Banking and credit cards complaints 2026 H1

This is data rather than new rules, but the regulator consistently uses published complaint volumes, uphold rates and redress totals to prioritise supervisory engagement, thematic reviews and, in extreme cases, firm-specific intervention. For compliance and conduct teams the practical message is threefold. First, compare your firm's complaint volumes, drivers and outcomes against the published aggregates and be ready to explain material divergence.

Second, refresh root-cause analysis on the products that dominate the dataset, since consumer-credit and current-account complaints remain a live supervisory focus and link directly to Consumer Duty outcomes monitoring and fair value assessments. Third, check that complaint handling metrics are robust enough to withstand scrutiny: accurate recording, timely resolution within DISP timeframes, consistent uphold decisions and evidence that lessons learned have been fed back into product design, communications and remediation. Firms with above-average or rising volumes should prepare a board-level narrative now rather than waiting for the FCA to ask.

Those performing better have an opportunity to evidence strong conduct outcomes in future supervisory dialogue and in their Consumer Duty board reporting. Data of this kind rarely drives immediate regulatory action, but it informs how the FCA selects its next areas of focus, making it essential reading for anyone owning complaints, conduct risk or customer outcomes.