Ombud Council AR 2026

PART B: PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

2.4. Overview of ombud system operations and trends. 2.4.1. Complaint handling data

with by the NFO. The second proposal to the FSCA was in relation to intermediary misconduct dealt with by the FAIS Ombud, including inappropriate advice, mis-selling, poor service and fraudulent or unauthorised conduct. The third proposal to the NCR focused on debt counselling risks, including when consumers are unlawfully placed under debt review and then subjected to debit order deductions. The debt counselling activity falls outside the jurisdiction of the financial ombud system, however, the NFO receives a high volume of complaints about these providers. Further details on these proposals and the Council’s regulatory engagements is discussed in sections 2.1.1 and 4.2 of this report. The Council takes this opportunity to highlight key complaint trends and statistics, consolidating data from the schemes’ Annual Reports. This responds to the SCOF recommendation for an annual dashboard on consumer complaints and dispute outcomes to accompany the Ombud Council’s Annual Report. The reporting periods of the schemes differ. The annual figures for the two statutory schemes, the PFA and the FAIS Ombud, reflect their respective financial years from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. The figures for the National Financial Ombud (NFO) reflect the 2025 calendar year. It must be noted that the schemes operate under different mandates, and where definitions and methodologies allow for consolidation, this information is included, otherwise the Council has used narrative analysis.

Section 184(d) of the FSR Act requires the Board of the Ombud Council to keep the Minister of Finance informed of trends in the nature of complaints to ombud schemes and the conduct of financial institutions giving rise to those complaints. Complaints information provides important insight not only into the volume and types of disputes experienced by consumers, but also into recurring consumer problems, emerging conduct risks and matters that may warrant broader regulatory or industry attention. The Council finalised and implemented, and continues to enhance, a streamlined reporting framework for the ombud schemes. The information and statistics below have been drawn from the Ombud Council’s interactions with the ombud schemes, read with the schemes’ respective Annual Reports and their reports to the Ombud Council. The Council analyses quarterly data received from the schemes and shares consolidated information with the Minister of Finance, the FSCA and the National Credit Regulator (NCR). Good progress has been made by the Council in identifying opportunities for supporting the financial sector regulators in mitigating financial sector conduct risks, informed by complaints data and complaints handling experiences of the ombud schemes. The Council has engaged with the financial sector regulators and has in the course of the 2025/26 financial year put forward three documented proposals to draw on complaints information to respond to specific identified and emerging conduct risks. This aligns with the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance’s (SCOF) to support identification and mitigation of systemic risks. The first proposal to the FSCA focused on digital banking fraud dealt

Ombud Council 2025/26 Annual Report

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