Unhappy bank customers or if bank is not solving your problem, approach RBI Bank Ombudsman

Bank Ombudsman: Started in 2006, Banking Ombudsman Scheme is to help bank customers and banking issues. Main objective of this scheme is to create awareness among people about banking and provide solutions of complaints relating to services rendered by banks.

The Banking ombudsman redresses or settles such complaints. From 2017 onwards RBI has included deficiencies arising out of selling insurance, mutual fund and other third-party products by banks under Banking Ombudsman Scheme.

A bank customer can approach the bank ombudsman for problems given below –

• If bank has miss-sold a financial product
• If you have issues related to loans or deposits
• If bank has charged wrongly for its services
• For problems related to Internet banking or mobile banking
• Tired of waiting for your bank’s response
• If you are not getting a satisfactory response from your bank to your complaint.

However, the scope of a bank ombudsman is wider than this, but these are the issues which arise generally.

Other issues which you can take up with bank ombudsman are listed below –

1. Non-payment or inordinate delay in the payment or collection of cheques, drafts, bills, etc.
2. Non-acceptance, without sufficient cause, of small denomination notes tendered for any purpose, and for charging of commission in respect thereof.
3. Non-acceptance, without sufficient cause, of coins tendered and for charging of commission in respect thereof.
4. Non-payment or delay in payment of inward remittances.
5. Failure to issue or delay in issue of drafts, pay orders or bankers’ cheques.
6. Non-adherence to prescribed working hours.
7. Failure to provide or delay in providing a banking facility (other than loans and advances) promised in writing by a bank or its direct selling agents.
8. Delays, non-credit of proceeds to parties’ accounts, non-payment of deposit or non-observance of RBI directives, if any, applicable to rate of interest on deposits in any savings, current or other account maintained with a bank.

Other related issues

1. Complaints from non-resident Indians (NRIs) having NRI bank accounts in India regarding remittances from abroad, NRI deposits and other bank-related matters.
2. Refusal to open deposit accounts without any valid reason.
3. Levying of charges without adequate prior notice.
4. Non-adherence to the instructions of RBI on ATM/debit card operations or credit card operations.
5. Non-disbursement or delay in pension disbursement or pension release.
6. Refusal to accept or delay in accepting payment towards taxes, as required by RBI/government.
7. Refusal to issue or delay in issuing, or failure to service or delay in servicing or government securities redemption.
8. Deposit accounts Forced closure without due notice or without sufficient or genuine reason.
9. Refusal to close or delay to close bank account.
10. Non-adherence to the fair practices codes as adopted by the bank or non-adherence to the provisions of the Banks Commitments Code to Customers issued by Banking Codes and Standards Board of India and as adopted by the bank.
11. Non-observance of RBI guidelines on bank recovery agent engagement.
12. Any other matter relating to the violation of the directives issued by RBI in relation to banking or other services.
13. Non-observance of RBI directives on interest rates.
14. Delays in sanction, disbursement, or non-observance of prescribed time schedule for disposal of loan applications.
15. Non-acceptance of application for loans without furnishing valid reasons to the applicant. 
16. Non-adherence to the provisions of the fair practices code for lenders as adopted by the bank or Code of Bank’s Commitment to Customers, as the case may be.
17. Non-observance of any other direction or instruction of the as may be specified by RBI for this purpose from time to time.
18. The BO may also deal with such other matters as may be specified by RBI from time to time.

When to lodge a complaint with the bank ombudsman?

If you are not satisfied with banking services or you have any issue matching to above mentioned topics, you can lodge a complaint with bank ombudsman. However, you cannot directly go to the banking ombudsman.

• First contact your bank, register a complaint, and wait for 30 days.
• If you remain dissatisfied with the bank’s response or there is satisfactory bank solution, you can lodge bank ombudsman complaint.
• You can approach the bank ombudsman if the bank does not respond to the complaint within a month or if the bank has rejected your complaint.
• You must move to the bank ombudsman within a year from the date on which the bank responded to you. 

How much is the fee or charge to file a complaint with the bank ombudsman?

The facility to lodge a complaint with the bank ombudsman is free of cost. There are no charges for filing a complaint against the bank with the bank ombudsman. You yourself or through an authorised representative can lodge a complaint with the bank ombudsman.

Where can I locate a bank ombudsman?

You can complain to the bank ombudsman under whose jurisdiction the bank branch is located. For complaints of services with centralised operations, you can file a complaint before the bank ombudsman within whose territorial jurisdiction your billing address is located.

What is the procedure to online complaint against a bank with a bank ombudsman?

Bank customers can see the step-by-step process in the below list –

• Visit the banking ombudsman portal.
• Select the ‘file a complaint’ option on the left hand side navigation bar.
• Click on the select language dropdown list.
• Select one type of entity to choose a specific type of entity against which you wish to file a complaint.
• Fill in necessary details on the page such as mobile number, area code of operation of bank ombudsman, state, district, bank name and choose yes or no option, if the complaint pertains to credit card. 
• Select the appropriate bank category, bank branch.
• Enter name and email address.
• Provide relevant options for whether the complaint is sub judice/ under arbitration.
• Also choose a relevant option for whether you have made a written or online complaint to your bank. 
• Select the date of your complaint to the bank.
• In the category field, choose one among individual, senior citizen, trust, limited company, association or business.
• Select date of disputed transaction.
• Provide bank account details
• In compensation sought, you need to enter the applicable amount. 
• You need to read the declaration before submitting the application.
• Choose to declare a nomination
• Attach to your complaint related documents. 
• Finally submit the application.

The portal will send you a successful submission confirmation along with a complaint number and you can download the pdf file of the complaint.

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