Fair4All Finance and PwC found outcomes could vary depending on the provider, product, access channel and individual circumstances.
Disabled consumers continue to experience inconsistent levels of support across financial services despite improvements in accessibility, research from Fair4All Finance and PwC has found.
The report, ‘Beyond Uneven Terrain: improving the disability landscape in financial services’, found outcomes could vary depending on the provider, product, access channel and individual circumstances.
With 16.8 million disabled people in the UK and an estimated £274bn in annual spending power, the research identified supported access, digital accessibility and product decisioning and underwriting as three areas requiring further attention.
It found a gap in third-party access for disabled consumers who need additional support but do not require formal legal arrangements involving greater transfer of control.
This could result in customers using informal alternatives, including sharing payment cards, PINs or passwords with family members or carers.
The research also found digital services could create barriers through security protocols, two-factor authentication, verification processes and app redesigns, particularly for customers using assistive technology.
Of 29 providers reviewed, 23 had dedicated online accessibility pages or hubs, but nine showed highly visible evidence of accessibility testing or co-design with disabled people and seven clearly covered disability or accessibility in their public reporting.
The report also raised concerns around product decisioning and underwriting, with stakeholders interviewed expressing a perception that automated processes could make incorrect or inaccurate assumptions where an individual’s circumstances were not fully captured.
It also found disability-related benefit income was treated inconsistently, with some payments commonly accepted in mortgage affordability by the providers reviewed while others were often excluded or deducted.
The report called for financial services providers and wider stakeholders to consider expanding the voluntary Disability Finance Code into retail financial services, explore more flexible supported-access mechanisms and review the impact of automated decisioning, risk pricing and treatment of benefit income.
Kate Pender, CEO at Fair4All Finance, said: “Financial services are central to everyday life, yet a market that thrives for many continues to leave too many disabled consumers behind.
“Support across the sector remains deeply uneven, and visible commitments too often fail to translate into reliable, everyday outcomes.
“Designing an inclusive financial system is not just a social obligation, it is an untapped commercial opportunity that could deliver at least an additional £6.4bn annual boost to the UK economy.”
She added: “Disabled people deserve a better deal, which means moving permanently beyond reactive adjustments to ensure mainstream products and journeys work effectively for everyone across their entire lives.”
Howard Taylor, director at PwC UK, said: “Disabled people frequently face higher day-to-day costs and lower average incomes, contributing to lower financial resilience, while also encountering barriers when accessing the products, services and support they need.
“While progress has been made in improving the availability and accessibility of financial services, there is more to do.
“Our report aims to strengthen the evidence base and makes recommendations to support further strengthening tangible action that would help improve outcomes for disabled consumers.”
