In 2026 cases alone, at least eight disputes against Sber, five against VTB and four against Alfa-Bank have been won. Courts refunded the cost of paid options, recalculated interest and kept the loan discount.
Figures from specific cases show the scale: in one dispute with VTB, the borrower got back 174 thousand roubles and kept a rate of 24% per annum — the bank insisted on 35.7%. In a case against Alfa-Bank, the court excluded 156 thousand roubles from the loan principal. The largest recovery was about 946 thousand roubles from Gazprombank, including interest and a fine; the option itself had cost the borrower 510 thousand roubles.
There are several grounds for a refund. Courts find the payment unlawful if consent to the service was ticked automatically, the borrower was not offered an alternative without extra charge, or the service had no independent consumer value. Article 16 of the Consumer Protection Law expressly prohibits banks from pre-ticking a client's consent to additional services. Since July 1, 2025, the Bank of Russia mortgage standard additionally prohibits any fees for lowering the rate on mortgage products.
The practical procedure is as follows: first request the loan documents and rate calculation from the bank, then send a written claim. For claims of up to 500 thousand roubles, a preliminary stage is mandatory — an appeal to the financial ombudsman; only after their decision can one go to court.
However, there is no guaranteed result. If the programme terms were transparently disclosed and the client took the service voluntarily, the court may refuse both a fee refund and keeping the reduced rate at the same time: one will have to choose. Entrepreneurs who took loans with such options to finance purchases or replenish working capital should check their loan documents for automatically included paid services — 2026 court practice is developing in favour of borrowers.
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