NatWest threatened cancer victim with repossession
August 22, 2008
A household name bank has been accused of being inhuman after it was found that it had threatened a cancer victim with repossession for failure to pay a loan. The seventy year old widow ran into problems paying her loan after being diagnosed with cancer, and she contacted the bank to see if they could help under the circumstances. Until then she had put her cottage up for sale, but had to take it off the market so that she could focus on her treatment.
Unfortunately, instead of helping the victim, Mrs Steskens, the bank started to threaten her with eviction if she did not pay the £43,000 loan that she owed them. Mrs Steskens explained that she had fallen behind with repayments after having to undergo treatment for her cancer, but the bank appeared to be disinterested.
An official from the bank claimed that NatWest was trying to assist Mrs Steskens, stating: ‘The letter we have sent Mrs Steskens advises her to contact us within 21 days so we can discuss proposals for payment. Although she was ordered by the court in July 2007 to repay the bank £194 per month these repayments have not been maintained and we have asked Mrs Steskens to respond so that we can work together to reach a satisfactory resolution. Repossession is a last resort and one we always look to avoid.’
However, an MP said that the situation was giving banks a bad name at a time when they were already in disrepute. He said: ‘Banks are bringing themselves into serious disrepute. Steps should be taken to ensure that cases like these don’t end up in court with a person facing repossession of their home. Banks should be required by law to be compassionate in certain circumstances and keep people in their home. The decision is grossly inhumane.’
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