Barclays Bank UK PLC · DRN-6240691

The complaint Ms M complains that Barclays Bank UK PLC delayed in transferring to her the balance of her account in respect of its closure. What happened Ms M has recently clarified to us that the account is in her sole name. Whilst appreciating that it was for her the benefit of her daughter (Miss H), I have amended the complaint to be in Ms M’s sole name, with Miss H as her representative. In September 2024 Ms M contacted Barclays as she’d been notified that, because she now resided abroad, her account would need to be closed. Barclays actioned the closure in early October 2024. It recognised that Ms M had made a number of attempts to contact it by phone and had been given wrong information. It paid her £100 to reflect the cost of the calls and a further £100 for the inconvenience caused. The transfer wasn’t successful due to the names of the respective accounts not matching, Barclays wrote to Ms M to explain this and to advise the payment had been returned to it. Ms M contacted Barclays with further instructions to transfer the money in November 2024. Barclays has said it didn’t receive her letter. She made further contact with Barclays in February 2025. It agreed to resubmit the transfer and paid her a further £150 compensation. However this time the payment was blocked by Barclays’ automated fraud process. It says it made a number of attempts to get in touch with Ms M about this but was unsuccessful. Barclays finally made the payment successfully on 2 July 2025, apparently after receiving a request for its file from Financial Ombudsman Service. In addition to the compensation already paid, it offered to pay a further £200 and interest at 8% on the monies from 1 October 2024 until 2 July 2025. I’ve noted that the amount transferred included the aforesaid compensation which was added to Ms M’s account. The 8% interest applies to the whole sum transferred, this amounts to £405.84 from which Barclays may deduct tax. On referral to the Financial Ombudsman Service our Investigator thought that Barclays had made a fair offer of compensation. Ms M didn’t agree and asked us to consider some further evidence. I issued a provisional decision. I agreed with the remedy proposed and addressed Ms M’s further evidence. Barclays agreed with my provisional findings. I will address Ms M’s response in my findings below. What I’ve decided – and why I’ve considered all the available evidence and arguments to decide what’s fair and reasonable

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in the circumstances of this complaint. My provisional findings are set out below: “On the question of what this complaint is about, I confirm that this decision solely concerns the delay in Ms M’s monies being transferred to her from September 2024. I understand that she has an ongoing concern regarding Barclays’ conduct of her account(s) going back six years. That is a separate matter and I understand is (or may be) the subject of a new complaint. Some of the evidence she has now produced to us isn’t relevant to this particular complaint, which I’ll explain below. Ms M’s adviser has recently sent us a copy of a letter received from the Customer Portfolio Team at Barclays concerning that team not having an up to date address for Ms M. That is a new matter, which Barclays will need to address separately. Our role is to consider complaints informally and to try to resolve those complaints. In line with that I will take into account matters including law and regulations, and what I consider to have been good industry practice at the relevant time. But my overall remit is to consider what in my opinion is fair and reasonable in the circumstances of the complaint. In keeping with the informal nature of this Service, whilst I’ve considered all the points made by Ms M or on her behalf, I will address the main points of complaint rather than going into each and every point. I also confirm that Ms M is the eligible complainant here as the account with Barclays was in her sole name. I acknowledge that the account was set up for Miss H’s benefit, but I should clarify here that, in respect of this complaint, I can’t make an award of compensation for any distress or inconvenience suffered by Miss H. Prior to October 2024 Ms M made a number of telephone calls to Barclays. She was given incorrect information. And was assured that a PINsentry card reader had been ordered when the request on Barclays’ system had failed. As regards the subsequent delay, I understand the first attempt at making the payment in October 2024 failed because the name on the account Ms M wanted the money transferred into didn’t match the Barclays account name. As Ms M had a second part to her surname which she has deleted. In that respect Ms M has sent us copy of a document sent to Barclays in 2020 setting out her request to change her name. Regrettably we don’t have an acknowledgement from Barclays and in all subsequent correspondence, including bank statements, the surname remained as before. In February 2024 Barclays said it couldn’t evidence that it had been advised to change the name before. So I don’t think Barclays was responsible for the first payment attempt being returned. And it wrote to her a couple of times in October 2024 to explain the problem. Ms M has provided copies of a letter she wrote, with copy ID documents in November 2024, to Barclays. Although that letter appears to have been sent recorded delivery, it didn’t reach Barclays. It was sent to the London address of Barclays registered office rather than to the address it had been corresponding from which is where personal banking matters are dealt with. So I can’t say whether the letter actually reached a Barclays’ employee. However even given it didn’t receive the letter, I think Barclays was at fault for not chasing up the matter. In February 2025 Ms M had to contact Barclays again as she hadn’t heard. It resent the payment, though this time it was blocked by its automated fraud service. Its customer notes

