Bank told a grieving mom she owed $38K. She fought back

CBC English
14 followers
Nov 3, 2026
Having to battle for something that we know was wrong
should not have been what we've had to deal with.
Last year, Joelle Singfield lost
her 30-year-old daughter Mari to breast cancer.
Nothing can prepare you for the loss of a child.
Then, TD went after her for the nearly $40,000 owing
on Mari's student loan.
The still grieving mother fought back.
This was the original loan.
When Singfield co-signed Mari's student loan in 2020,
it included life insurance, which she assumed would cover the debt.
We committed to that loan with insurance.
But TD says when Mari graduated in 2023,
her student loan converted to a personal loan,
cancelling the insurance.
Singfield was never notified.
If you had known about the lapse in life insurance,
would you have taken action?
Absolutely.
TD claims it wasn't required to notify Singfield
because she had opted out of loan.
I think as a bank,
you cannot dig
your way out
of that one.
Somebody went, uh-oh, and that was that.
Check was cut. I don't think they paid out
of the goodness of their heart.
However, in an email, TD said it did everything right,
but decided to help out Singfield due to her difficult circumstances.
Very relieved. I'm very grateful.
I'm also a little bit disheartened at how this
had to get to this point.
Some experts say Singfield's case highlights the need for
Ottawa to set up a consumer advocacy group
that helps out customers battling the big banks.
