Overview
- NSW Supreme Court Justice David Hammerschlag ordered St George, owned by Westpac, to erase adverse credit information about Fiona Vinall from Equifax and condemned the bank’s stance as lacking commercial morality.
- Westpac’s solicitors told the court the adverse listing had been removed, leading the judge to excuse chief executive Anthony Miller from appearing.
- The judge ordered Westpac to pay Vinall’s legal costs, and the case will shift to the District Court to determine damages.
- The dispute stemmed from a July 2025 email about a rate change that Vinall read as taking effect immediately, producing a $44.11 shortfall that the bank reported as adverse repayment history within the required timeframe.
- Evidence before the court indicated the listing caused a sharp credit score drop that prevented settlement on a Box Hill home, while a January hearing was unattended by the bank due to an internal administrative lapse.