With her bank on one side and HMRC on the other, attempts by Janice to prove this joint savings account had nothing to do with her met repeated brick walls. But now with Crusader’s help the older woman who lives alone has been rescued, although for a while she was desperately worried.
“My bank tells me to go to HMRC who says I must sort it out with my bank. There seems no escape and I have nobody to help me,” she told Crusader. The first sign of trouble came in March when Janice got a letter from HMRC setting out untaxed interest she had received on two accounts. One was for Bank of Scotland (part of Lloyds group) and was in her name with the right sort code and an indication of the correct account number. This cited £87.39 of interest she had received.
If you’ve been affected by this issue or feel you’ve been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on maisha.frost@express.co.uk
The second was for a Lloyds account and £2,195.47. “The information also came with a new tax code for me for 2025/26,” says Janice.
“When I disputed the Lloyds account they said it was the Chelmsford branch. But I bank in Yorkshire and not Lloyds by name. When I got the sort code I went into my nearest Lloyds and they said it was for a Telford branch and sent me to their complaints department who directed me back to HMRC.”
Janice doesn’t use email and having to send letters to untangle this matter posed even more hurdles. Institutions and companies must obey data protection rules, but given her situation and worries explained to them by Crusader we put it on both sides’ radar. Now compassionate common sense has prevailed with easier ways of helping her found.
HMRC commented: “We’ve apologised [to Janice] and amended her tax code to ensure she isn’t taxed on the interest generated by the savings account.”
Janice has also received £75 goodwill gestures from both parties. How the problem arose is now for the bank and HMRC to consider if they see fit but, she says, “I’m so grateful to everyone for taking notice of me”. [name has been changed]
TSB introduces new personal safety app for customers at risk of abuse
TSB bank has teamed up with personal safety app Hollie Guard to help protect vulnerable customers from abusive and threatening situations. Free access to the app is available for a year. Once installed, Hollie Guard Extra transforms an everyday smart phone into a personal safety device. The bank has added this protection to its existing domestic abuse support. The user can send alerts to chosen emergency contacts, including the police, and a 24/7 monitoring centre.