Cost of living

Managing your finances is more important than ever before. 

If you're worried about the rising cost of living and are concerned you may experience financial difficulties, contact us as soon as possible.

We will listen to you and will provide support when we can. We will also tell you where to find other free and reputable resources that may be able to help.

We will explain the options available to you and what the support being offered means before it is applied, including any costs and charges will be dealt with, and how any arrangement will be reflected on your credit file.

The earlier you contact us, the more options there will be available and the sooner we will be able to help.

• Don’t wait until you have missed a payment to contact us. Your credit score will not be impacted by contacting us to find out what options are available.
  

• Speak to us before you cancel any direct debits, as these may result in missed payments which will be shown on your credit file and will impact your credit score.

How to contact us

• If you have a mortgage with us and anticipate having difficulty with your mortgage repayments click here for more information.
  

• If you are a business customer, please contact your Relationship Managers directly or refer to letters you have received from us.
  

• If you are a personal customer, contact us by telephone or through our Online Banking message service.

What we may need from you

We will need some details to help identify you and your account. It would be useful to have your account number to hand when you contact us by phone. This can be found on your statements, any letters you have received from us or available through Online Banking.

We may ask you some questions about your income and outgoings to understand your financial circumstances, so it would be helpful to have these handy before you make the call.

What other support is available?

Getting a better understanding of what money you have coming in and going out can often help with managing your budget.

You may have relationships with a number of other banks or other financial services organisations. Therefore, there are a number of organisations that may be able to help and provide you with free and impartial advice taking into account all your finances. They may also help you find out if you are entitled to any state benefits, or tax credits, which can help increase your income.

The following websites are also useful for looking for more general advice which may help you understand the impact of the rising cost of living, and what services are available to you.

• Money Helper: free, unbiased money advice online, over the phone and face-to face.
  

• Citizens Advice: advice on issues such as debt management, welfare benefits, housing, employment and consumer complaints.
  

• National Debtline: free, confidential and independent advice on dealing with debt problems.
  

• Business Debtline: free debt advice to small businesses and self-employed people.
  

• StepChange: helping over 630,000 people a year to deal with money worries and take back control of their lives.