Concerns about lending decisions,

In March 2023, a staff member from Suki’s bank called about the arrears on her home loan. Suki found her behaviour rude and threatening and told her not to contact her again. But in July, the staff member called again about the loan, and Suki said she found her behaviour equally upsetting. Suki said the bank subsequently reversed two loan repayments and cancelled a “force payment” function on the loan without notice, resulting in her arrears increasing. (The “force payment” function takes a home loan payment from the funding account, even when the balance of the funding account is insufficient to cover the payment). In September, the bank gave Suki a backdated repayment holiday, thereby clearing the arrears but also causing the loan balance to increase more than she had expected.

After the backdated repayment holiday was applied to the loan, the bank failed to take any repayments in October, an omission Suki believed was connected with the way the repayment holiday was implemented. In November, repayments resumed, but with a new reference number, a change that led Suki to believe the bank had set up a new payment authority without her knowledge. Suki complained that the bank’s actions and inadequate communication had caused her significant stress and inconvenience.

November 2024