Social science: Identifying the signs of financial abuse (Nature)

Telltale signs of financial abuse, such as depleted savings, increasing debts and declining credit scores, can be identified in bank records according to an analysis of UK banking data published in Nature. The findings reveal up to 373 indicators of financial behaviour that could help pinpoint customers who may be experiencing economic abuse.

Financial abuse is a type of domestic abuse in which the abuser can restrict the victim’s access to money, sabotage their finances or exploit them for financial gain. An estimated £14.4 billion of debt in the UK is thought to be related to economic abuse (this estimate is in 2020 prices, or £18.78 billion in 2026 prices). Although financial abuse is prevalent, it is frequently overlooked by the criminal justice system due to the lack of clear evidence.

Anna Trendl and colleagues analysed the retail bank data of 5,428 female victim-survivors of financial abuse in the UK and identified 373 indicators of financial abuse that occurred as much as 7 years before the abuse was disclosed. Specifically, the researchers found that victim-survivors had credit scores 109 points lower and were 31.9 percentage points more likely to have unpaid debts than those in the control group. They also observed that victim-survivors experienced higher overdrafts, lower savings balances, high loan repayments, higher overdraft charges and more cash withdrawals. Those experiencing abuse spent less money on self-care (including dental, opticians and sport), and more money at stores selling alcohol, petrol stations and on legal expenses. Password resets, PIN reorders and reports of lost or stolen bank cards were also more frequent for those who were victim-survivors in the study.

The authors note that the population analysed may not represent the average victim-survivor of financial abuse, and further work is needed to analyse how these results could be generalized to a broader population. The findings offer insight into how financial abuse can present itself over long periods of time, as opposed to one inciting event that may lead a victim to disclose the abuse to their bank. Likewise, the findings could help the development of vulnerability indicators and intervention strategies to support victim-survivors.

• Article
• Open access
• Published: 23 September 2026

Trendl, A., Sharp-Jeffs, N., Perrier, K. et al. Banking records reveal characteristics of financial abuse. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11049-7

© 2026 Springer Nature Limited. All Rights Reserved.  

More Press Releases