Monzo Bank Ltd · DRN-6224081

The complaint Mr D complains that Monzo Bank Ltd closed his account without giving reasons for its decision and without taking into account his mental health issues. What happened In January 2026 Mr D contacted Monzo to report eight payments which he said had been made without his authority. Monzo investigated but concluded that it should not provide refunds. It also decided that it would close Mr D’s account and, on 6 January 2026, told Mr D that it would do so on 8 March 2026. Mr D wanted to know why Monzo had decided to close his account. It would not tell him. It simply said that its decision was final and that it would not change. Mr D complained first to Monzo and then to this service. He said he accepted that Monzo was entitled to close the account, but that the way it done so, and the way it had handled his complaint, had caused him significant distress. One of our investigators considered what had happened but did not recommend that Mr D’s complaint be upheld. She acknowledged his vulnerabilities but concluded that Monzo had acted fairly. In particular, the notice which Mr D received had given him sufficient opportunity to make alternative banking arrangements. She also noted that the account had remained operational during the notice period. Mr D did not accept the investigator’s assessment and asked that an ombudsman review the case. What I’ve decided – and why I’ve considered all the available evidence and arguments to decide what’s fair and reasonable in the circumstances of this complaint. It is generally for banks to decide whether to provide, or to continue to provide, account services to any particular customer. They can exercise their commercial discretion in such matters and, as long as that discretion is exercised legitimately, this service won’t usually intervene. I have considered that issue here and am satisfied that Monzo’s decision to close Mr D’s account was a legitimate one. Monzo did not have to tell Mr D exactly why it had decided to close his account. Banks should however give reasonable notice before closing an account. What is reasonable depends on the circumstances, but we generally take the view that two months’ notice is reasonable for a personal account. There may however be circumstances where a different notice period is reasonable. That period may be less or more than two months, and in some cases immediate closure may be appropriate. In this case, however, I note that Mr D was given two months’ notice.

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I acknowledge that Mr D’s vulnerabilities may have caused him additional stress. But, since I do not believe that Monzo acted unfairly, I cannot properly make an award in his favour. My final decision For these reasons, my final decision is that I do not uphold Mr D’s complaint. Under the rules of the Financial Ombudsman Service, I’m required to ask Mr D to accept or reject my decision before 21 April 2026. Mike Ingram Ombudsman

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