Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Ms E complained that Nationwide Building Society lost a £90 cheque made payable to her that she posted in an envelope containing three cheques in January 2025. Two cheques in the envelope were successfully credited, but the third cheque for £90 never appeared in her account. Nationwide disputed receiving the third cheque and requested Ms E ask her elderly relative to reissue it. The ombudsman found that Nationwide's contemporaneous postal receipt register, completed by two staff members on 6 January 2025, recorded only three cheques received that day and made no mention of a £90 cheque. With no evidence in the outbound postal register, no damaged envelope, and no cheque found on the floor, the ombudsman concluded on the balance of probabilities that the third cheque was not received by Nationwide. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman assessed the complaint on the balance of probabilities. The key evidence was Nationwide's contemporaneous postal receipt register for 6 January 2025, which was completed by two staff members as post was opened and clearly recorded only three cheques received that day (£20, £30, and £6), with no mention of a £90 cheque. The ombudsman found this to be cogent, reliable evidence that only two cheques from Ms E were received. The absence of any record in the outbound postal register, the undamaged envelope, and the lack of evidence of the cheque falling on the floor all supported the conclusion that the third cheque was not received by Nationwide. The ombudsman found Nationwide's investigation to be thorough and timely, and that requesting a reissued cheque was a reasonable response. Regarding online communication, the ombudsman found Nationwide's requirement to verify Ms E's email address was a legitimate security measure.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website