Ombudsman News 191

Our consultation on charging Claims Management Companies and other professional representatives is now open. 

The consultation follows changes Parliament has made to the Financial Services and Markets Act and our earlier consultation on whether to introduce a fee. The document sets out the proposed fee mechanism and amount.  

Consumers, friends and families supporting them, charities and advice centres will still be able to bring their cases directly to us free of charge. The consultation is open until 4 July 2024.

Rachel Lam, our Ombudsman Director, recently gave a keynote speech at the Claims Club Summit to talk about our role.

Rachel shared knowledge and experience of resolving complaints about insurance. She discussed motor valuation, claim delays and other topical issues such as insurance pricing and handling of pre-existing conditions, particularly in pet insurance.

If you’re handling complaints about insurance, the guidance notes on our website may help you handle your cases quickly and efficiently. 

Our half-yearly data showing the number of complaints we received about financial businesses in the second half of 2023 is available on our website.

Overall we received a total of 95,349 complaints between 1 July and 31 December 2023, compared to 79,921 complaints in the same period in 2022.