Not upheld: incomplete mortgage statement; service failure (online chat contact difficulties) complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mr B complained that Barclays provided an incomplete annual mortgage statement in December 2025 and that he experienced difficulty contacting the firm about the issue. Barclays accepted both issues, explained that the incompleteness resulted from Mr B making approximately 30 small payments per month (exceeding the statement system's transaction limit), provided a manual statement in January 2026, and paid £75 compensation. The ombudsman found that Mr B had sufficient information from the incomplete statement and a November reminder letter to consider his interest rate options, that he would not have obtained a better rate if he had applied earlier, and that the £75 compensation was appropriate for the distress and inconvenience caused. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while the annual statement was incomplete and contact difficulties occurred, Barclays provided a reasonable explanation (mortgage statements are designed for monthly payments, not 30+ small payments), offered practical workarounds, and provided a manual statement in January 2026. The ombudsman determined Mr B had sufficient information from the incomplete statement and November reminder letter to consider his interest rate options, and that he would not have obtained a better rate even if he had applied in December. The £75 compensation was deemed appropriate for the distress and inconvenience caused.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website