Over 9,500 complaints pending with banking ombudsmen: RBI

A reply to an RTI query reveals 9,508 complaints were pending for resolution

Over 9,500 complaints of deficient services by nationalised and private sector banks are pending with banking ombudsmen, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said.

The revised Banking Ombudsman scheme 2006 allows a customer to seek redress of complaints against banks relating to credit cards and house loans, among others.

The number of complaints pending for resolution as on December 13, 2015 was 9,508, the RBI said in reply to an RTI query.

"No time limit is specified for resolution of complaint under Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006," it said.

The number of complaints received by banking ombudsmen across the country from January 1 to December 13 this year was 87,683, the RBI said.

As per the central bank’s annual report on the scheme for 2014-15, a total of 85,131 complaints were received by it during the last fiscal.

"Public sector banks accounted for 65% of the total complaints out of which 31% (26,529) complaints were against State Bank of India (SBI) and associates group," it said.

Private sector banks accounted for 23% (19,773) complaints, whereas 4% (3,406) were against foreign banks.

Regional rural banks and scheduled urban co-operative banks accounted for 2% (1,966) of the complaints received. 6% (4,566) of the complaints were against non-bank entities not covered under the Banking Ombudsman scheme, the RBI said.

There are 15 banking ombudsmen across the country.

The Reserve Bank of India had introduced the Banking Ombudsman scheme in 1995 that provided for resolution of customers' complaints relating to deficiency in banking services.

The scheme was revised twice — in 2002 and in 2005. The current scheme came into force from January 1, 2006.