Discretionary Commission Arrangements - Compaints and refunds

You do not need to use a Claims Management Company. You can make the claim directly to the lender and if they reject your complaint you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge, but you must do this within 6 months of the lenders Final Decision Letter.

Santander Bank, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Spanish Santander Group, is a major player in the financial services industry, with a significant presence in the northeastern United States. Founded originally as Sovereign Bank in 1902 and rebranded as Santander Bank in 2013, it has a rich history of expansion and acquisitions, culminating in a robust offering of financial services and products. These include retail banking, mortgages, corporate banking, cash management, credit cards, capital markets, trust and wealth management, and insurance​​.

Santander US, part of the global Santander Group, encompasses a diverse range of financial companies including Santander Bank, N.A., Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc., Banco Santander International of Miami, and Santander Securities LLC of Boston, among others. It boasts a significant footprint with 415 branches, over 13,489 employees, and serves 4.5 million customers, including 1.1 million digital customers. The group reported an underlying attributable profit of €932 million​​.

Banco Santander, founded in 1857, has grown through strategic acquisitions and expansion into a multinational banking giant. Noteworthy milestones include its merger with Banco Central Hispano in 1999, forming Banco Santander Central Hispano (BSCH), and subsequent acquisitions such as Grupo Financiero InverMexico in 1996, Grupo Financiero Serfin of Mexico in 2000, Abbey National plc in 2004, and Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley's savings business in the UK in 2008. The acquisition spree extended into the United States with Sovereign Bank in 2006, which was fully acquired in 2008 and rebranded to Santander Bank in 2013​​.

The bank's operations are vast, spanning several countries and regions beyond its home base in Spain. It operates local banks and consumer finance businesses across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Some of the notable brands and subsidiaries under Santander include Santander UK, Santander Consumer Finance with operations across Europe, and Openbank, its digital banking platform. It has a significant presence in Latin America with operations in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina, among others. In Europe, Santander operates in countries like Germany, Poland, and Portugal​​​​.

Santander's approach to expansion and service diversification demonstrates its ambition to be a leading global bank, emphasizing digital innovation, customer service, and sustainable growth. The bank's strategic priorities include targeting competitive segments, simplification of its business model, leveraging digital capabilities for scalability, and driving growth through its global network while maintaining disciplined capital management​​.

For more detailed information, you can visit their official websites and Wikipedia pages: