Financial ombudsman aims to resolve more cases this year

The financial ombudsman is increasing capacity so it can resolve more cases next year.

In the 2025-26 financial year, the service hopes to resolve 270,000 cases - an increase of 20%.

This, it hopes, will deliver greater certainty for businesses and the public, as well as deliver faster resolutions and stop financial issues escalating into bigger disputes.

“We never forget that behind each case are customers waiting for an answer,” said Jenny Simmonds, interim chief executive of the financial ombudsman.

“As we respond to the huge levels of demand we saw last year, we are continuing to drive forward our plans to transform and improve our service.” 

Car finance commission complaints drive up caseload

The financial ombudsman has seen a higher than usual number of cases in 2024-25.

This is partly because of the impact of motor finance commission complaints, which account for almost half of the cases it’s currently handling, and can’t be resolved because of ongoing legal and regulatory action.

The number of cases received by the financial ombudsman is expected to hit 330,000 this financial year.

However, it believes the figure will drop to 209,000 in 2025-26.