Updated: 17 September 2026

Originally Published: 23 December 2025

If your lender asks for more information about a car finance claim, it does not automatically mean there is a problem with your complaint.

The lender may need to confirm your identity, find an old agreement or work out which of several finance agreements your complaint relates to. It could also need information before it can assess the agreement against the relevant FCA rules.

This is particularly important in September 2026. The FCA confirmed its motor finance consumer redress scheme on 30 March 2026 [1], but legal challenges later led to parts of the scheme being suspended. Even so, information gathering has not stopped.

So, what should you send your lender? What happens if you no longer have the paperwork? And can an old agreement still be traced if you cannot remember who provided the finance?

Quick answer: what should you do if your lender asks for more information?

Read the request carefully and respond with information you genuinely know.

Depending on what is missing, your lender could ask for:

• your current or previous name and address
• the approximate date you took out the finance
• vehicle make, model or registration
• the dealership you used
• your agreement number, if you still have it
• whether the agreement was PCP, HP or another type of finance
• evidence of payments
• information distinguishing one agreement from another

If you cannot provide something, say so rather than guessing.

Not having the original paperwork does not necessarily prevent a car finance mis-selling claim from being investigated. Historic agreements may sometimes be traced using other records. Some consumers also choose a car finance refund check through a claims management company that offers agreement-tracing services.

The important distinction is that finding an agreement and establishing eligibility for compensation are two different things. A traced agreement does not automatically prove mis-sold PCP car finance.

Why has my lender asked me for more information?

Many of the agreements potentially relevant to the FCA car finance scheme are old.

The scheme broadly concerns relevant motor finance agreements entered into between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024, subject to its detailed criteria.

Someone complaining in 2026 could therefore be asking a lender to investigate finance taken out 10 or 15 years ago.

During that time, you may have moved house, changed your surname, closed the bank account used for the payments or lost the original finance documents.

You may also have financed several vehicles.

Imagine you had PCP agreements in 2013, 2017 and 2020 with the same finance provider. If your complaint refers simply to "my old PCP agreement", the lender needs to establish which account you mean.

That is why requests for an old postcode, registration number or approximate date can matter.

The request itself says very little about whether your PCP compensation claim will eventually qualify for redress. At this point, the lender may simply be trying to locate the correct record.

What information might the lender ask for?

There is no standard request for every car finance claim. What is needed depends on what the lender already holds and what remains unclear.

Personal details

You could be asked to confirm your full name, date of birth, current address or previous addresses.

Old information can sometimes be more useful than current details when searching for historic finance.

For example, if an agreement was registered to an address you left in 2014, providing that postcode may help the lender match you to its records.

Vehicle details

The registration number can be particularly useful if you have lost the agreement number.

The lender might also ask for the make and model, dealership or approximate date you obtained the vehicle.

People often remember the car more clearly than the finance paperwork.

Finance details

If known, you could provide the agreement number, approximate start date, monthly payment, finance type or settlement date.

Approximate information is better than an invented answer.

If you remember taking out the finance in summer 2015 but cannot recall the exact month, say that.

Documents or payment information

A lender may ask whether you have the original agreement, statements, settlement correspondence or evidence of payments.

Bank statements can be useful because they may identify the lender, payment amount and approximate period during which the agreement was active.

However, a bank statement does not normally show how dealer commission worked or what was disclosed at the point of sale. It can help identify the agreement without proving the mis-selling of car finance.

What if I no longer have the paperwork?

This is common with historic car finance claims.

People do not necessarily keep paperwork after selling, returning or part-exchanging a vehicle. Agreements can also disappear during house moves, while digital documents may be stored in email accounts that have not been used for years.

If the lender asks for a document you no longer have, tell it.

You can then look for other information that might help identify the agreement.

Old emails may contain correspondence from the dealership or lender. Bank statements can show recurring finance payments. Vehicle documents or photographs may help recover a registration number.

Credit information from TransUnion, Experian or Equifax can sometimes identify previous borrowing too, although older closed agreements may no longer appear on a current credit report.

You may therefore have only fragments of information.

For example:

"I no longer have the finance agreement. I believe it started around 2015, the vehicle was a Ford Focus and I was living at [previous address]."

Those details could still provide a useful starting point.

The same applies if you remember the car but not the lender. Consumers often remember the dealership and vehicle long after they have forgotten the legal name of the finance provider.

Can a car finance refund check help trace an agreement without paperwork?

Potentially, yes.

Some consumers choose to use a car finance refund check provided by a claims management company when they no longer have their finance paperwork.

Depending on the CMC, its tracing process and the information available, the service may help identify historic finance even if you cannot remember the agreement number or lender.

This can be particularly useful if you financed several cars over the years.

You might remember owning a Vauxhall in 2012, a Ford in 2016 and a Volkswagen in 2019, but have none of the agreements. A CMC offering agreement tracing may be able to use the information available to help identify historic finance.

You do not necessarily need to arrive with the agreement already in your hand.

