HSBC UK

Retail bank. Products & services: Banking, Insurance.

Updated: 3 August 2026

Company Overview

Industry: Retail and business banking (ring-fenced UK bank)
Parent company: HSBC Holdings plc
Regulator: Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority (FRN 765112)
Ombudsman: Financial Ombudsman Service
Customers: Around 15 million active UK customers
Founded: HSBC UK Bank plc incorporated 23 December 2015 and operational as the ring-fenced bank from 1 July 2018; HSBC group traces its origins to 1865
Legal entity: HSBC UK Bank plc (company no. 09928412)

2.57Complaints opened per 1,000 accounts (banking and credit cards)

What customers complain about

Customers complaining to HSBC UK Bank plc most often raise banking and credit-card issues: of the 86,126 complaints it opened in the six months to 31 December 2025, 75,064 (a rate of 2.57 per 1,000 accounts) were about banking and credit cards, and it upheld 57% of complaints overall. Home-finance (mortgage) complaints were opened at a higher rate (5.14 per 1,000 balances) and upheld at 63%, and credit-related complaints at 5.81 per 1,000. These figures combine HSBC UK Bank and first direct, which share the same legal entity. Fraud and scam disputes are a prominent theme across large UK banks, now backed by mandatory APP-scam reimbursement rules in force since 7 October 2024. In May 2024 the FCA fined HSBC £6.2m over its treatment of customers in financial difficulty, and HSBC paid £185m of redress to about 1.5 million customers. Complaints go by phone (03457 404 404), the app or online, post (Customer Service Centre, BX8 1HB) or a branch, with an 8-week final-response window (15–35 days for payment services).

Complaint categories

1
Banking and credit-card servicing
Banking and credit cards is HSBC UK Bank plc's largest complaint category by far — 75,064 of the 86,126 complaints opened in the six months to 31 December 2025, a rate of 2.57 per 1,000 accounts, with 58.1% upheld. This grouping covers everyday current-account, card, payment and customer-service issues.
HSBC UK complaints data, 1 Jul – 31 Dec 2025 (hsbc.co.uk/help/feedback-and-complaints/complaints-data).
2
Home finance (mortgages)
Mortgage complaints are opened at a higher rate than banking complaints: HSBC UK Bank plc opened 5,047 home-finance complaints in the six months to 31 December 2025 at 5.14 per 1,000 mortgage balances and upheld 63% of those it closed, one of its highest uphold rates in the period.
HSBC UK complaints data, 1 Jul – 31 Dec 2025 (hsbc.co.uk/help/feedback-and-complaints/complaints-data).
3
Treatment of customers in financial difficulty
How HSBC handles customers in arrears or financial difficulty has been a specific problem area: the FCA found that between 2017 and 2018 HSBC did not always carry out proper affordability assessments and sometimes took disproportionate action when customers fell behind, leading to a May 2024 fine and about £185m of redress to roughly 1.5 million customers.
FCA press release, 23 May 2024, 'FCA fines HSBC £6.2 million over treatment of customers in financial difficulty' (fca.org.uk).
4
Fraud, scams and APP reimbursement
Disputes over refunds for authorised push payment (APP) scams and card fraud are a prominent theme across large UK banks including HSBC. Since 7 October 2024 banks must reimburse eligible APP-scam victims under mandatory Payment Systems Regulator rules, and fraud-refund disputes are a common reason customers escalate to the Financial Ombudsman.
Payment Systems Regulator APP reimbursement rules in force 7 Oct 2024 (reported theme; individual outcomes not verified here).

Latest statistics

86,126Complaints opened (all products, HSBC UK Bank plc incl. first direct)1 Jul – 31 Dec 2025

Figures are HSBC UK Bank plc's own FCA complaints return for the reporting period 1 July to 31 December 2025 (H2 2025), published on HSBC UK's complaints-data page, which combines HSBC UK Bank and first direct complaints. 'Opened' counts complaints logged in the period; the per-1,000 figures are HSBC's reported rate against accounts, mortgage balances or policies for each product group; percentages are HSBC self-reported and not independently audited, and cover a single six-month period. Banking and credit cards is by far the largest product grouping and the most relevant to personal customers.

Contact methods

Complaint journey

1
Contact HSBC
Raise your complaint by phone, in the app or online, by post or in branch.
Typical responseImmediate
What happens
Call 03457 404 404 (Premier 03457 707070, Business 03457 606060; +44 1226 261 010 from abroad), start a chat in the HSBC UK app or online banking, write to Customer Service Centre, BX8 1HB, or speak to someone in a branch. first direct and M&S Bank customers use their own brand's contact details but reach the same bank.
2
Acknowledgement
HSBC tries to fix it straight away, or confirms it is looking into it.
Typical response5 working days
What happens
HSBC says it aims to resolve your complaint as soon as you get in touch. Where it needs to look into things in more detail, it aims to send you a response within 5 working days and will keep you updated on progress.
3
Investigation
HSBC investigates the issues you have raised.
Typical responseKept updated
What happens
HSBC fully investigates the issues you have raised and aims to resolve them as quickly as it can, contacting you if it needs more information. Many complaints are resolved well before the maximum time limits.
4
Final response
HSBC writes to you with its decision.
Typical response8 weeks (payments: 15–35 days)
What happens
For complaints about a payment service HSBC aims to respond within 15 calendar days, and no later than 35 calendar days in exceptional circumstances. For all other complaints it provides a final response within 8 weeks; if it needs longer it will write to explain why and tell you when to expect a response.
5
Escalate to the Ombudsman
If you are unhappy, take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman.
Typical responseWithin 6 months
What happens
If you are not satisfied with HSBC's final response, or it does not respond within the timescales, you can refer your complaint free to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You must do so within 6 months of HSBC's final-response letter, or the ombudsman will not normally have permission to consider it.

