Not upheld: Mortgage administration / arrears handling complaint against The Mansfield Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs C complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service about incorrect information provided by The Mansfield Building Society regarding the early repayment charge (ERC) date on their mortgage. In September 2018, MBS told their solicitors the ERC would apply if the mortgage was repaid before 18 October 2018, when the correct date was 18 October 2019. However, the ombudsman found that Mr and Mrs C had been informed of the correct date through the original Offer of Advance, annual statements, and two recorded phone calls where Mrs C specifically inquired about the redemption figure. The ombudsman did not uphold the complaint, finding that Mr and Mrs C had not suffered loss or significant trouble and upset as a result of the incorrect phone information.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman acknowledged that MBS provided incorrect information over the phone but found that Mr and Mrs C had been made aware of the correct ERC date through multiple other sources: the original Offer of Advance, annual statements, and two recorded phone calls where Mrs C specifically asked about the redemption figure and was given the correct date. The ombudsman concluded that Mr and Mrs C had not lost out financially or suffered significant trouble and upset as a result of the incorrect phone information, given the multiple opportunities they had to become aware of the correct date.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website