Not upheld: Account administration errors complaint against Bank of Scotland plc trading as Halifax

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H complained that Halifax displayed his personal credit card details when he accessed a separate attorney account, raising concerns about data security and account separation. Halifax explained that their co-servicing arrangement allowed accounts across the banking group to be viewed together, but only Mr H could see this information using his own login. The ombudsman found no evidence of data compromise, unfair application, or financial loss, and determined that requiring Halifax to change their business operations was outside the FOS's remit. The complaint was not upheld, and the ombudsman found Halifax's £40 goodwill payment and offer of an alternative solution to be reasonable.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman determined that while the co-servicing arrangement was surprising to Mr H, Halifax provided reasonable reassurance that his personal information was secure and accessible only to him. The ombudsman noted that changing business operations is the FCA's role, not the FOS's role. Although Mr H may not have received the October 2025 notification, even if he had, he would not have been able to opt out. The ombudsman found no evidence of unfair application, data compromise, or financial loss, and considered Halifax's offer of £40 and an alternative solution (removing online access) to be reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website