Bank Customer Support Network

Sphere of activity

The entities making up the out-of-court support network for bank customers have the following mission:

To inform bank customers about their rights and duties in pre-arrears situations and within the scope of the out-of-court arrears settlement procedure (OASP);

To assist bank customers in analysing proposals presented by credit institutions under the pre-arrears action plan (PRAP) and the OASP, namely whether they are suited to the customers’ financial situation, objectives and needs;

To work with bank customers when negotiating with the credit institutions on the proposals presented under PRAP and OASP;

To support bank customers in their creditworthiness assessment.

These entities may not:

Interact with credit institutions as representatives or on behalf of bank customers, for example when the latter are negotiating the proposals presented under the PRAP and the OASP;

Adopt reconciliation, mediation or arbitration mechanisms to obtain agreements between bank customers and credit institutions.

Intervention of the entities making up the Bank Customer Support Network ends if legal proceedings are proposed by the credit institution involved in the credit agreement to which the assistance provided relates. Bank customers must inform the credit institution of this fact.

Operating principles

The entities making up the out-of-court support network must comply with principles of independence, impartiality, lawfulness and transparency.

The assistance provided to bank customers must be swift and must follow high technical standards.

Customers are advised and assisted on a confidential basis. All employees and staff of the entities making up the Bank Customer Support Network and that participate in the process are bound by professional secrecy.

Entities making up the Bank Customer Support Network

The Bank Customer Support Network is made up of centres of information and arbitrage for consumer conflict, regardless of their name, authorised to carry out the activities of information, mediation, conciliation and arbitrage and for legal persons governed by public or private law, accredited by the Directorate-General for Consumers, following an opinion issued by Banco de Portugal.

The legal persons governed by public or private law that aim to be a part of the Bank Customer Support Network shall present a request for accreditation through the form available online for the purpose at the Consumers’ Website (Executive Order No. 2/2013, of 2 January 2013) issued by that Directorate-General.

The entities that make up the Bank Customer Support Network are listed on the Consumer Website of the Directorate-General for Consumers (only in Portuguese) and here.

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Bank Customer Support Network

Sphere of activity

Operating principles

Entities making up the Bank Customer Support Network