Complaints about payment protection insurance in the UK caused a 13% increase in the number of complaints made to financial service providers in the second half of 2017, according to figures published by the Financial Conduct Authority.

During the second half of 2017 firms received a total of 3.76 million complaints - an increase of 427,032 on the first half of the year. Complaints about payment protection insurance or PPI rose by 40% to 1.55 million, the highest number for more than four years.

Firms paid a total of £415.8 million in January to customers who complained about the way they were sold PPI. This took the amount paid since January 2011 to £30 billion. Figures for February and March are not yet available.

As a massive favour to the banking lobby, David Cameron's Government set a deadline for PPI complaints at 29 August 2019. The FCA is therefore encouraging consumers (using TV advertisements that feature a 'droid that looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger) to decide whether they want to claim.

An FCA press release stated: "When PPI is taken out of the mix, the numbers of complaints firms are receiving has remained stable."

After PPI, the next most complained-about products are current accounts, with 509,047 complaints, and then credit cards, with 314,586 complaints.