Not upheld: account switch refusal / service access restriction complaint against Bank of Scotland plc (trading as Halifax)

Decision detail

Summary

Miss H complained that Halifax blocked her current account switch, preventing her from accessing the switching service to transfer to a new provider. Halifax had restricted her account and issued a notice to close, citing this as the reason for declining the switch. Miss H argued this was unfair and disproportionate given her health vulnerabilities and reasonable adjustment requests, and that she had been able to access some account features with staff support. The ombudsman found that Halifax was aware of Miss H's vulnerabilities and had allowed limited account access, but determined that Halifax's decision to decline the switch based on the account restrictions was fair and reasonable in the circumstances, and therefore did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman considered whether Halifax should have allowed the account switch despite the account restrictions, weighing the firm's reasons for closing and restricting the account against Miss H's vulnerabilities and reasonable adjustment requests. Although Halifax was aware of Miss H's vulnerabilities and did provide limited account access with staff support, the ombudsman found that Halifax was reasonable in declining the switch based on the restrictions placed on the account. The decision was found to be fair, reasonable, and not disproportionate in the circumstances.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website