Britain's highest court Friday largely overturned a lower court's ruling that certain car finance agreements were unlawful, a decision likely to bring a sigh of relief among lenders and limit the scale of compensation payments.

In a partial win for lenders, the court rules they're not liable for hidden commission payments in car finance schemes.

Banks could still face claims for compensation for motor finance commissions, but the extent of the total bill facing lenders is likely to now be significantly reduced.