However, a car finance refund or PCP claim check should not be confused with a compensation decision.

There are really three stages:

1. Find the agreement.

Establish which lender and finance agreement are relevant.

2. Assess the agreement.

Consider the available records against the applicable FCA criteria.

3. Determine whether redress is due.

If the agreement meets the requirements, the relevant redress methodology can then be applied.

A mis-sold car finance check may therefore begin by helping to establish what finance existed. Finding it does not automatically mean the agreement was mis-sold or that a car finance or PCP refund will follow.

Consumers can also try to identify their lender themselves and complain directly for free. Using a claims management company is optional, and fees may apply. If you choose a CMC, check that it is appropriately authorised and understand its terms and charges.

What information should the lender already have or obtain itself?

There is an important limit to what a consumer can reasonably provide.

You might remember the car, dealership and monthly payment. You are much less likely to know what happened behind the scenes between the dealer and finance provider.

For example, you may not know:

• how much commission the dealer received
• how the commission was calculated
• whether a discretionary commission arrangement existed
• what internal documents passed between the broker and lender
• whether there was a relevant contractual tie between them
• what commission or disclosure records the broker still holds

Some of this information can be important when investigating possible mis-selling of car finance, but it may never have been provided to the customer.

The FCA framework therefore places information-gathering obligations on firms as well.

Despite the current partial suspension, firms are expected to continue certain preparatory work, including identifying relevant complaints and agreements and gathering information concerning commission arrangements and disclosures.

Relevant records may also need to be obtained from brokers.

So, if your lender asks whether you remember being told about commission, answer based on what you genuinely recall. If you do not know what commission was actually paid, do not try to calculate it yourself or assume a particular arrangement existed.

A consumer should not have to reconstruct internal commercial records from memory.

What if the lender cannot find my agreement?

Ask what other details could help it search.

An old address, former surname, vehicle registration, dealership, approximate purchase date or monthly payment could provide another way of matching you to an account.

If you had several financed vehicles, creating a rough timeline can also help:

• 2012: Ford Fiesta, HP, lender unknown
• 2016: Ford Focus, PCP, lender remembered
• 2019: Volkswagen Golf, PCP, agreement number available

The timeline does not need to be perfect. Its purpose is to distinguish the agreements.

If your own records do not reveal the missing finance, a mis-sold car finance check or car finance refund check through a CMC offering agreement tracing is another option.

If the lender keeps asking for information you have already provided, check whether it genuinely needs the same information or whether it is asking about another agreement.

Where the request is a duplicate, refer to your earlier response and provide the relevant details again if appropriate. Keeping copies of your correspondence makes this much easier.

What if I cannot remember what happened at the dealership?

Do not try to reconstruct a conversation from a decade ago simply because you think a more detailed answer will strengthen your complaint.

Tell the lender what you actually remember.

You might recall that the dealer arranged the finance but have no memory of commission being mentioned. If so, say that.

You may also have read about discretionary commission arrangements, high commission or tied arrangements since the car finance scandal became widely reported. That does not mean you are expected to know which arrangement, if any, applied to your agreement.

Similarly, if the lender asks why you believe the finance may have been mis sold, explain your concern in ordinary language.

You do not need to fill your response with regulatory terminology.

The available records and applicable FCA rules are more important than whether a customer knows the technical language used to describe mis-sold car finance.

Does being asked for more information mean my claim is likely to succeed?

No conclusion should be drawn either way.

A request for more information does not mean your claim is strong. It does not mean it is weak either.

Consider what stage the lender might be at.

If it asks for your old address, it may still be trying to identify the account.

If it asks which of three vehicles your complaint concerns, it may be separating several PCP finance claims.

If it asks what you remember about the sale, it may be gathering information relevant to its review.

None of these requests means car finance compensation has been approved.

Even locating an agreement does not establish eligibility. The agreement still needs to be considered against the relevant FCA criteria.

For the same reason, a request for information should not be interpreted as confirmation that a car finance refund is on the way.

How have the 2026 FCA developments affected information requests?

This is where the position has changed considerably since this article was last published in March 2026.

The FCA confirmed its motor finance consumer redress scheme on 30 March 2026.

Legal challenges followed from four organisations: CA Auto Finance UK Limited, Consumer Voice Limited, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK Limited and Volkswagen Financial Services UK Limited [2].

On 1 July 2026, the Upper Tribunal partially suspended elements of the scheme [3] while those challenges are considered.

The proceedings are expected to be heard either between 14 and 18 December 2026 or between 16 and 26 February 2027, depending on procedural developments concerning further expert evidence or disclosure.

The partial suspension has affected important parts of the redress timetable, including requirements relating to the calculation and payment of affected compensation.

It has not stopped all work on car finance claims.

Firms must continue complying with provisions that remain in force and are expected to progress complaints as far as possible. Relevant preparatory work and information gathering can therefore continue.

That explains why someone may still receive questions from their lender while the Upper Tribunal proceedings are unresolved.

The lender may be identifying the agreement, collecting information or completing work that can still be carried out under the rules currently in force.

