Banks using their internet platforms to inform clients about changes to agreements or their conditions without the proper legal basis are the practices the Authority has called into question as harmful to consumers.

Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) closely monitors the financial services sector, keeping an eye out for companies engaging in practices that could harm consumers, including introducing changes into agreements or the regulations governing them. The Authority recently instituted proceedings against five banks — Alior, Millenium, BZ WBK, ING Bank Śląski and Pekao — it believes may be violating collective consumer interests. 

The banks’ practice of using their online platforms to inform consumers of changes to agreements they have signed raised red flags for the Authority. In its view, information about proposed changes to a contract should be sent to consumers in a durable medium, such as a letter, USB or CD. Such information can also be emailed, as long as the consumer agrees and all relevant information is included in the mail itself, rather than requiring consumers to find them on a separate webpage.

UOKiK has also questioned changes the five banks made to contract terms without the proper legal basis to do so anywhere to be found in the contract itself or in the generally applicable provisions of law. Further, information sent to customers about changes to agreements must indicate the legal basis and the circumstances that resulted in the need to modify them. A lack of that data renders consumers unable to determine whether the changes introduced by the bank (increasing account fees, for example) are justified.

The present investigation is not unprecedented: In November, UOKiK opened proceedings against Credit Agricole Bank Poland for how it went about changing contract terms, while preliminary proceedings are currently ongoing against another six financial institutions. UOKiK has not ruled out widening its probe to include other entities.

Additional information for the media:

Press Office, UOKiK
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Phone.: +48 22 827 28 92, +48 22 55 60 314, +48 22 55 60 430
E-mail: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]