Not upheld: Credit file / adverse marker disputes complaint against SECURE TRUST BANK PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY trading as V12 Retail Finance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Miss S complained that V12 unfairly reported a default on her credit file relating to a £1,176 fixed-sum loan taken out in June 2023. After making five payments, Miss S stopped paying to prioritize other bills and V12 issued a Default Notice in June 2024 when four months of payments were outstanding, subsequently reporting the default to credit reference agencies. Miss S claimed she did not receive the notice due to restricted access to post and emails caused by an abusive relationship. The ombudsman found V12 acted fairly and reasonably, as the default accurately reflected the account status at four months in arrears, consistent with Information Commissioner's Office guidance. The ombudsman noted V12 had no knowledge of Miss S's circumstances as she made no contact between October 2023 and December 2025. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied ICO guidance that defaults may be recorded when accounts are three months in arrears and normally by six months in arrears. With four months of missed payments, V12's decision to report the default was fair and accurate. Although Miss S claimed she did not receive the Default Notice due to restricted access to post and emails, the letter was correctly addressed and V12's records confirmed it was sent. The ombudsman found V12 had no obligation to know about Miss S's circumstances as she made no contact for over a year. V12 properly fulfilled their responsibility to report accurate information to credit reference agencies.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website