He's back: Animatronic Arnie returns to raise awareness of PPI deadline

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a new series of 1990s and 2000s-themed adverts, highlighting that PPI was sold alongside a vast array of products which many people may not think of.

These products include car finance, catalogue credit, credit cards, store cards and mortgages.

The FCA is reminding people to check whether they had PPI and make a decision about whether to make a complaint before the deadline on August 29 2019.

Andrew Bailey, chief executive of the FCA, said: "We know that PPI was sold on a huge variety of credit products throughout the 1990s and 2000s, but many people just don't realise they had it.

"Since we launched our campaign the largest firms have told us that the proportion of people complaining to them directly has increased.

"This may in part be due to the improvements we asked firms to make to their complaint handling processes, including the introduction of online checking and complaining tools. This means that more customers get to keep more of the redress that they are due.

"We want people to act before the deadline. Dig out that old paperwork, visit our website or call our helpline to find out how to check if you had PPI and how to decide whether to complain."

The number of people complaining directly to firms has increased from 46% pre-campaign to 55% as of the end of February, the FCA said.

Since 2011, a total of £29.6 billion has been paid out in compensation.

The new adverts will run on radio, social media, video on demand and outdoor advertising including bus stops. They will run alongside some of the existing adverts which first appeared in August 2017.

Since the campaign launched, the FCA has received nearly 17,000 calls to its helpline and nearly 900,000 people have visited its campaign website.

People who want to discuss whether to complain about PPI can call the FCA's dedicated helpline on 0800 101 8800 or visit the FCA's website www.fca.org.uk/ppi for more information.