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indicate that the Fraud team tried to contact Ms M by phone several times between 6 and 13 February 2025. It was unsuccessful though again the matter appears to have been closed down without any further attempt to follow up. I can’t hold Barclays responsible for its fraud alert service blocking the payment, generally it’s not possible to notify the system in advance not to block any particular payment. But as I’ve said, I think it was at fault for not following this up again. I note Barclays successfully made the payment on 2 July 2025 after being notified by us that Ms M hadn’t received her money. Though I haven’t seen that she or Miss H chased up Barclays in the meantime. So I think that a combination of unfortunate circumstances together with Barclays’ failure to check up on the matter after each attempted transfer, caused the delay here. As regards compensation I do think Ms M was caused a lot of inconvenience over the nine months she was expecting her payments, and a fair degree of distress. And I think that Barclays, whilst not being entirely at fault, did add to this. It has paid a total of £250 in respect of distress and inconvenience and £100 for phone calls. It has offered a further £200. I’ve considered the additional evidence Ms M has sent in. In respect particularly of this complaint, I won’t award the costs of postage in November 2024 since this was concerning updating instructions, providing copy ID and the name on a new account she’d opened. I further note that Barclays accepted email correspondence and though I understand Ms M’s reluctance to use online communications she did have Miss H helping her. And Barclays was able to change the name without the letter. Also whilst appreciating that Miss H has been helping her, and that Ms M has paid her for this, I won’t award that payment as it was not incurred as a direct result of any errors on Barclays’ part. I also acknowledge the medical records but don’t think, in respect of this particular complaint, that the medical condition Ms M has disclosed is linked to what happened in this particular complaint. Though this doesn’t mean she won’t be able to adduce medical evidence in respect of her other complaint. As regards investments, I should clarify here that we make awards for direct financial loss, not speculative losses. The evidence from the financial adviser indicates that Ms M has been advised about mortgages, but not that as a direct result of any error on Barclays’ part she has made any financial loss. I’m concerned here only how that has affected this particular complaint. Again Ms M is free to present any evidence concerning financial losses in respect of her other complaint. For similar reasons, any payment Ms M has made to that adviser didn’t in my view arise as a direct result of this complaint. Overall I think Barclays’ offer of a further £200 plus interest is fair and reasonable. On the tax deduction point, although I note Ms M says she’s not liable to pay UK tax, it’s not for Barclays to judge this. If it does deduct tax, and if Ms M wants to reclaim such tax, she will have to contact HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) directly.” I note Ms M’s response. I appreciate that she doubts what Barclays has said and done in this case. However I can assure her that detailed consideration of all the evidence was carried out by both our Investigator and myself. And, as I remain persuaded by my provisional findings I won’t make any further comments. So I won’t award any further compensation. My provisional findings are now final and form part of this final decision.

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Putting things right Barclays should pay: • A further £200 compensation. • £405.84 loss of interest* My final decision I uphold the complaint and require Barclays Bank UK PLC to provide the remedy set out under “Putting things right” above. *HM Revenue & Customs may require Barclays to deduct tax from the award of interest. It must give Ms M a certificate showing how much tax has been taken off if she asks for one. here Under the rules of the Financial Ombudsman Service, I’m required to ask Ms M to accept or reject my decision before 17 April 2026. Ray Lawley Ombudsman

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