Would the Guards help if you rang them about your bank?

Wanderer2010 · 24-07-2017 07:21PM #1

So many sad stories out there about people losing their jobs during the recession and falling behind in mortgage payments or losing a partner etc and the banks ringing them up all hours of the day demanding they made the payment, pushing decent people to nervous breakdowns, alcohol, even suicide. And all the while the scumbags who ruined this country never seem accountable.

Just out of interest, if you rang up the Gardaí and told them "My bank is ringing me and sending me letters over and over again despite me only being in a situation to pay half my mortgage every month, They are harassing me, I'm feeling targeted, help me", would they actually do anything? And I'm not talking about the leeches who refuse to pay their way, I'm talking about genuine people who found themselves, through no fault of their own, behind in payments and hounded by nameless, faceless bank staff?

seanrambo87 · 24-07-2017 07:24PM

No, they'd tell you it's a civil matter. Let's be honest they're revenue collection agents.

Autochange · 24-07-2017 07:25PM

they would be on the side of the bank

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 24-07-2017 07:25PM

You would complain to the ombudsman first.

Fr_Dougal · 24-07-2017 07:26PM

Through no fault of their own? 🤔

It's there in black and white in every mortgage contract, every advertisement.

Your home is a risk if you do not meet monthly repayments

DontThankMe · 24-07-2017 07:27PM

Na the guards wouldn't help you at all. While I do have sympathy for people that can't afford to pay their mortgages they put themselves into that situation by borrowing huge amounts of money once you legally owe money there is nothing you can do about the potential harassment you receive because you have to pay them back one way or another. The guards will do nothing to help you because nothing illegal is being done to you.
Just imagine if a person got a phone on Bill pay and then refused to pay the bill for the phone. The phone company sent a debt collection company after them to recover the phone the person call the guards and complains about being harassed because they are not paying the bills or returning the phone the guards would be of no help to them at all.

Yamanoto · 24-07-2017 07:28PM

This finished up only 2hrs after I stuck it on.

Straight onto the Sergeant I was.

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Bubbaclaus · 24-07-2017 07:38PM

Maybe the bank should call the guards. "I loaned this fella a big wad of money a few years ago and now is refusing to pay me back"

diomed · 24-07-2017 07:40PM

In about 2010 there were about 800,000 mortgages in Ireland and about 40,000 of those are in arrears.
The Gardai could not get involved. It isn't their job. No crime to investigate.

Mrs OBumble · 24-07-2017 07:44PM

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

So many sad stories out there about people losing their jobs during the recession and falling behind in mortgage payments or losing a partner etc and the banks ringing them up all hours of the day demanding they made the payment, pushing decent people to nervous breakdowns, alcohol, even suicide. And all the while the scumbags who ruined this country never seem accountable.

If someone loses a partner, then the life-assurance that was part of the T&C of taking the mortgage will cover it.

In other circumstances, banks only do the behaviours you have described with people who have refused to engage with them. Frankly, what choice do they have?

Wanderer2010 · 24-07-2017 07:54PM

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

If someone loses a partner, then the life-assurance that was part of the T&C of taking the mortgage will cover it.

In other circumstances, banks only do the behaviours you have described with people who have refused to engage with them. Frankly, what choice do they have?

I agree that money needs to be paid back but the means by which the bank do it often easily falls into the category of harassment, with follow-up calls to customers even after a meeting and a plan in place to make the payments, I have heard lots of incidents where nameless, faceless bank employees ring a house over and over again and send letters EVEN WHEN THE PERSON IS ENGAGING. Hence the despair, the suicide, and these people from the banks don't even have the give their own names for "security" reasons but they are free to drive a person to nervous breakdown, surely that's breaking the law right there.
I wonder if you actually walked into a cop shop and told them you wanted to report the bank for harassing you with a litany of phone call records and letters would they even pretend to do anything. I know deep down the banks run the country because the government have no spine to tackle them but its interesting that ordinary citizens are always the ones to suffer.

Gone Drinking · 24-07-2017 07:57PM

You crazy, man

Yamanoto · 24-07-2017 08:00PM

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/woman-calls-the-gardai-over-bank-harassment-30973429.html

A WOMAN has reported her bank to gardai for allegedly harassing her with phone calls about her mortgage debt. In what is believed to be the first case of its kind, Amy Heeney, a make-up artist at RTE, complained to Blanchardstown Garda Station about Permanent TSB's alleged harassment of her under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

mickmackmcgoo · 24-07-2017 08:02PM

Frequency of harassment is an offence under the non fatal offences against the person act and there is a section dedicated to debt repayments. A company or person can be fined for continuous harassment of a debtor or their families etc

Allinall · 24-07-2017 08:03PM

I'm fairly sure every banker who rings up a customer will give their name.

Otherwise just ask them.

Also 95% sure they all have faces.

What was the question again?

thelad95 · 24-07-2017 08:07PM

There is theoretically regulations about how often service providers can contact a customer. But even that would be a matter the ombudsman could look into as opposed to the Gardai.

Yourself isit · 24-07-2017 08:15PM

I'm sympathetic to her. There bank doesnt seem to want to engage.

pickarooney · 24-07-2017 08:36PM

Would it not be easier to take the phone off the hook than hang yourself?

Nervous Wreck · 24-07-2017 09:24PM

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

I agree that money needs to be paid back but the means by which the bank do it often easily falls into the category of harassment, with follow-up calls to customers even after a meeting and a plan in place to make the payments, I have heard lots of incidents where nameless, faceless bank employees ring a house over and over again and send letters EVEN WHEN THE PERSON IS ENGAGING. Hence the despair, the suicide, and these people from the banks don't even have the give their own names for "security" reasons but they are free to drive a person to nervous breakdown, surely that's breaking the law right there.
I wonder if you actually walked into a cop shop and told them you wanted to report the bank for harassing you with a litany of phone call records and letters would they even pretend to do anything. I know deep down the banks run the country because the government have no spine to tackle them but its interesting that ordinary citizens are always the ones to suffer.

No, they wouldn't pretend to do anything because it's nothing to do with them. No, it's not breaking the law. If a bank is ringing someone and they feel it's too regular, they should make a complaint. The bank's obligations are set out in the Code of Conduct for Mortgage Arrears (CCMA - easy to google). If they are in violation of CCMA, the complaint will be upheld, simple. And as for nervous breakdowns and suicides, that's very unfortunate. But it doesn't clear anyone of their debts and clearly no bank is setting out to drive someone to suicide; implying they are is disingenuous and irresponsible.

Would the Guards help if you rang them about your bank?

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