Category Archives: Banco Santander

Banks need stricter controls to prevent romance fraud, says City regulator

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FCA cites study showing victims’ ‘red flags’ are often missed and calls for improved monitoring systems

The City regulator has called on banks and payment firms to bring in stricter controls protecting customers from romance fraud after a study showed a number of missed “red flags” that led to people losing huge sums of money.

The review by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) highlighted one case where someone lost £428,000, another where a customer made 403 payments totalling £72,000 to a fraudster and a case where someone wanted money to transfer cryptocurrency to their “partner” in Iraq.

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Santander mortgage cap jumps by as much as 24% as bank eases lending rules

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Some higher-earning couples with smaller deposits could borrow extra £130,000 as a result of overnight changes

Some couples applying for a Santander mortgage will see the maximum they can borrow increase by £130,000 overnight after the bank loosened its lending rules.

Santander is the latest in a line of lenders to allow some borrowers to access bigger mortgages after intervention by the City regulator and new guidelines from the Bank of England designed to help more people on to the housing ladder.

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Santander UK freezes salaries and cuts jobs in commercial banking arm

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Exclusive: Bank also set to slash bonuses in wider shake-up that could help make it more attractive to potential buyers

Santander UK is freezing salaries, slashing bonuses and cutting jobs across its commercial banking arm as part of a wider shake-up that could help make the bank more attractive to potential buyers.

The bank began unexpectedly changing bankers’ job titles and shuffling staff into new teams earlier this month amid a larger review of the Spanish lender’s UK business, where there is mounting frustration over regulations and costs.

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Santander to close 95 UK branches, putting 750 jobs at risk

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Bank says 18 other outlets will become ‘counter-free’ and further 36 will operate reduced hours

Santander is to close a fifth of its branches in the UK as part of an overhaul of its network, putting 750 jobs at risk.

The retail bank said it would shut 95 out of its 444 high street outlets, and reduce the services or hours at a further 50-plus branches, by June to “better serve the changing needs of customers”.

Aberdare 24 June

Arbroath 17 June

Armagh 1 July

Blackwood 23 June

Blyth 5 August

Bognor Regis 14 July

Borehamwood 1 July

Brecon 25 June

Brixton 11 August

Caernarfon 7 July

Camborne 7 July

Canvey Island 5 August

Clacton 16 June

Cleveleys 23 June

Colne 14 July

Colwyn Bay 24 July

Crowborough 23 July

Croydon 16 June

Cumbernauld 7 July

Didsbury 8 July

Downpatrick 6 August

Dungannon 23 June

Edgware Road London, 12 August

Eltham 23 June

Exmouth 15 July

Falmouth 21 July

Farnham 29 July

Felixstowe 16 July

Finchley 6 August

Fleet 30 June

Formby 11 August

Gateshead 16 June

Glasgow St Vincent St, 24 June

Glasgow The Avenue, Newton Mearns, 23 June

Greenford 24 June

Hackney 15 July

Hawick 24 July

Herne Bay 8 July

Hertford 29 July

Holloway 14 July

Holywell 13 August

Honiton 14 July

Kidderminster 18 June

Kilburn 17 June

Kirkby 22 July

Launceston 16 June

Louth 17 June

Magherafelt 24 June

Malvern 2 July

Market Harborough 1 July

Musselburgh 30 June

New Milton 28 July

Peterhead 16 June

Plympton 14 August

Portadown 30 June

Pudsey 28 July

Rawtenstall 15 July

Ross-On-Wye 30 July

Ruislip 7 July

Rustington 5 August

Saltcoats 21 July

Seaford 15 July

Shaftesbury 23 July

Sidcup 11 August

St Austell 8 July

St Neots 30 July

Stokesley 31 July

Strabane 23 July

Surrey Quays London, 10 November

Swadlincote 30 June

Tenterden 7 July

Torquay 17 June

Tottenham 8 July

Whitley Bay 6 August

Willerby 13 August

Wimborne 4 August

Wishaw 22 July

Bexhill

Billericay

Dover

Droitwich

Dunstable

East Grinstead

Holyhead

Ilkley

Larne

Lytham St Annes

Maldon

Morley

North Walsham

Redcar

Saffron Walden

Turriff

Uckfield

Urmston

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Hundreds of Santander customers in UK hit by banking problems

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Bank says it has fixed mobile and telephone service outages after people unable to make payments

Santander has fixed the problems affecting its banking services after many customers were left unable to access their accounts.

