Individual bank customers entitled to free copies of their agreements

The Hungarian Data Protection Supervisory Authority (DPA) ruled that the practice of charging a fee for copy agreements was unlawful.

This followed a complaint from a customer charged nearly HUF 8,000 by one of Hungary's largest banks for a copy of his personal loan agreement.

The DPA ruled that a financial services agreement between a bank and an individual consists of the customer's personal data relating to their relationship with the bank.

Under the Data Protection Act, banks (as data controllers) are required to respond as soon as possible (within no more than 30 days) to requests from individuals relating to their personal data including:

• what data it holds or is processed (eg read, amended, stored or deleted) on its behalf
• the purpose, period and legal basis for processing the data
• the name and address of the data processor and the type of processing it carries out
• who receives the data and for what purpose

The information must be provided free of charge unless the person has already requested information on the same issue from the bank in the same year.

Law: Act LXIII of 1992 on the Protection of Personal Data