***Shaming of our bully banks: We DID intimidate customers with fake debt collection letters, admit bosses***

[rebel11]

The big banks sent hundreds of thousands of letters from fake debt collection firms to ‘intimidate’ customers.

HSBC, Barclays, Santander and RBS/Natwest admit using the trick on families deep in the red. The letters misleadingly suggest that law firms and outside debt collectors are being called in.

The admissions, which follow a campaign by the Daily Mail to highlight the scandal, came in a series of letters released last night by MPs. In one of them, the chief executive of Barclays confessed the bank had used a number of ‘debt collection brands’.

 

Shameful: Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury committee which published the letters, said: 'Many customers will have been understandably misled. It seems that this practice was widespread'

 

Appearing to acknowledge intimidation, Antony Jenkins said the letters were meant to indicate to customers ‘an escalation in the seriousness of the situation’.

RBS chief Ross McEwan said the bogus letters ‘reflected what had become a common industry practice in a sector that had come to put its own interests above those of its customers’.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2745571/Shaming-bully-banks-We-DID-intimidate-customers-fake-debt-collection-letters-admit-bosses.html

[citizenB]

What about the pink pig letters from MBNA ?

 

The letter with the pig as promised. Its not very big dont know how to enlarge it

 

 

 

 

^^^post 33 on the link below.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?75693-MBNA-Rude-Confrontaional-and-Distressing/page4&highlight=pink+pig

 

The images are very tiny but the text from them can be seen in post # 50 using the same link

[rebel11]

The banks are still in denial.

[unclebulgaria67]

The banks are still in denial.

 

They don't care.

 

The FCA appears to be much more active than the OFT in dealing with unfair practice.

[citizenB]

Comes too late for a lot of people though, Uncle Bulgaria

[theoldrouge]

from FCA August Regulation Roundup-

 

Credit

In terms of consumer credit, many of you will no doubt

have seen the recent media reports on the use of fake

letters by Wonga. We are pleased that affected customers

will be compensated for the firm's unfair and misleading

behaviour. Over the coming months we will be looking at

debt collection activities across the sector to ensure firms

aren't using misleading letters. We believe that it is vital

that those experiencing financial difficulty should be treated

fairly and their situation not exacerbated by poor behaviour.

[sillygirl1]

This 'initiative' from the FCA has to include the 'file referral fees', 'debt collection management fees', 'doorstep collector fees' etc etc which the so called industry like to try and levy to their alleged debtors.

[theoldrouge]

This 'initiative' from the FCA has to include the 'file referral fees', 'debt collection management fees', 'doorstep collector fees' etc etc which the so called industry like to try and levy to their alleged debtors.

 

the more people make reports to them,(not complaints) the more likely they will

[brassnecked]

The banks need to pay out compensation, well sauce for Wonga sets the precedent.

[SabreSheep]

Any idea the critera for compensation? and scales?

What has been paid out to wonga victims?

[theoldrouge]

as far as wonga was concerned http://www.fca.org.uk/news/wonga-redress-unfair-debt-collection-practices

[dx100uk]

how the hell can they fairly compensate people

 

 

we all know these fake DCA letters the bank sent

go back well into the 1980's if not the start of the 80's

 

 

I for one would be really annoyed if they suddenly found data that these were sent

 

 

when there are 1000's of people out there with say PPI claims, whereby the bank say ...sorry no details held anymore.

 

 

as for the DCA's and the fake/tame solicitor or other trading names

 

 

that goes back further I'm VERY sure!

that s where the banks got it from, the DCA's pulling the stunt

and they followed.

 

 

one I know is the infamous MR Green Cards got one if those from 1981 still!

 

 

dx

[sillygirl1]

I believe I have still got one or two which were printed on red paper and made to look like court orders - going through some old paperwork after my move and realising how lucky I was to find CAG and not continue to be caught in the web of deceit conjured up by the alleged 'debt industry'.

 

Had I pro-rata'd my debts I would still be paying them off now instead of being clear of the bulk of them.

 

Luckily I didn't have any credit cards or the problem could have been much worse than it was. The PDLs were the bottom of the iceberg in my case, rather than the tip.