Danske Bank: Deaf woman paid £2,000 in discrimination case

Danske Bank has paid a woman who is profoundly deaf £2,000 and adjusted its services after she accused the company of disability discrimination.

The bank paid the settlement without admitting liability.

Fiona McKendry, from Belfast, lip reads and wears hearing aids in both ears.

After noticing fraudulent activity on her bank account, Ms McKendry contacted the bank by telephone with the help of her brother.

Northern Bank Ltd, which is a member of Danske Bank Group and which uses Danske Bank as a trading name, refused to serve her as they were not speaking to her directly.

She had asked her brother to explain her disability to the operator and to then relay back instructions from the bank.

A spokesperson for Danske Bank said that its local contact centre has since invested in voice biometrics technology to help customers identify themselves easily and securely.

"We have been happy to work with Ms McKendry and the Equality Commission to help deliver better outcomes," said the spokesperson in a statement.

Ms McKendry said this outcome "gives me a lot more confidence to deal with the situation".

Mary Kitson, senior legal officer with the Equality Commission, said it was a "very positive outcome".

After the phone call, Ms McKendry's bank card was subsequently blocked, so she contacted Danske Bank using a messaging service on its online banking app.

However, the app said that it could take between three to five days for a user to get a response, which Ms McKendry felt was inadequate to deal with the ongoing fraud.

She was then invited to meet the branch manager of her bank the following day, who confirmed her bank card had been blocked following her phone call.

She was assured that her account was safe and any lost money would be reimbursed.

The bank manager suggested giving Ms McKendry's brother access and transaction rights to her bank account.

She turned down the offer, saying she was financially independent, and subsequently made a complaint and contacted the Equality Commission.

Ms McKendry said she found the situation "hugely frustrating", adding: "I only needed my brother in this instance to act as a go-between so that I could act quickly and decisively to stop money being fraudulently taken from my bank account."