National Westminster Bank plc · Institution's own AI · severity 2 of 5
Per Financial Ombudsman Service decision DRN-4835349 (2024), NatWest's digital chatbot failed a disabled customer on 25 September 2023: it repeatedly did not understand his question about adding a QR code to his wallet, and when he asked for a senior manager and a human to handle a formal complaint it did not understand, did not log the complaint and offered no other route. The ombudsman found the chatbot should have referred him to a human agent or a phone service and that the complaint should have been logged that day. She upheld the complaint and ordered NatWest to pay £140 on top of £160 already paid. NatWest calls Cora, the chat assistant on its website and app, its 'AI Assistant'; the decision does not name the chatbot.
Record last reviewed Oct 21, 2026 · Markdown
Date
Sep 25, 2023 · disclosed Jun 5, 2024
Institution
Country
United Kingdom
AI system
Cora · Online chat assistant on NatWest's website and app, which the bank calls its 'AI Assistant'; the 2024 decision calls it NatWest's 'digital chatbot' without naming it
AI?
Described as AI by the institution or regulator
The institution, a regulator or a court called the system AI.
Category
Status
Resolved
Severity
2 of 5
Impact
£300 total compensation (£160 paid by NatWest plus £140 ordered by the ombudsman) · One customer, whose disability was noted on his account; the decision records significant distress and that he did not get an answer to a simple question about his account.
What happened?
On 25 September 2023 a NatWest customer with a disability, who sometimes needs to speak to a person to manage his account, started a chat with NatWest's digital chatbot and asked how to add a QR code to his wallet. Per the ombudsman's decision, the chatbot did not understand the query despite several attempts. When he said he wanted to complain, it asked questions, but when he said he wanted a senior manager and a human being to deal with his formal complaint, "The chatbot didn't understand." He left the chat.[1]
On 28 September he used the chat again and was connected to a human agent only after choosing "account opening query" from a list. The complaint was logged on 29 September, acknowledged on 19 October, and answered on 21 December 2023, when NatWest acknowledged his dissatisfaction with the chatbot, apologised for the time taken and paid £160. He then could not reach the complaints team by phone. NatWest told the ombudsman's investigator that its chatbot "only responds to specific wording" and did not understand that he wanted to speak to a human.[1]
The ombudsman, who issued a provisional decision on 2 May 2024, found it was not unreasonable that the chatbot could not answer the specific query, but that "it ought to have provided a route for him to get the answer, such as referring him to a human agent or a phone service. It did neither." Because the same request to a human agent a few days later was enough to reach the complaints team, she concluded "a complaint should have been logged on 25 September". She also found NatWest had not pointed him to its Vulnerable Customer Line despite his disability being noted on his account.[1]
The decision calls the system NatWest's "digital chatbot" and does not name it. NatWest's chat assistant on its website, app and Online Banking is Cora, which the bank describes as "your AI Assistant". A separate 2025 ombudsman decision on a different customer (DRN-5596137, not upheld) describes Cora as "NatWest's automated online assistance facility" and records NatWest's explanation that Cora is a triage assistant that answers common questions and connects customers to staff when it cannot.[2][3]
When did it happen?
- Sep 25, 2023
NatWest's chatbot fails to understand a disabled customer's QR-code question and his request for a human to handle a formal complaint; no complaint is logged.[1]
- Sep 29, 2023
After a second chat reaches a human agent, the complaint is logged.[1]
- Dec 21, 2023
NatWest issues its final response, acknowledges the customer's dissatisfaction with the chatbot and pays £160.[1]
- May 2, 2024
The ombudsman issues a provisional decision to uphold the complaint; NatWest says it has nothing further to add.[1]
- Jun 2024
The final decision upholds the complaint and directs NatWest to pay a further £140, with acceptance due by 3 July 2024.[1]
What was the impact?
- Financial: £300 total compensation (£160 paid by NatWest plus £140 ordered by the ombudsman)[1]
- Customers: One customer, whose disability was noted on his account; the decision records significant distress and that he did not get an answer to a simple question about his account.[1]
Severity 2 of 5: Limited harm to one customer: the Financial Ombudsman Service upheld the complaint and set total compensation at £300 (£140 on top of £160 already paid); no regulatory action or wider customer impact is recorded.
How did National Westminster Bank plc respond?
Per the decision, NatWest's final response acknowledged the customer's dissatisfaction with the chatbot, said that "isn't the experience it strives to provide", apologised for the time taken and paid £160. It told the ombudsman the chatbot only responds to specific wording, gave instructions for adding the QR code, and said the customer could use its Vulnerable Customer Line or a named member of its Customer Support team for any query. After the provisional decision NatWest said it had nothing further to add.[1]
What was the outcome, and did regulators act?
The Financial Ombudsman Service upheld the complaint and directed NatWest to pay a further £140, making £300 in total. The decision records that contact details for the Vulnerable Customer Line and a named Customer Support staff member had been given to the customer as the route for future queries. No regulator action has been reported as of 21 October 2026.[1]
What did the ombudsman find about NatWest's chatbot?
In decision DRN-4835349 the Financial Ombudsman Service found that NatWest's digital chatbot could not answer a disabled customer's simple question and did not offer a route to a human agent or phone service, and that it failed to log his formal complaint on 25 September 2023, which it should have done.
How much did NatWest have to pay?
NatWest had already paid the customer £160. The ombudsman decided £300 was fair overall and directed NatWest to pay a further £140. The complaint involved one customer; no wider customer losses or regulatory penalties are recorded in the decision or elsewhere as of October 2026.
Was the NatWest chatbot AI?
The 2024 decision calls it NatWest's 'digital chatbot' and does not name it. NatWest's chat assistant is Cora, which the bank describes as its AI Assistant, and a 2025 ombudsman decision calls Cora NatWest's automated online assistance facility. NatWest told the ombudsman its chatbot only responds to specific wording.
Has the ombudsman ruled against NatWest's Cora in other cases?
Not in the decision reviewed here. In DRN-5596137 (2025) a customer overseas complained that Cora was hard to communicate with; the ombudsman did not uphold it, accepting NatWest's explanation that Cora is a triage assistant that passes customers to staff when it cannot answer.
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