Lending appeals

The right type of funding can play a vital role in helping your business reach its potential. If your lending application is declined, we will work with UK Finance to pursue any raised appeals.

  • If your application is declined and you believe we haven’t taken into account all of your circumstances, you have the right to appeal our decision. You need to submit your appeal within 30 days of the date of the decline letter.

    If you do wish to appeal, please let us know if there is any other information you could show us in support of your appeal.

    You can call our business management team to make an appeal. If your annual turnover is less than £3 million, call 0345 072 5555. If your turnover is above £3 million, call 0800 022 4378. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, except on UK bank holidays. Please quote ‘Lending application' if you call us so we can get you to the right team as quickly as possible.

    If your circumstances have changed, we'd be happy to reassess your application.

    You also have the right to appeal if you’re unhappy with the conditions relating to agreed lending, such as the need to provide security, regular financial trading information or up-to-date property valuations.

    Appeals can only be submitted before you draw down on the credit facility. You cannot appeal the proposed costs of agreed lending, such as interest rates, fees and costs or the standard terms and conditions, nor appeal after funds have been drawn down.

  • We will write to you to confirm your appeal has been received and what you can expect to happen next.

    Your appeal will be reviewed by a specialist in the lending appeals team. This team is not involved in the original lending application process. They will:

    • Take an impartial and unbiased view of the information you’ve given in your first application and how the decision was reached.
    • Contact you to clarify queries that arise from the review or to ask for additional information if needed.
    • Aim to contact you within 30 calendar days of receipt of the appeal to inform you of the outcome.
    • Commit to resolve 90 percent of appeals within 15 working days.

    For upheld appeals, our business management team will process your lending application. You’ll also receive a goodwill payment of £150 to recognise your successful appeal.

    If your appeal is not upheld, our business management team will continue to work with you to present a stronger lending application in the future, and point you towards relevant support and guidance.

  • You can appeal the decline decision and have it independently reviewed by a specialist in our lending appeals team.

    You also have the right to appeal conditions relating to your requested lending, but not the proposed costs of lending, such as interest rates, fees and costs, or the standard terms and conditions.

    You can call our business management team to make an appeal. If your annual turnover is less than £3 million, call 0345 072 5555. If your turnover is above £3 million, call 0800 022 4378. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, except on UK bank holidays. Please quote ‘Lending application' if you call us so we can get you to the right team as quickly as possible.

  • You can appeal a decision relating to any business borrowing facility such as loans, overdrafts, commercial mortgages, business credit cards, invoice financing, asset finance and trade finance.

    You can appeal following any formally declined lending decision. An application is considered formal when we receive the correct information that makes a decision possible.

    You can also appeal any of the conditions concerning your lending request, but not the proposed costs of agreed lending such as interest rates, fees and costs, or our standard terms and conditions.

    If you submit an appeal relating to lending condition(s), this could delay how long it takes to implement your lending facility; however, we aim to deal with 90 percent of all appeals within 15 days of receipt.

    Requesting an appeal does not guarantee that a decline decision will be overturned.

  • You or your intermediary has 30 calendar days from the date of the declined letter to appeal our decision. We keep to a 30-day maximum because the information you provided at the time of your original application can become outdated. After 30 days, we suggest you talk to our business management team about a new application.

    If you wish to appeal any of the conditions relating to your requested lending, this should be done before you sign the lending documentation. Appeals cannot be submitted if they relate to specific lending conditions after you draw down on the lending facility.

  • This needs to be discussed with our business management team. If you’re still unhappy with the way we have dealt with your enquiry, you have the right to pursue a formal complaint.

    Go to our customer support section for more on complaints procedures.

  • An appeal is a request to review a decline decision following a formal lending application or where you’re unhappy with the lending conditions associated with an offer.

    If lending is declined, you can have the decision independently reviewed by another experienced lender within Lloyds Bank.

    Any issues outside the appeals process should be pursued as a complaint through the formal complaints process.

  • Yes. However, you may need a full copy of your credit file from a credit reference agency and be able to prove that an error has occurred or that the circumstances of the adverse information were exceptional. Agencies hold information that helps lenders establish individuals' credit record.

    You’re legally entitled to see all the information held about you, by any agency, by writing to: Experian Limited, Consumer Help Service, PO Box 8000, Nottingham NG80 7WF. For fee details go to www.experian.co.uk or call 0344 481 0800.

  • You can appeal if you believe we have not taken into account all of your circumstances or, following a discussion with our business management team, you feel your application should have been approved. We may contact you to clarify any queries that may arise from the review or to ask for extra information.

    If your circumstances have changed significantly since the first application and you would like to re-apply on that basis, we would be happy to consider a new application.

  • No. It’s up to you to raise the matter for appeal. Our business management team often works with credit specialists to ensure they have correctly assessed applications. Complicated lending requests are often reviewed by more than one credit specialist to ensure your application has been fully considered.

  • An appeal can only be made after a decline decision following a formal application.

    Our business management team is skilled in assessing whether we have the right financial products to help you. They can work with you to present a stronger lending proposition in the future and, if necessary, talk to you about alternative sources of finance and other support.

  • We will write to inform you of the outcome of the appeal. If you’re happy for us to proceed, our business management team will continue to process your application.

  • We will write to you confirming the outcome of the appeal. If your circumstances have changed significantly since the time of the original application and you would like to re-apply, we would be happy to consider a new application.

    If this is not the case, we’ll be happy to talk to you about how we can work together to present a stronger lending proposition in the future. We’re dedicated to helping UK businesses thrive throughout the economic cycle. Therefore, we want to ensure you have the support you need to make your business stronger.

  • Lloyds Bank adheres fully to the Standards of Lending Practice. To ensure our decisions are fair and correct, we are monitored by an independent external reviewer.

  • To provide an independent assessment of the appeals process. They won’t review individual lending decisions or accept appeals directly from customers in the event of a complaint.

    To ensure banks have the correct processes to handle appeals fairly and effectively themselves, the independent external reviewer publishes an annual report detailing how banks are performing.

 

Lending appeals

Find out more about lending appeals

ANY PROPERTY GIVEN AS SECURITY, WHICH MAY INCLUDE YOUR HOME, MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR OTHER DEBTS SECURED ON IT.

Overdrafts are repayable on demand.
 

All lending is subject to a satisfactory credit assessment and we will need your permission to carry out a credit check on you and your business. 

You should not apply for an amount that you cannot comfortably afford to repay now and in the future to avoid the possibility of legal action. 

All lending is subject to status. Security may be required.