Is a 50/50 split the standard outcome for a partial refund?

No. There is no fixed rule requiring a 50/50 split. It is one outcome that both banks and the Financial Ombudsman Service have applied in some published cases involving contributory negligence, but the actual proportion depends on the facts of your case, not a default formula.

Can my bank reduce my refund just because I ignored a general fraud warning on its website?

Generally, no. To rely on the "ignored an effective warning" ground, the warning has to be specific to the type of fraud you experienced, clear, timely, and delivered at the point you were making the payment — not general onboarding material or a website page unconnected to your specific transaction.

What if my bank won't explain how it calculated the reduction?

Ask again in writing, and keep a record of the request and the (non-)response. A bank that cannot or will not explain its reasoning has given you very little basis to defend the deduction if you escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service, and the gap itself is worth raising in your complaint.

Does escalating to the Ombudsman risk losing the partial refund I already have?

The Ombudsman's role is to decide what is fair and reasonable based on all the evidence, which in principle could go either way. In practice, published decisions in this area show it more often used to increase a customer's refund than reduce one already paid, but no outcome is guaranteed in advance.

I lost money partly through a bank transfer and partly through a linked card payment. Does one refusal affect the other?

No — they typically sit under different rules. The transfer portion may fall under the PSR's mandatory reimbursement scheme, while a card payment may instead be considered separately, potentially including under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 for qualifying purchases. Each needs its own claim and its own evidence.

How long do I have to challenge a partial refund?

Once your bank issues a final response, you generally have six months to bring a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. If your bank hasn't issued a final response and it has been more than eight weeks since you complained, you can normally escalate anyway.

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