RBS backtracks on denials and admits staff did forge customer’s signature

Bank Confidential, a new organisation which aims to root out unacceptable practices in the big banks, originally made the allegations two weeks ago on behalf of retired teacher Jean Mackay, after she made them aware of the allegedly fraudulent practices.

The claims were supported by whistleblowers, one of whom said he worked for RBS for more than 12 years and told The Scottish Mail on Sunday that he was taught how to copy customer signatures on his first week of training as a finance manager in 2005.

Mrs Mackay, of Forres, Moray, had shown paperwork showing her signature was faked on a bank document in order to sign-up for payment protection insurance (PPI) – after she had declined it.

When Mrs Mackay challenged the bank, staff gave her a document purporting to show she had agreed to the fees.

However, two signatures on the same document – one agreeing to take out a credit card, the other apparently agreeing to pay PPI – looked to be markedly different, and despite RBS’s claims to the contrary, a graphologist has now confirmed the signatures are “not a match”, leading to the bank’s climbdown.

RBS has now conceded that a fake signature was used on one of the official documents, resulting in Mrs Mackay being signed up to a financial product she did not agree to.

The Edinburgh-based, 72 percent state-owned lender has now apologised and offered compensation of £500.