Not upheld: account closure handling, fund transfer delays, failure to provide statements complaint against Barclays Bank Plc
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6140626 of 2026-06-02T00:00:00+00:00. account closure handling, fund transfer delays, failure to provide statements complaint against Barclays Bank Plc. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6140626 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-06-02T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Barclays Bank Plc |
| Product | current account |
| Claim type | account closure handling, fund transfer delays, failure to provide statements |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | Barclays Bank Plc should pay Mr C and Mrs M £450 compensation for poor service in relation to the provision of bank statements. |
Summary
Mr C and Mrs M complained about Barclays' handling of their current account closure and failure to provide statements. Their account closed in November 2023, and after Mr C's initial reclaim form was rejected in February 2024 for missing information, Barclays sent clear instructions on 8 March 2024 about what was needed. Mr C's subsequent communications between March 2024 and June 2025 primarily concerned a separate smart investor account. When Barclays proactively called Mr C in June 2025, it completed security and arranged a transfer, but the payment was returned in July 2025 due to the receiving account being dormant. The transfer was successfully completed in September 2025. Additionally, Mr C repeatedly requested updated statements but did not receive them until September 2025 via secure message. The ombudsman found Barclays not responsible for the fund transfer delays or the returned payment, but upheld the complaint regarding statements provision, finding the £450 compensation offered to be fair.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that Barclays clearly outlined required information in its 8 March 2024 letter and Mr C did not provide this information until June 2025 when Barclays proactively called him. The emails Mr C sent between March 2024 and June 2025 primarily concerned his smart investor account (handled by a different Barclays entity) and were not reasonably understood as requests for current account fund transfer. Even the November 2024 email referencing the current account included uncertified ID and payment details to a broker account, which did not meet requirements. The ombudsman found Barclays was not responsible for the returned payment in July 2025 as it had sent the full amount to the specified account and Mr C had sufficient notice to advise his bank. Regarding statements, while Barclays failed to provide updated statements and could have offered secure message sooner, the £450 compensation offered was fair given the distress and inconvenience caused, as the lack of statements did not prevent Mr C from understanding his account status.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Barclays Bank Plc, all decisions | 13,840 | 24% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website