Real Story was given Lloyds TSB documents

The BBC programme Real Story has found that one south Wales couple on a low income was lent �100,000 by the bank.

The Banking Code Standards Board has said it is investigating the actions of the bank.

Lloyds TSB says it is committed to being a responsible lender and has introduced measures that go beyond the requirements of the banking code.

Review

Real Story was given an internal Lloyds TSB document detailing a review of 185 loans of more than �15,000.

In more than half of the cases the bank did not fill in the right paperwork to show the loan was affordable, and in some cases the loan was found not to be affordable.

Wendy Dickerson and her husband were loaned �100,000

In one case uncovered by Real Story, David Dickerson and his wife Wendy, from Swansea, were given a loans totalling �100,000 by Lloyds TSB. Mr Dickerson is unwell and on benefits, while Mrs Dickerson earns just �5,000 a year.

Lloyds TSB said it had now offered to write off the Dickerson's debt.

In a statement the bank said: "Lloyds TSB is committed to being a responsible lender. It is clearly not in our interests to lend money to people who cannot afford to pay us back.

"As a result of our focus on responsible lending, we have introduced a number of industry leading initiatives which go above and beyond the minimum requirements of the Banking Code and exceed the standards of many of our competitors."

Investigation

The banking code is a voluntary code which sets standards of good practice for financial institutions to follow when they are dealing with customers.

"The banking code says that before we lend you money or increase the limit on your overdraft or credit card we will assess whether we feel you will be able to repay," Seymour Fortescue chief executive of the Banking Code Standards Board told the BBC.

"Banks and credit card companies are required to look at people's income and financial commitments of any borrowing, information from credit reference agencies and things like credit scoring as well.

"As soon as I heard that Lloyds TSB had commissioned some internal reports I asked to see those," Mr Fortescue said.

"We have now been investigating those reports and we have disciplinary powers and if necessary we will take disciplinary action."

However, he did add that he thought Lloyds TSB deserved "some credit for commissioning these internal reports to see what was going on".

Real Story: Bankers behaving badly - BBC ONE, Monday 9 May, 2005 at 1930 BST

I have got numerous credit cards and have racked up a huge amount of debt. I have now got a loan to cover it and am trying to sort it out. Yes, it was very easy to get the money and I think there should be more checks, but in the end I didn't have to spend the money so it's my own fault. Becky, Bristol, England

I am 21 years old with two credit cards. One has a limit for �14,000 and the second has a limit of �10,000. I am a university student with no income. Ric, Leeds

When my son was a student he was able to borrow inappropriate amounts of money on several credit cards. He ran up a five figure debt. Credit card companies are far too eager to lend to people they see as being lucrative customers in future years. My son's burden of debt contributed to a depressive illness that has since prevented him getting work appropriate to his qualifications and, though I could barely afford it myself, I had to pay off his debt. Dave, Leeds, England

You don't get a loan without agreeing to it and signing for it first. If you think the loan is too much for you to afford, don't sign it. The blame needs to be with the individuals entirely. Eric Sloan, Atlanta, USA.

I don't see what the bank has done wrong here. When a bank makes a loan there is always an element of risk for the bank. If it lends to people who are not credit worthy, the bank risks losing that money. A Smith, London, England

I applied for a credit card online with a well known credit card company and was given a limit of �10,000. Later I discovered I had entered my date of birth incorrectly. If I was issued a card when really basic details like this can go undetected, then I cannot really sympathise too much with banks when they find they have lent money to people who cannot pay it back. Paul Tomlinson, Hertfordshire, England

I can't help thinking that the banks are bearing too much of the blame here. Where does personal responsibility come into it? If somebody takes out a loan, it is the responsibility of that individual to check that they really need it in the first place, and that they can afford to pay it back. Pascal Harris, London, England

I am 21 years old with two credit cards. One has a limit for �14,000 and the second has a limit of �10,000. I am a university student with no income. Ric, Leeds, England

While financial institutions should bear some of the responsibility for improper lending, ultimately the individual must bear most of it. Banks and the like are clearly going to get you to borrow as much money as possible - that's how they make their money. People these days are far too quick to blame others for their misfortunes. It is your life and you are responsible for it. KB, London, England

This is another example of big business putting profits before any moral obligation. You have to ask when some people will take some personal responsibility for debt as well. Ben Clark, Bristol, England

When I came to Australia four years ago, I went to the bank to get a mortgage. They offered me an amount seven times my basic income, and more than five times the combined income of myself and my wife. We had a baby on the way. I asked the bank how they could offer such a loan since, in the UK, I could only have expected 3.5 times our joint income. They said that things were different in Australia. John, Sydney, Australia

Have you recently been offered a loan which you consider excessive? Do you think banks are lending people too much money? Send us you views

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