By Mapaballo Borotho
- Standard Bank has denied serious allegations made by Dr Anele Hammond regarding a past finance dispute.
- Hammond claims she was overcharged and subjected to misconduct, sharing her account on social media.
- The bank has dismissed the accusations as false, stating they were never raised during earlier legal proceedings.
One of South Africa’s leading financial institutions, Standard Bank, has strongly denied a series of allegations made by Dr Anele Hammond regarding a historic finance dispute.
The bank has recently been trending on social media negatively, with some users accusing it of mistreatment and financial misconduct.
Earlier this month, Standard Bank also dismissed claims that it had defrauded a pensioner of her retirement savings.
Dr Hammond has now added to the controversy, sharing a series of videos on TikTok detailing her experience with the bank.
In her account, she claims she initially paid cash for a vehicle, but was informed by the dealership that her international payment had been returned and that she would need to secure local financing.
She alleges that, due to not being domiciled in South Africa, she used her foundation to complete the purchase and subsequently received loan approval from Standard Bank.
Hammond said the bank deducted nearly double the agreed monthly instalment and continued doing so until she halted payments.
According to her, the dispute eventually led to a finding of fraud in her favour. She has also made additional serious allegations, including claims of intimidation and attempted harm.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, 26 March 2026, Standard Bank rejected all accusations, describing them as “false and baseless.”
“The suggestion that Standard Bank and its representatives have engaged in or authorised criminal activity, including fraud, is false and baseless,” the statement read.
The bank stated that neither it nor its representatives engaged in any criminal conduct, including fraud, violence, or intimidation.
Standard Bank further argued that if the allegations had merit, they would have been raised during earlier legal proceedings when a summons was issued in 2020.
The bank maintains that no such claims were pursued at the time.
READ NEXT: Outrage erupts after woman claims her mother’s pension vanished from a major South African bank