Not upheld: payment processing and timing of account debits complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Mr G complained that Nationwide made two payments (a mortgage payment and an energy company payment) over a bank holiday weekend in December 2025, causing his account to become overdrawn and causing him stress. Nationwide explained that the mortgage payment was a transfer, not a direct debit, and was made on 29 December 2025 (a working day) in accordance with the agreed payment schedule, leaving over £91 in the account. The account only became overdrawn after the energy payment was made and remained overdrawn for only a couple of hours with no charges incurred. The ombudsman found that although the text message was inaccurate, Nationwide did not act unfairly in making the payments and upheld no compensation claim.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that although Mr G was stressed by inaccurate text messages, Nationwide did not act unfairly in making the payments on 29 December 2025, which was a working day. The mortgage payment was a transfer, not a direct debit, and was made in accordance with the agreed payment schedule. The account only became overdrawn after the energy payment, not the mortgage payment, and was overdrawn for only a couple of hours with no charges incurred. The ombudsman acknowledged the inaccuracy of the text message but concluded this did not constitute unfair treatment warranting compensation.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website