Who we are

We’ve been sorting out complaints between financial businesses and their customers since we were set up by Parliament in 2001.

Our service is free for consumers, and every year well over 1 million people contact us about problems with:

  • bank accounts, payments and cards
  • payment protection insurance (PPI)
  • home, car, travel and other types of insurance
  • loans and other credit, like car finance
  • debt collection and repayment problems
  • mortgages
  • financial advice, investments and pensions

Find out more about the complaints we can help with.

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Guided by fairness

Fairness is at the heart of what we do – and how we treat our staff and the people who use our service.


Our aims and values

How our work is guided by our sense of fairness.

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Equality, diversity and inclusion

How we try to treat everyone we deal with fairly and equally. 

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Our service

If a financial business and a customer can’t resolve a complaint themselves, we’ll give an unbiased answer about what has happened. If we decide someone has been treated unfairly, we’ll use our legal powers to put things right.


Handling a complaint

Information and advice for businesses on handling customer complaints. 

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Our customer service

What we do to provide excellent customer service.

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How we make decisions

Find out about the process and rules we follow. 

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Governance and funding

How we’re governed and funded reflects our independent role. 

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The people behind the Financial Ombudsman Service

From our non-executive board to our panel of ombudsmen, find out about the people who work for our service – and how you can join our team.

Financial Ombudsman Service for small businesses

Are you a small business?

If you’re a small business (SME) and want to make a complaint to us, go to our dedicated small business website for more information about how we can help.

Claims Management Ombudsman - a Financial Ombudsman Service

Need help with a claims management dispute?

We can also help with complaints about claims management companies (CMCs). If you have a complaint, or you’re a CMC dealing with a complaint, go to the Claims Management Ombudsman website for more information.