Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against TSB Bank plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr P complained that TSB failed to protect him from gambling-related harm after he transferred over £20,000 from a 2019 redundancy payment to his online gambling account within hours. TSB was unaware of Mr P's gambling addiction at the time and had not been informed of any concerns. The ombudsman found that applying 2019 standards, the transaction pattern would not have raised sufficient concerns to require intervention, particularly given Mr P's historical payment behavior to the same merchant. The complaint was not upheld, though the ombudsman noted Mr P has since rebuilt his life and finances.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the standards and practices that existed in 2019, not current standards. At that time, gambling blocks were relatively primitive and could be easily switched off. The transaction pattern, while involving large and successive payments, was not unusual given Mr P's historical payment behavior to the same merchant. Critically, Mr P had not disclosed his gambling addiction or concerns about the redundancy payment to TSB, so the bank had no reason to intervene.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website