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Supporting our customers and clients impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19)

27 March 2020

During this period, we understand that many customers and clients are experiencing a range of difficulties, whether that’s customers making repayments on their mortgage or clients experiencing challenges with cash flow and beyond.

Across the UK, Barclays is helping with access to finance and wider support. We are proactively contacting businesses and notifying customers to help them navigate the challenges and uncertainty generated by coronavirus (COVID-19).

We are taking action to support our Personal Banking customers in the UK. Whether it’s providing additional support with managing money, or working with customers who have faced disruption to finances or travel plans, we are constantly looking at ways to make things easier.

New measures to help Personal Banking customers manage their money through these challenging times, include:

  • Overdrafts: We are waiving all interest from 27th March until the end of April 2020, meaning no charges for customers to use their agreed overdraft.
    • Customers don’t need to call us to set this up, interest will automatically be removed from 27 March 2020.
  • Mortgages: We are speeding up the mortgage payment holiday application for customers in financial difficulty with a new, easy to use, online form.

Find out more about this and other available support for Personal Banking customers in the UK

We are also working to support UK Business Banking customers through this difficult period. Barclays’ Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan (CBIL) scheme launched on 23 March 2020 to help provide businesses with urgent cash flow support due to issues associated with COVID-19:

  • Designed to support viable UK businesses with a turnover of no more that £45 million per annum
  • The scheme will provide businesses with lending of up to £5 million
  • The Government will cover the first 12 months of interest payments

Find out more about this new scheme and the other support available to UK Business Banking customers.

We are also taking action to support UK Corporate Banking clients, with resilience and business recovery plans in place to respond to risks or hazards that may affect business as usual.

We are also ready to provide unlimited financing to eligible companies with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) Corporate Finance Facility (find out more).

With the situation surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) continuing to develop, we know this is placing challenges on many of our clients’ day-to-day operations. Our relationship teams are ready to work with you and provide appropriate support. Find out more about the support available to our Corporate Banking clients.

Additional support also includes:

  • Our network of relationship managers has been reaching out to small and medium-sized businesses across the UK to see if they require additional support during this time, as we do regularly when we see any events, which may have an impact on our clients.

    Barclays is ready to help, whether that’s with managing cash-flow or any other support, and we encourage any customer who needs guidance to call us or contact their relationship manager.

    Our assistance during this period includes: 

    • A dedicated, free helpline for customers affected by coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm offering guidance, support and information
    • Available for the bank’s one million business banking customers
    • Impacted customers should call 0800 1971 086 1

    Our broader support package for Business Banking customers, includes:

    • 12-month capital repayment holidays on existing loans over £25,000 
    • Increased or new overdraft facilities and other working capital solutions
    • Access to funding – 360,000 SMEs have pre-assessed lending limits which can be accessed via the Barclays app or online banking
    • In addition, the bank has an existing £14 billion lending fund, which we launched in 2019 as part of a three-year commitment to help SMEs build resilience during uncertain times. Read this article for more detail.

    1 Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm. Calls to 0800 numbers are free from a UK landline and international calls are charged at local rate, mobile costs may vary – please check with your telecoms provider. Calls may be recorded so that we can monitor the quality of our service and for security purposes.

  • For customers who are experiencing or anticipate problems making repayments to their mortgage, overdraft, personal loans or credit cards due to coronavirus (COVID-19):

    • We are encouraging them to speak to our specialist teams who have a range of measures available to support customers
    • We are removing penalty charges to accessing fixed savings accounts early for those facing hardship
    • We are enabling customers to apply for a temporary increase on their credit card limit
    • We are continuing outreach from dedicated relationship directors who remain in close contact with clients and will continue to assist with individual challenges such as working capital, liquidity, supply chains, and FX, to provide the appropriate support
    • We are providing responsible support to clients that have a funding requirement resulting from coronavirus
    • We are ready to aid short term cash flow pressures with measures such as capital repayment holidays, temporary increases to overdrafts and extending existing trade facilities 
    • Talk to us about new, extended or amended lending facilities² 
    • We are holding client calls to discuss the economic impacts, what we are seeing now, what we expect to see in the FX and commodity markets, as well as the supply chain impact and options.

    2 New extended or amended lending facilities will be subject to Barclays existing risk appetite and credit criteria, including usual affordability considerations.

Contact Us

  • If you are a UK Barclays Business Banking customer who is being affected by coronavirus please use this page to find out how to get in touch.
  • If you are a UK Barclays Personal Banking customer in the UK experiencing financial challenges as a result of coronavirus, please use this page to find out how to get in touch.
  • If you are a UK Barclays Corporate Banking client who is affected by coronavirus and would like to contact us, please use this page to find out how to get in touch.
  • If you are a Barclays US Consumer Bank customer who is being affected by coronavirus please use this page to find out how to get in touch.

Additional Resources

  • Find out more about the Government’s coronavirus action plan and their answers to frequently asked questions regarding their business support package.
  • The government has put a range of support in place for those who do not receive Statutory Sick Pay, including Universal Credit and contributory Employment and Support Allowance.
  • ACAS has published information for employees and employers, including simple steps to help protect the health and safety of staff.