The scheme, overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), concerns millions of motor finance agreements involving commission arrangements that were not properly disclosed to borrowers. Although Santander has agreed to proceed with the scheme, customers will have to wait for ongoing legal proceedings to be resolved before compensation can be distributed.
Santander Agrees to Compensation Scheme Covering Millions of Finance Deals
According to the Express.co.uk, Santander is among the lenders that have chosen not to challenge the FCA’s proposed redress arrangements. The bank confirmed its position while acknowledging that it disagreed with certain elements of the compensation framework. A Santander spokesperson said: “We have decided not to challenge the schemes and will now focus on their implementation.”
The spokesperson described the decision as a “finely balanced judgment”, explaining that the bank’s desire to provide greater certainty for customers, shareholders and the wider motor finance sector had outweighed its objections to parts of the proposals.
The compensation scheme follows regulatory findings concerning approximately 12.1 million motor finance agreements involving discretionary commission arrangements between 2007 and 2014.
These arrangements, commonly known as DCAs, allowed car dealers and brokers to increase the interest rates charged on finance agreements and receive additional commission as a result. Borrowers were not necessarily informed that the interest rate on their agreement had been increased through this mechanism. The practice has since been banned.
According to Money Saving Expert, approximately £7.5 billion is expected to be distributed across the 12.1 million affected agreements. The estimated average compensation payment has also changed. Initially calculated at £700, the figure has been revised to £829 after approximately two million agreements previously included in the scheme were excluded.
For Santander customers whose agreements fall within the qualifying arrangements, the bank’s decision means their claims can proceed through the scheme once the legal obstacles have been addressed.
Legal Challenges Delay Compensation Payments Until 2027
The timetable for distributing compensation remains uncertain following legal challenges brought by four firms against the redress arrangements.
Money-saving expert Martin Lewis addressed the developments during his ITV1 programme on 14 October, explaining that a court hearing had been scheduled for February rather than December.
“We now have a court date announced for the legal challenge from four different firms who put this on hold just as it was about to start doing mass payouts,” Lewis told viewers. He added: “They had a choice between December and February, they’ve gone for February unfortunately, which will delay it even more.”
The revised timetable means initial compensation payments, previously anticipated during 2026, have been postponed until 2027. The wider scheme is still expected to complete its payments by the end of that year.
Lewis also clarified that lenders remain required to process complaints despite the interruption to compensation payments. “Firms must process complaints now though but they needn’t pay out, it’s still on hold until after that,” he said.
Customers can therefore continue submitting complaints under the existing arrangements while the legal proceedings remain unresolved. For Santander customers, the bank’s acceptance of the scheme establishes its position on compensation, but the timing of individual payments remains dependent on the outcome of the February hearing.
