RBI Ombudsman saw 13% increase in consumer complaints in FY25: Here's how to resolve your grievances

RBI Reports 13% Rise in Consumer Complaints Under Ombudsman Scheme

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has seen a significant spike in consumer complaints received under the Ombudsman scheme in FY25, with a 13% increase compared to the previous year.

The RBI's Ombudsman scheme is a grievance redressal mechanism for resolving customer complaints regarding deficiencies in services offered by banks, NBFCs, payment system participants, and credit information companies (CICs).

Key Statistics:

• 13.34 lakh complaints received in FY 2024-25, an increase of 13.55% over the previous year.
• 81.53% complaints received against banks, followed by 14.80% against NBFCs.
• Complaints against private sector banks increased from 34.39% to 37.53% in FY 2024-25.
• Disposal rate declined from 95.10% to 93.07% in FY25.
• ORBIOs handled 3.12 lakh complaints during the year, with 2.90 lakh disposed of.

Category-wise Complaints:

• Loans and advances (29.25%): The highest number of complaints received.
• Credit cards (17.15%): The second-highest number of complaints received.
• Mobile/electronic banking (16.86%): The third-highest number of complaints received.
• Opening of deposit accounts (16.84%): Also received a significant number of complaints.

Geographic Distribution:

• Metro cities (45.86%): The highest number of complaints received.
• Urban cities (25.64%): The second-highest number of complaints received.
• Semi-urban (18.46%): Also received a significant number of complaints.
• Rural areas (10.04%): The lowest number of complaints received.

Contact Centre:

The Contact Centre (CC) received 9,27,598 calls during FY 2024-25, with 60.64% attended through the IVRS facility and 38.59% attended directly by customer care personnel.

How to File a Complaint:

1. Filing a complaint with the regulated entity, such as a bank or NBFC.
2. Registering the complaint with the RBI's Ombudsman if not resolved within 30 days.
3. Visiting the RBI's website and following the link to the Complaint Management System.
4. Entering the captcha and providing personal details to file the complaint.

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