Those struggling to get debt free whose problems partly stem from more expensive loans that included Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) are frequently not getting their money back soon enough.

Consumer groups say progress has been far too slow and shows many banks are still not dealing with PPI complaints fairly.

Chief ombudsman Natalie Ceeney noted the number of complaints received that had been successfully upheld in the first half of this year was 47 per cent, compared with 53 per cent in the second half of 2010.

She said the lower figure coincided with the time when banks were launching a legal challenge against the ruling by the FSA and Ombudsman Service against their preferred approach to dealing with the situation.

Sally Bowyer, Managing Director of leading financial claims company, Brunel Franklin, said that the amount of people who have currently lodged an application for a PPI refund is the tip of the iceberg. “We are seeing steady growth in PPI refunds and the trend is set to continue,” said Sally. What we know is that many millions of policies are in existence and it appears that a large proportion may have been mis-sold. Therefore it is imperative that people check the small print of their loan and other credit agreements, to see if they unknowingly have PPI.”

Learn more about PPI refunds and find out if you could apply for a refund today! Visit the website www.brunelfranklin.com or call Brunel Franklin, free, on 0800 051 54 51.