Britain's top data watchdog concluded that the former chief executive officer of NatWest Group breached data-protection laws when she discussed the closure of former British politician Nigel Farage's bank account with a reporter.
The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office had been investigating whether NatWest infringed on the ex-politician's data rights after CEO Alison Rose admitted to speaking with a BBC journalist earlier this year about Farage's accounts. Given her departure in July, the commissioner's office isn't planning further regulatory action, according to a statement.
"We found that an individual employed by Natwest shared information when they should not have done, and that by doing so they infringed the complainant's data protection rights," a spokesperson for the ICO said in a statement. "We have been clear with the bank that these actions were unacceptable and should not happen again."
NatWest has been on the hunt for a permanent chief executive officer after Alison Rose's abrupt departure in the wake of the controversy. Rose, for her part, has described speaking with the BBC reporter as an "error of judgment."
NatWest is scheduled to report third-quarter results on Friday.
"We fully cooperate with the ICO in its assessment of any customer complaint but it would not be appropriate for us to comment on this individual case," a spokesperson for NatWest said in an emailed statement.
The Financial Times reported on the ICO's ruling earlier Wednesday.
