Not upheld: credit file reporting accuracy following overdraft facility withdrawal complaint against Santander UK Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr D complained that Santander unfairly recorded negative information on his credit file after withdrawing his overdraft facility. Santander notified Mr D on 7 May 2025 of the withdrawal effective 1 July 2025, providing more than 30 days' notice as required by the account terms. Although Mr D did not receive this letter, Santander subsequently sent multiple text messages and letters clearly stating the account was in an unarranged overdraft and requesting payment or contact. The ombudsman found Santander's communications were clear and accurate, the credit file information fairly reflected the account history, and no unfair treatment occurred. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Santander complied with its contractual obligation to provide 30 days' notice of overdraft facility withdrawal, having sent the notification letter on 7 May 2025 for a 1 July 2025 effective date. Although Mr D did not receive this letter, it was correctly addressed. Santander subsequently issued multiple clear communications including text messages and letters explicitly stating the account was in an unarranged overdraft and requesting payment or contact. The ombudsman rejected Mr D's argument that text messages were ambiguous, finding them sufficiently clear, and noted that Mr D could have sought clarification by contacting Santander. The credit file information accurately reflected that the account remained overdrawn without an arranged overdraft facility in place, fairly representing the account history.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website