The bank apologised for any “inconvenience caused” and said no customers would “be left out of pocket” as a result of the outages.

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Santander to cut more than 1,400 jobs in UK amid increasing automation

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News of redundancies comes as UK division delays publication of results after car finance court ruling

Santander is cutting more than 1,400 jobs across its UK business this year as part of its efforts to reduce costs.

The Spanish bank’s chief executive officer, Hector Grisi, confirmed the cuts as its UK division delayed publication of its latest financial results to consider the impact of an influential court ruling linked to commission on car finance.

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Santander to insist UK workers are in office three days a week

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About 1,000 of those affected work in London and 4,500 at the bank’s new Milton Keynes headquarters

Santander has joined the ranks of employers herding reluctant British workers back to the coalface, telling office staff they must turn up in person for at least three days a week on average.

While the bank’s back-office staff will still be able to work from home more regularly than before the pandemic, the minimum requirement now tips the balance in favour of the traditional workplace rather than home.

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Nationwide’s Dominic West ad prompts complaint from rival

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Watchdog receives complaint, reportedly from Santander UK, that advert paints misleading picture of bank branch closures

Dominic West’s portrayal of an arrogant, smoothie-drinking, branch-closing banker has landed Nationwide in potentially hot water, with the building society now facing a formal complaint over its TV advert from a rival lender.

Santander UK is understood to have lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over the television commercial, on the basis that it “discredits and denigrates” Nationwide’s rivals and paints a misleading picture about bank branch closures.

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Lloyds and Santander accused of providing accounts for Iranian front companies

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Both banks deny helping Tehran-controlled oil firm PCC to move money in breach of sanctions

Two of the UK’s largest lenders, Santander UK and Lloyds Banking Group, allegedly held bank accounts for front companies that helped Iranian entities evade US sanctions, according to reports.

The news has rattled investors, who sold off shares in the two banks on Monday morning, amid fears that the lenders could face penalties if they are found to have in any way assisted Iran’s state-controlled Petrochemical Commercial Company (PCC).

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UK savings: more accounts now offering 6%-plus interest

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Government-backed NS&I increases its rates, as building societies and banks launch better deals

Amid the mortgage misery, there was more good news this week on savings rates, with a growing number of accounts now paying 6%-plus interest.

Meanwhile, the government-backed NS&I – a favourite of many in these uncertain times – has upped the rates on some of its popular fixed-rate accounts.

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Rise in UK borrowers falling behind on mortgage payments, says Santander

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Boss says bank is putting aside more money for potential defaults linked to cost of living crisis

The boss of Santander UK says the bank is putting aside more money for potential defaults linked to the cost of living crisis after seeing a pickup in customers falling behind on mortgage and loan payments.

Mike Regnier told the Guardian that he was keeping a close eye on the “strain and pressure” facing customers as a result of the cost of living crisis, which has made it harder for some households to keep up with rising food and energy bills and financial commitments such as home loans.

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Santander says top banker made secret tape in job dispute

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Bank accuses Andrea Orcel of ‘dubious moral behaviour’ over its withdrawn job offer

Spain’s Santander has accused one of Europe’s highest-profile banker of “dubious ethical and moral behaviour” after he sued the bank for €100m (£90m) when it withdrew an offer to make him chief executive.

The bank accused Andrea Orcel of making secret recordings during the dispute.

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