After protests, cleaner gets CIMB's word bank will look into housing snafu

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been amended to clarify that beyond their RM2,567 in arrears, the couple still had over RM40,000 of the loan to settle.

School cleaner Tamil Selvi’s plight may finally be eased after CIMB contacted her regarding a housing loan issue that caused her house in Ipoh to be auctioned off by the bank without her knowledge.

Tamil said that a CIMB officer called her at 8pm last night to tell her and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member Rani Rasiah that the bank would do its best to resolve the issue.

“They haven’t made a decision yet, but they said they will process it. I’m not sure what they meant by that, but that’s what I was told,” Tamil said when contacted by Malaysiakini.

Yesterday, PSM organised protests outside of five CIMB Bank branches in five cities across the country - Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Seremban and Penang.

The party did this in support of Tamil whose house was auctioned off by CIMB Bank in October 2020 for RM140,000, despite her only being RM2,567 behind in her payments, with an additional RM40,000 left to repay on the loan.

Tamil claimed she had not paid on three occasions in February, April and September 2020 due to her late husband’s stroke.

A series of unfortunate events allegedly ensued including the bank’s officers assuring her that the house would not be sold, the bank failing to recognise their Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA) to repay the loan as well as the death of her husband.

It was also claimed that the bank continued to take the loan repayments after the house was sold.

Return the house

PSM called on the bank to return the auctioned house to Tamil, adding that she was willing to pay any outstanding payments.

The party also indicated that the winning bidder, who remains unidentified, was willing to sell the house back to the bank.

In a statement, PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan said that CIMB had also requested the bidder’s contact.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, CIMB said its response remained the same as its statement yesterday.

“We cannot disclose or comment on specific names or customers.

“At all times, CIMB is committed to ensuring fair treatment for customers, including following standard recovery procedures and engaging customers to address any issues they face," the statement read.

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