Not upheld: unfair treatment and threatening communications regarding mortgage payments complaint against TSB Bank plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr L, who has a disability and receives benefits, complained that TSB sent approximately 20 threatening letters threatening eviction during a period when his benefits were being updated. TSB provided evidence it sent only two standard letters in September 2025 notifying Mr L of the cessation of mortgage income support payments and his repayment options. Mr L claimed to have shredded the alleged letters and could not provide evidence of them. Call recordings contradicted Mr L's claims that TSB admitted to sending multiple letters or cut off his call. The ombudsman found that the two letters sent were standard in nature and not threatening, and that TSB fairly notified Mr L of the change in payment arrangements. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the balance of probabilities standard. TSB provided internal records and copies of two letters sent in September 2025. Mr L claimed to receive approximately 20 letters but destroyed them without providing evidence they were sent by TSB. The call recordings did not support Mr L's claim that TSB admitted to sending multiple letters or that TSB cut off the call. The two letters sent were standard in nature and not threatening. It was fair for TSB to notify Mr L of the cessation of mortgage income support payments and to include standard repossession wording. Complaint handling is not a regulated activity and can only be reviewed if it impacts the underlying problem, which was not the case here.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website