AbstractNon-symmetric and symmetric twisted block factorizations of block tridiagonal matrices are discussed. In contrast to non-blocked factorizations of this type, localized pivoting strategies can be integrated which improves numerical stability without causing any extra fill-in. Moreover, the application of such factorizations for approximating an eigenvector of a block tridiagonal matrix, given an approximation of the corresponding eigenvalue, is outlined. A heuristic strategy for determining a suitable starting vector for the underlying inverse iteration process is proposed.