Financial Ombudsman Service received over 140,000 complaints in the second half of 2024

• Increasing levels of complaints between July and December 2024 were driven by banking, credit disputes and a rise in motor finance commission cases 
• Nearly half of all complaints in this period were brought by professional representatives  

The newly released figures reveal continued high volumes of complaints with a total of 141,846 complaints received between July and December last year, compared to 95,349 complaints in the same period in 2023 (49% increase). 

The raised levels of complaints were driven by banking fraud, credit affordability disputes and motor finance commission cases.  

This significant increase in caseload underlines why we’re working closely with HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to modernise the dispute resolution system so that we can continue to deliver for consumers, small businesses and financial services, as a quick and informal resolution service as an alternative to the courts. 

James Dipple-Johnstone, Interim Chief Ombudsman said: 

Behind each case are customers waiting for an answer and we are committed to delivering fair, timely and effective resolutions for consumers and businesses alike. 

The high demand reflected in today’s data underscores not only the vital role our service plays, but also the pressing need for reform to ensure it remains fit for the future. That’s why we’re committed to strengthening the dispute resolution system – so it works better for everyone and reflects the needs of today's financial landscape.” 

Around 46% of complaints within this period (July – December 2024) were referred to us by professional representatives. That’s compared to 22% during the same period in 2023. This growth has mainly been focussed on credit affordability and car finance complaints.  

Last month, we introduced a new fee model to charge professional representatives who bring more than ten complaints a year. The move aims to provide a fairer fee arrangement and encourage these representatives to submit better-evidenced complaints, considering their merits more diligently before referring them. 

We recently outlined our plans to transform and improve our service to tackle the exceptional demand experienced across 2024/25. This includes increasing our staffing capacity to resolve complaints and building flexibility into our workforce so that we can respond to changes in demand. 

The figures released today provide firm-level complaints data for Q2 and Q3 of the 2024/25 financial year. There were 109,155 complaints from July to December 2024 in the banking and credit sector, compared to 62,139 during the same period in 2023.  

In the last six months of 2024, we upheld 33% of complaints in the consumers’ favour, compared to 36% in the second half of 2023. However, only around 25% of complaints brought by professional representatives were found in favour of the consumer, compared to around 37% brought directly by consumers for free. The data shows that uphold rates vary per firm.