The Appeals Process

Barclays’ lending appeals process lets you appeal a lending decision if you’ve been declined or aren’t completely satisfied with the terms of a lending offer.

Informing you about this process is part of our commitment to supporting you and your business. The process is monitored by an independent, external auditor to ensure that it’s fair and effective.

You can appeal if your lending application was declined and:

• Your company Group Turnover level is less than £25m
  
• Your Barclays Relationship Director has fully reviewed the lending application and you have provided them with all requested information
• Your lending application was declined in the past 30 days
• You have not previously appealed this decision
• Your existing lending isn’t subject to formal demand or enforcement or legal proceedings
• Your application doesn’t breach UK law and regulations, doesn’t involve cross-border transactions in countries subject to UN sanctions, and isn’t linked to a product which may be used to evade tax.

The appeal will be reviewed by an experienced lender within Barclays. This reviewer will be unconnected to the original decline decision, and will assess the appeal objectively and fairly on the basis of your original application and your subsequent written appeal letter.

It is our promise to review the decision fairly and promptly. We will respond to you within 30 days of your appeal with our decision. You will receive notification of this decision in writing as well as through a detailed discussion with your Relationship Director.

Have a detailed discussion around the reasons for the initial decline with your Relationship Director. In your appeal, it is important that you are able to mitigate the reasons for the decline, so please try to provide any additional information you can in order to support the appeal.

There are some circumstances where this appeal process will not apply, for example:

• Where no formal lending application has been submitted by you
• Where you have already had an appeal heard that was not successful

Appeals need to be made within 30 days of the original decision about your lending. Make sure to outline your reason for appealing and include any additional information to support your case. To give yourself the best chance of success, talk to your Relationship Director to understand why you were declined, so those reasons can be addressed.

There are 3 ways to appeal:

• You can submit the appeal to your Relationship Director, preferably in writing
• Speak to your client service team on 0800 027 1321
• You can submit your appeal online^ using the Better Business Finance appeals form (only applicable where company group turnover is <£25m).

A number of funding options for businesses exist, including Government-supported funding schemes and private sources. These can offer financing support where banks are unable meet your full funding needs and include regional growth funds, grants, support from UK Export Finance, the Business Growth Fund or private equity funding. The options available will depend on your specific business needs and situation.

For more information on your options, please contact your Relationship Director.

In addition to the above you can read more about alternative funding options via the Governments bank lending referrals to finance platforms (PDF^†) scheme, which includes eligibility details.

I have had my application approved but I am not satisfied with the terms of this finance, can I appeal in this regard?

You can appeal if your application was approved but you’re not satisfied with the terms of this finance. This excludes the costs of borrowing, agreed fees and standard terms and conditions we apply to the lending facility.

Find out more about the Appeals Process FAQs