When Ms Joan Sheridan's marriage was breaking up in 1994, she went to her local Bank of Ireland branch and made new personal banking arrangements, the Circuit Civil Court was told yesterday.
Mr Vincent Foley SC, for Ms Sheridan, of Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin, told the court Ms Sheridan had experienced difficulties with mortgage repayments and her mother had given her £13,000 to help her out.
Then, in October 1997, the Terenure branch of the bank provided details of her bank account to her estranged husband, Mr Derek Sheridan, of New Street, Killaloe, Co Clare.
Mr Foley (who appeared with Ms Jeri Ward) said Ms Sheridan was devastated. Her husband was the last person she wanted to know about her personal affairs.
He told Circuit Court President Mr Justice Esmond Smyth the bank admitted its error and apologised.
Then, in February 1998, the bank again gave details of her account to Mr Sheridan.
This time the bank had written a letter of apology to Mr Sheridan, guaranteeing this would not happen again and offered him free fees on his current account as a form of atonement.
"It is difficult to find words to indicate the level of upset and feeling Mrs Sheridan experienced at this breach of privacy and confidentiality," said Mr Foley.
He said the matter was before the court on an assessment of damages only basis since the bank had just indicated to him it was withdrawing its denial of liability stated in its defence.
He said Ms Sheridan had taken the part of her affairs she was able to transfer to another bank but was unable to transfer her fixed-rate mortgage without incurring a penalty of £7,100.
She felt unwelcome in the bank and had suffered considerable emotional distress and inconvenience.
Ms Sheridan, a physiotherapist, told the court she was absolutely devastated by what had happened.
The mother of two small children, she was trying to get back on her feet and had taken over the £60,000 mortgage so she and her children would not have to move house.
With her mother's help she had been able to reduce monthly mortgage repayments from £675 a month to £530 a month.
No other member of her family had known of the gift from her mother.
She told Mr Foley that the £13,000 deposit had been shown in the account details sent to her estranged husband.
Ms Sheridan told Ms Nuala Butler, counsel for the bank, she was not aware and had never been told that the new account she had opened in her own name remained linked with her husband because of the joint banking arrangements they had previously conducted with the bank.
She said she had always been aware of the penalty clause in the fixed-rate mortgage agreement but would never have considered breaking the mortgage arrangements were it not for what had happened in relation to her account.
The proceedings were adjourned until Tuesday.