In some circumstances, firms can also tell consumers that no compensation is due under the scheme. If that happens, read the explanation carefully and check that the lender has considered the correct agreement and details.

If you believe the lender has made an error, you can ask it to review its decision. Depending on your circumstances, you may subsequently be able to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

How should I respond to my lender?

Keep your response accurate and focused.

Answer the questions the lender has actually asked rather than sending every document you can find.

If it asks for evidence of a particular payment, for example, you may only need to provide the relevant statement rather than years of unrelated banking information.

Where appropriate, unrelated transactions can be redacted before sending a statement, while keeping an unedited copy for your own records.

If the lender gives you a deadline, try to respond within it. If you need more time to find an old document, contact the lender and explain.

If the document is gone, say so.

A response such as:

"I no longer have the original agreement, but I can provide the vehicle registration, previous address and approximate year the finance began."

is more useful than guessing or simply not replying.

It is also worth keeping a simple record for each car finance claim or PCP claim, particularly if you have several agreements. Record the complaint reference, vehicle, approximate agreement date, information requested, what you supplied and when you responded.

Finally, make sure the request is genuine before sharing sensitive information.

The attention surrounding the car finance scandal has also created opportunities for scams and misleading promotions. If an unexpected email, call or text asks for personal or financial details, verify the sender through an official contact channel.

A genuine lender may need to verify your identity. That is different from someone asking for online banking passwords, PINs, one-time security codes or an upfront payment to release compensation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a car finance claim without the original paperwork?

Potentially, yes. Losing the original agreement does not necessarily prevent you from investigating a car finance claim.

You can search bank statements, old emails, vehicle information and credit records. Some claims management companies also offer car finance refund checks that may help trace historic finance even when you do not have the original paperwork.

Finding the agreement does not automatically prove mis-sold car finance or entitlement to compensation.

Can a claims management company find my old finance agreement?

Depending on the CMC, the tracing process it uses and the information available, it may be able to help identify historic finance without you providing the original agreement.

The exact process varies between providers. Using a CMC is optional, and consumers can also try to identify their lender themselves and complain directly for free.

Are bank statements enough for PCP car claims?

They can help identify an agreement by showing the finance provider, payment amount or approximate dates.

However, bank statements are unlikely to contain all the information required to assess possible mis-selling of car finance, such as details of dealer commission or what was disclosed at the point of sale.

Does a request for information mean my PCP claim will succeed?

No. A request does not indicate whether any PCP claims will ultimately qualify for redress.

The lender may simply be trying to identify the correct agreement or obtain information needed for its review.

Are lenders still working on car finance claims while the scheme is partially suspended?

Yes. The suspension applies to parts of the FCA scheme rather than stopping the entire process.

Firms must continue complying with provisions that remain in force and carrying out relevant preparatory and information-gathering work.

Does a car finance refund check guarantee compensation?

No. A PCP car finance check may help identify historic finance or establish information relevant to a potential claim.

It does not guarantee a car finance refund or car finance compensation. The agreement still needs to meet the applicable requirements.

Do I need to use a claims management company?

No. Consumers can complain directly to their lender for free.

Some people choose a claims management company because they want assistance tracing historic agreements or managing their car finance claims. If you use one, check that it is appropriately authorised and understand any fees that may apply.

Give your lender what you know, not what you think it wants to hear

An information request is a step in the process, not a decision on your claim.

Provide what you genuinely know, make clear when something is approximate and tell the lender when paperwork has been lost. You are not expected to remember every detail of a car bought 10 or 15 years ago, nor should you be expected to know the contents of internal commission records you were never given.

There is also no reason to assume that losing the original paperwork automatically closes the door on a historic agreement.

You may be able to trace the finance yourself through bank statements, emails, vehicle information and credit records. Alternatively, consumers who want assistance can choose a claims management company offering a car finance refund check or mis-sold car finance check, which may include help tracing historic agreements without the original paperwork.

That tracing process is separate from deciding whether compensation is due.

Finding an agreement does not prove mis-sold car finance, and being asked for more information does not mean a car finance refund has been approved.

The legal challenges arising from the wider car finance scandal have delayed parts of the FCA redress scheme, but relevant information gathering can continue. For consumers, the practical approach remains straightforward: respond accurately, keep your records organised and separate what you know about the agreement from what the lender or broker may need to establish from its own records.

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References:

1. The FCA confirmed its motor finance consumer redress scheme on 30 March 2026 - The FCA confirmed its motor finance consumer redress scheme on 30 March 2026 - https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/policy-statements/ps26-3-motor-finance-consumer-redress-scheme
2. Legal challenges followed from four organisations: CA Auto Finance UK Limited, Consumer Voice Limited, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK Limited and Volkswagen Financial Services UK Limited - https://consumervoice.uk/cars/fca-car-finance-compensation-challenge/
3. On 1 July 2026, the Upper Tribunal partially suspended elements of the scheme - https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/motor-finance-scheme-partially-suspended