Not upheld: Cifas marker registration and refusal to remove complaint against Starling Bank Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr O complained that Starling Bank Limited had registered a Cifas 'false application' marker against him and refused to remove it. Mr O claimed he did not make the account application in January 2022 and had never held a UK driving licence. However, the ombudsman found that the application used Mr O's genuine passport (with matching passport number), his telephone number, and a video appearing to show him, making it more likely than not that Mr O had made the application himself. Starling had reasonable grounds to register the marker due to concerns about the validity of the provisional driving licence provided. The ombudsman concluded Starling acted fairly and did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found it more likely than not that Mr O made the application himself, based on the use of his genuine passport, matching passport number, his telephone number, and the apparent identity match in the video. The ombudsman concluded that Starling had reasonable grounds to register the 'false application' marker due to concerns about the validity of the provisional driving licence provided. Since Starling did not make a mistake in registering the marker, the ombudsman could not fairly require its removal or award compensation for distress caused.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website