To comply with the applicable legislation, Banca Transilvania must reinstate the tax garnishments that were previously suspended temporarily by the public authorities due to the adverse effects of the pandemic. The initial decision to postpone enforcement actions was taken by the Government of Romania in March, by adopting Emergency Ordinance no. 29/2020, and the postponement was subsequently extended until December 25, 2020, under Emergency Ordinance no. 181/2020. That deadline has now expired, so BT is legally required to reactivate the tax garnishments.

Garnishments, in simple terms:

• The bank freezes a customer’s account on the basis of a binding official order received from an institution (such as ANAF or court bailiffs), not on its own initiative.
• By law, the bank must enforce the garnishment and freeze funds in the accounts up to the garnished amount, which unfortunately means the customer can no longer access part of the money in the account.
• There are exceptions, however: child allowances and other child benefits, maternity benefits, study scholarships, per diems and funeral benefits are exempt from garnishment.

Access to funds for customers with garnished accounts:

• If there is a single garnishment and the customer’s salary is paid through the bank, the bank must withhold 1/3 of the net monthly salary. If multiple garnishments are in place, the bank must withhold 1/2 of the net monthly salary received. The remainder can be used for payments and cash withdrawals, giving the customer access to part of their funds.
• They can credit their BT credit card account if it has been blocked because of the garnishment. In practice, they can deposit money, but cannot withdraw funds or make transactions until the garnishment is paid in full.

BT’s recommendations for customers with garnished accounts, to help us unlock the account:

• If you need more details, our Call Center colleagues (0264 30 80 28, contact@btrl.ro) are here to help. You can also contact our branches or the institution that issued the garnishment.
• You can request the release of the legally protected share of your monthly salary (2/3 or 1/2) through the chatbot Livia de la BT, by calling this phone number: 0264 30 80 28/option 0.