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Nationwide Mutes Abusive Messages in Payments
14 May
Summary
- New feature allows banking customers to hide harmful payment reference messages.
- Economic abuse is recognized in law and affects one in six women in the UK.
- This tool gives customers control over unwanted and abusive financial communications.
Nationwide Building Society has become the first high street lender in the UK to introduce a 'hide reference' feature. This allows customers experiencing economic abuse to block harmful or triggering messages embedded within payment references. The feature ensures transactions can proceed while preventing the delivery of abusive content.
This initiative addresses a critical aspect of domestic abuse, which extends beyond physical harm to include financial manipulation. Kathryn Townsend, head of customer vulnerability at Nationwide, emphasized that the tool empowers customers by restoring control over their financial communications.
Economic abuse, defined in the Domestic Abuse Act (2021), affects an estimated one in six women in the UK. It often involves controlling finances and essential resources. Starling Bank launched a similar tool in 2023, and UK Finance has urged all financial institutions to adopt such measures.
Sam Smethers of Surviving Economic Abuse highlighted how abusers exploit banking tools for harassment. Nationwide also implemented a warning process last year to address serial abusers misusing payment references for control.
