Sisters' cruel eviction

That's what greeted Mary and her disabled sister Nellie at the place they've called home for most of their lives. The pair are caught-up in an ugly mortgage dispute with their bank.

Westpac statement

Due to confidentiality obligations, we are limited in what we can share. However, we have followed the directions made by the Court. 

We take repossessing a property extremely seriously. As a general statement, we wouldn't proceed with an eviction if the mortgage had been paid. 

Eviction is considered a final resort, after carefully working through other alternatives with the customer involved, including hardship assistance. 

When we do repossess a property, there has always been an extensive period of no mortgage payments and every effort is made to find a suitable arrangement with the customer before we seek to repossess.

In this instance, we followed a robust process including complying with court orders and state regulation. We also offered additional assistance, including temporary accommodation and specialist support services.

We encourage any customer with concerns about their loans and repayments to talk to us so we can provide support, including through our hardship assistance program.