Response times

HSBC says it aims to resolve your complaint as soon as you get in touch. Where it needs to look into a complaint in more detail, it aims to send a response within 5 working days. For complaints about a payment service it aims to answer within 15 calendar days and, in exceptional circumstances, no later than 35 calendar days. For all other complaints it provides a final response within 8 weeks, the general FCA limit, though it says it normally resolves concerns much earlier — in the six months to 31 December 2025 it closed 64.1% of complaints within three business days. If HSBC cannot resolve a complaint within 8 weeks, or issues a final response you disagree with, you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

If your complaint isn’t resolved

If HSBC UK can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:

Financial Ombudsman Service

Recent news

23 May 2024
The FCA fined HSBC UK Bank plc, HSBC Bank plc and Marks and Spencer Financial Services plc a total of £6,280,100 for failings in the treatment of customers in arrears or financial difficulty between June 2017 and October 2018, including inadequate affordability assessments and sometimes disproportionate action against people who fell behind. HSBC had already invested up to £94m to fix the problems and paid about £185m of redress to roughly 1.5 million customers, and received a 30% settlement discount (the penalty would otherwise have been £8,971,600).
Read more
25 February 2026
HSBC UK Bank plc's half-yearly FCA complaints data for the six months to 31 December 2025 showed it opened 86,126 complaints (75,064 for banking and credit cards, at 2.57 per 1,000 accounts) and upheld 57% of those it closed, with 64.1% of complaints closed within three business days. The figures combine HSBC UK Bank and first direct.
Read more

Earlier cases

17 December 2021
Historic: the FCA fined HSBC Bank plc £63.9 million for deficient anti-money-laundering transaction-monitoring systems in place between 2010 and 2018. HSBC did not consider whether its scenarios covered relevant risks until 2016, did not test or update parameters adequately, and had insufficient data-quality checks. HSBC received a 30% settlement discount (the fine would otherwise have been £91.35m).
Read more

Know your rights

Payment Services Regulations 2017
Govern how HSBC must handle payments, unauthorised transactions and payment-services complaints, including the 15-day (up to 35-day) final-response window HSBC applies to payment-services complaints. This is general information, not legal advice.
APP scam mandatory reimbursement (PSR rules, in force 7 October 2024)
For most authorised push payment scams made by Faster Payments or CHAPS on or after 7 October 2024, HSBC and the receiving bank must reimburse eligible victims, usually within five business days, up to a maximum of £85,000, with the cost shared 50:50 between the sending and receiving banks. Consumer-standard-of-caution and time-limit conditions apply.
FCA rules — DISP, CONC and Banking: Conduct of Business (BCOBS)
Set HSBC's complaint-handling obligations, the eight-week final-response deadline and your right to refer to the Financial Ombudsman Service, and require fair treatment of banking and credit customers — including customers in financial difficulty, the subject of the FCA's 2024 findings against HSBC. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

How do I complain to HSBC UK?

You can call 03457 404 404 (Premier 03457 707070, Business 03457 606060; +44 1226 261 010 from abroad), start a chat in the HSBC UK app or online banking, write to Customer Service Centre, BX8 1HB, or speak to someone in a branch.

How long does HSBC take to respond to a complaint?

HSBC aims to resolve concerns straight away and, where it needs longer, to respond within 5 working days. For payment-service complaints it aims to reply within 15 days (up to 35 in exceptional cases); for all other complaints it sends a final response within 8 weeks. If you are still unhappy you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Are first direct and M&S Bank the same as HSBC?

Yes — first direct, M&S Bank, HSBC Premier and HSBC Private Banking (UK) are trading names of the same legal entity, HSBC UK Bank plc (FRN 765112). Their complaints are handled by HSBC UK Bank plc and are counted in its complaints data, though you contact each brand through its own details.

How many complaints does HSBC UK get?

In the six months to 31 December 2025 HSBC UK Bank plc (including first direct) opened 86,126 complaints — 75,064 of them about banking and credit cards, a rate of 2.57 per 1,000 accounts — and upheld 57% of those it closed.

Who regulates HSBC UK?

HSBC UK Bank plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the FCA and PRA (FCA Firm Reference Number 765112). These regulators enforce the rules but do not resolve individual complaints — the Financial Ombudsman Service does that.

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