Breaking the bank

A woman who was owed more than $10,000 in support payments from her ex-husband complained to us that she had provided documents to the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) proving that he had the money in a bank account, but the FRO would not take action.

A woman who was owed more than $10,000 in support payments from her ex-husband complained to us that she had provided documents to the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) proving that he had the money in a bank account, but the FRO would not take action. Our inquiries determined that the man’s money was held in a tax-free savings account, which the FRO could not garnish without the account holder’s authorization. After we escalated the matter to senior FRO officials, they issued a new garnishment order and worked with the bank to obtain legal consent to release the funds that were owed to the woman.