NatWest puts family through nightmare before Christmas

Which? has slammed NatWest for refusing to tell a family why it is threatening to repossess their home.

Marian and Peter Addyman face losing their home after NatWest suddenly withdrew their £226,000 mortgage in September, just six months after giving them a new deal and despite them maintaining that they have never missed a payment.

The bank gave them just 30 days to find a new mortgage and, despite the efforts of Which?, Citizens Advice (CAB) and even their local MP, NatWest has so far refused to give a reason for its actions.

The fall in property prices means the Addymans' home is now worth less than their mortgage so NatWest stands to lose money if the repossession goes ahead. What's more, the move will force the Addymans into bankruptcy and leave them with a huge amount of debt.

Which? chief executive, Peter Vicary-Smith, says: "How can a family that has seemingly done nothing wrong face losing their home without any explanation from the bank?

"If there is a good reason for NatWest acting in this way, surely the customer has a right to know what the problem is before they're threatened with losing their home. If there isn't a good reason, then where does that leave RBS' assurances that they will follow government guidelines on repossessing people's homes?"

Marian Addyman says: "NatWest wrote and offered us the mortgage in February this year, and we paid £1,000 to take up their offer. We just want to know what prompted NatWest to do this to us. We are trying to get another mortgage, but these days it's so difficult and so far we have not been able to. Banks shouldn't be allowed to treat people like this."

Which? wants to hear from anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to the Addymans by emailing bankcrisis@which.co.uk.