Not upheld: Account closure without notice complaint against Bank of Scotland plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr L complained that Bank of Scotland unfairly closed his joint accounts with his late wife without adequate notice or explanation. BoS had sent information requests in June and July 2025 via email to Mr L and his POA, warning that non-response would result in account closure. After receiving no response, BoS issued a closure notice in August 2025 providing 65 days' notice. Mr L claimed he was unaware of the information requests and received insufficient communication. The ombudsman found that BoS acted fairly and in accordance with its terms and conditions, using appropriate communication methods and providing adequate notice. The complaint was not upheld, though Mr L's subsequent appeal of the closure was successful.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that banks are entitled to make commercial decisions about account closure and that BoS complied with its contractual obligation to provide at least two months' notice. The ombudsman was satisfied that BoS used appropriate and reasonable communication methods (email and post) to contact Mr L and his POA, clearly setting out the consequences of non-response. The ombudsman noted that the emails were correctly addressed and there was no evidence they were not received, particularly given that the POA had previously responded to communications at the same email address.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website