Bank disclosed my account details to a third party

My bank sent a letter to my business addressed to an employee who has nothing to do with the banking and is not authourised to deal with anything do to with money. I am the account holder.

The letter has caused considerable embarrassment as my employee now knows my banking business and the state of my accounts. No doubt this may be repeated to their friends etc.

What can I do here?

How did they get the name of an employee? This is a serious breach of the Data Protection Act and should be reported to the commissioner.

I would be asking them why they wrote to someone other than an employee. I would ask them for a final response letter and refer the matter to the Financial Services Ombudsman. He has the power to award compensation against the banks.

This incident is unforgivable imho.

Was the recipient an employee of the business which owns the bank account? Are they the contact point for customers, members of the public etc.? Are they listed on your website or your literature as being a contact name in your business? Are they the company secretary or a receptionist? You must consider the answers to all these questions as the bank may just be writing to one of your businesses normal contact names. Bank may also have rang your business and asked who they should send correspondence to and have been told by one of your employees that person X usually receives the post.

Was the recipient an employee of the business which owns the bank account?

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Absolutely not.

Are they the contact point for customers, members of the public etc.? Are they listed on your website or your literature as being a contact name in your business? Are they the company secretary or a receptionist?

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None of the above. Even so it is none of their business.

Bank may also have rang your business and asked who they should send correspondence to and have been told by one of your employees that person X usually receives the post.

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They have no permission from me to talk to anyone other than me.

Take the matter up with the Data Protection Commissioner and request a final response letter from the bank.

How can the damage be quantified ?? Word of mouth is not a quantifiable resource. How would the Ombudsman make an award in this case, where in certain and definite cases of Investment misselling often a small amount of compensation is attributed.

I know of cases where a person that had an account in an Irish Bank offshore and their account details (balances) etc were sent by e-mail to other account holders.

I also know of a case where the personal balances of a Co.Director were given to a Company employee by an Irish Bank employee.

And I also am aware of a case where the same Bank acted on the word of another very large corporate customer to withold lending to a non corporate customer or the Bank were told that if they didn't act the accounts would be moved to A N Other Bank.

Basically this is Ireland and Irish Banks do not act in accordance with good business practice, and despite what they say it still goes on.

I dont understand. In one reply, it says the person was an employee of the company - in another one (reply to CSIRL)it says they are not.

Someone obviously gave them the name, they would not randomly pick it - so that is your first port of call.

Ask the Bank Manager for clarification. In writing.

mercman said:

How can the damage be quantified ?? Word of mouth is not a quantifiable resource. .

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Under the Tort of Defamation this is quantifiable. I cant remember the name of the case now off hand, however, the landlord wrote to the tenants brother (in error) stating they had fallen into arrears. When this was communicated to the brother (tenant) it was considered defamatory as the landlord had put into circulation defamatory material and was held liable.

Of course it depends what the contents reveal, and how the OP would be considered in the eyes of the person who seen her financial affairs.

I doubt you will be taking this course of action, however, laws are in place for a reason, and people need to be careful who they send sensitive information too.

Best course of action is writing to the Data Protection Commissioner - you can make a complaint on line at www.dataprotection.ie