A FINANCIAL expert helping a woman in her fight to stop the NatWest repossessing her home has told the bank it has “had its pound of flesh already”.

A FINANCIAL expert helping a woman in her fight to stop the NatWest repossessing her home has told the bank it has “had its pound of flesh already”.

Mark Radin, of the Bank Charge Auditors, has stepped in to help Audrey White, who was told by the bank it would repossess her home unless she immediately paid back £18,000 interest from an overdraft from 15 years ago.

Officials have now agreed to accept £10,000 as a final settlement - but Mrs White rejected this after the bank said it had made the offer because she had been suffering from cancer, which she said was nothing to do with the overdraft.

Mr Radin said he had now written to the NatWest to ask it to act in line with the banking code of practice to treat Mrs White in a fair and reasonable way, bearing in mind her financial difficulties.

“Mrs White could raise the £10,000 but this would put her in more difficulty in then paying off another debt,” he said.

“This has been going on now many years and she has already paid back the £5,000 plus another £13,000, and has also been paying £30 a month interest, and still they ask for more.

“They have had their pound of flesh and it is about time to do the right thing and close the file and move forward without setting a precedent which would open the floodgates for everyone else.”

The bank has made a claim against Mrs White, of Kendal Green, Old Felixstowe, in the county court and its legal team has already made one application to repossess her home.

The matter is now to be set for a trial and court will set a date the end of March.

Mrs White said: “I would happily pay the £10,000 to end this matter but I cannot afford to pay my legal expenses.

“I have asked the NatWest to pay them but they said no. I have only accrued legal costs because the bank would not accept my initial offer of £10,000 months ago. It ridiculous because that leaves me no option but to fight on - and their legal costs will just mount up even more, too.”

The NatWest said it would be inappropriate to comment until the court case is complete.

Do you think the bank is acting unreasonably? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk