETTING MY ACCOUNT TAKEN OFF ME AND ANOTHER OUTGOING POPPED ONTO THE ONES I HAVE ALREADY...

THIS IS MAKING ME ILL

natweststaffmember

You need to calm down first of all. The response is a standard response from NatWest.
You need to complete the Common Financial statements. Attach any arrears notices(photocopy them not originals) and for example in the FSA Waiver the circumstances for the charges, ie one day you didn't get charges but because of something that has happened it has caused you to get bank charges.

"a.
evidence of changes in lifestyle, including loss of employment; disability; serious illness; imprisonment; relationship breakdown; death of a partner; starting a lower paid job; parental/carer leave; and starting full-time education;"

For example, if you lost your job then from the above list it is loss of employment. Does that make sense?

EDIT: The bank do not have to refund anything under the waiver but they are if the debts are priority debt arrears(mortgage/rent, council tax, utilities).

nco41

Please please can somebody advise me?
I have made a claim for a refund on my bank charges due to financial hardship.It was agreed that i fitted the criteria for hardship,but before they would tell me how much they were going to refund me ,they told me that i must return all my cheques and bank card and revert back to a basic account!.I explained that due to the nature of my job and the fact i have a disabled son,i can never get to the bank during opening hours to pay my bills,so therfore a basic account is not feesable. I was told in no un certain tems that they would not give me a penny until i gave into there demands even though the acknowledge the fact that im suffering hardship.
Due to my financial problems i could not go else where.
So what can i do?
Can Nat West bully me like this?
Also they are refusing to tell me the amount i have paid in charges! They have said they will refund only six years from my date on claim . Feb 2009 and will not consider paying me interest!!
Please please please,can somebody advise me and help me?
Ever greatfull N Xx:mad::huh::huh:

natweststaffmember

nco41 wrote: »

Please please can somebody advise me?
I have made a claim for a refund on my bank charges due to financial hardship.It was agreed that i fitted the criteria for hardship,but before they would tell me how much they were going to refund me ,they told me that i must return all my cheques and bank card and revert back to a basic account!.I explained that due to the nature of my job and the fact i have a disabled son,i can never get to the bank during opening hours to pay my bills,so therfore a basic account is not feesable. I was told in no un certain tems that they would not give me a penny until i gave into there demands even though the acknowledge the fact that im suffering hardship.
Due to my financial problems i could not go else where.
So what can i do?
Can Nat West bully me like this?
Also they are refusing to tell me the amount i have paid in charges! They have said they will refund only six years from my date on claim . Feb 2009 and will not consider paying me interest!!
Please please please,can somebody advise me and help me?
Ever greatfull N Xx:mad::huh::huh:

But you can still use direct debits and cash machines. NatWest can ask for the cheque book and servicecard back if that is what the charges are made up from ie unpaid cheques or guaranted card payments. They can go back to July 2001but what was the total of your claim against what they have offered?
Does it cover your arrears?
Why do you NEED a cheque book and switch card?

nco41

Thanks for the advise.:A
I use my cheque book to pay bill etc and things for my childrens schooling.They only accept cheques.
The bank have told me to cancel all my standing orders as well(Dont have any)
Taking cash out is not the problem with a basic account,its how i pay my bills with cash when all the banks are closed when im not working or doing mummy duties.
I only got into this mess when my ex husband stopped paying maintenace.
I do not know how much i have paid Nat west over the years as they will not tell me!
Nat west will not even tell me their offer until i give into their demands. Basically no cheque book and card returned.No money!!
Seems like big boy bully blackmail to me!
N Xx