BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

Do you want to make a claim against a bank and/or financial institution and don’t know how to do it?
From the Consumers Union of Catalonia-UCC we help you recover what is yours. Don’t wait and make a claim.
Banking and financial services are complex and often abusive. Below you will find the main products and services offered and their problems.

Funded single premium insurance

Some banks imposed a requirement for obtaining a mortgage to have a single-premium, funded insurance. The cost of this insurance always had to be paid in advance with the money the bank lent. The result was obvious: a practice that was not very transparent, lifelong interest, and premiums that were much more expensive than they should be. If you are one of those affected, contact us.

Santander values

These are bonds convertible into shares with a maturity of 5 years. They were considered complex according to the CNMV, so they could not be suitable for people without financial training or knowledge. Many consumers have been affected by these securities, signing a contract thinking that it was a fixed-term deposit and that in 5 years they would recover more interest. If you are one of those affected, contact us.

Solving cards

These cards, which are often sold very lightly and in an opaque manner, are passed off as credit cards but are actually providing consumer credit, that is, you can buy without having money on the card, but instead of making a payment as with credit cards, what is done is that the payment of this debt is postponed, thus generating a consumer credit. The problem and the reason for nullity comes when this credit has such a high interest that it is considered usury and therefore, it should never have existed. If you have a card like this or suspect that abusive interest is being charged contact us!

Unfair and unfair clauses

A very well-known and recurring issue that affected many consumers. It involves setting minimum interest rates that prevented the interest rate from falling even if the legal rate was below the minimum stipulated by the bank. This clause was declared abusive and therefore considered null and void, that is, as if it had never been in the contract. This means that no minimum interest is applied and therefore the price will be what marks the legal interest on the money. If you have been a victim or if you do not know if this clause exists in your contract, contact us!

Claim for abusive contracts/interests

When we contract with a financial institution, we are often given documents that are incomprehensible to a consumer. Incomprehensible clauses or conditions that are not understood that we must sign if we want to access the service that it offers us. These clauses or conditions can be abusive and therefore, even if they have been signed, they can be annulled if certain conditions are met. If you think you may have an abusive clause or contract, contact us!

Undisclosed fees

Many times we detect commissions on our receipts that we don’t know what they are for. When we ask our entity, they also don’t know how to give us a specific answer about the origin of this amount. Commissions that are not in the contract must be communicated to the consumer in advance in a reliable manner. If you have any commission that you don’t understand or that you don’t agree with, contact us!

Unwanted services

Contracts are increasingly being considered where other services other than those specifically banking or financial are offered. Although there are some exceptions, the banking entity cannot force the consumer to contract other services (such as insurance, alarms, etc.) in order to access the financial entity’s own services. If you believe that you have been forced to contract a service without agreeing to it, contact us!

IRPH interest

For a long time, loans were taken out with the Mortgage Loan Reference Index or IRPH. In itself, this option is not abusive, but the fact that it was not properly reported and bad faith was detected by the banking entity was. Therefore, the issue is very current and still generates a lot of conflict. If you also have IRPH or think you may have one, contact us.

Mortgage expenses

Prior to 2019, most mortgagees assumed the costs of the mortgage: notary, management, registration, taxation, etc.) The CJEU issued a ruling in July 2020 establishing that entities are obliged to refund all mortgage costs, except for tax. If you also assumed these costs, contact us!

UCI mortgage

These are mortgages that emerged especially during the economic crisis of 2008. The amortization system of this type of mortgage allows the capitalization of interest, so that the debt increases at the same time as the interest increases. UCI mortgages are also related to the IRPH. If you find yourself affected by the UCI mortgage, contact us.

Multicurrency mortgage

These are those mortgages indexed to foreign currencies that, during 2007 and 2008, became very well-known because they promised to pay much lower interest rates. The problem is that there was no warning that the debt would be subject to the Euro rate and not to foreign currencies. If you are one of those affected, contact us!

Unfair terms

If you have been the victim of clauses in your contract that you consider abusive, contact us!

Subordinate references

The preferred bonds have already been condemned by the courts (preferred and subordinated debt), the first affected were those who invested, without knowing it.

If you also believe you are one of those affected, contact us!

Non-bank lenders

In crisis situations, many people are unable to get banks to give them a loan, so they end up resorting to other resources that are much more accessible and faster: financial credit institutions. Although this is an alternative that may seem attractive at first glance, it can be very risky to resort to it: the most likely outcome is to end up in a cycle of over-indebtedness. Since the client’s solvency or financial situation is not assessed, they can often end up in a spiral of debt when they are unable to repay the loan. If you have problems with a financial credit institution, contacta’ns.

If you believe that your rights as a consumer may be in danger, you have suffered any of these practices or any other abusive treatment, the Consumers’ Union of Catalonia – UCC can help you. Do not hesitate to contact us to resolve any queries!