The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) was created to be the independent referee — the place where consumers could seek justice when financial firms failed them. Its role is vital: to provide fairness, transparency, and accountability in a sector where trust is already fragile.
Yet evidence suggests a troubling pattern of behaviour inside the organisation. Instead of ensuring accountability, FOS may be engaging in practices that have the opposite effect: obstruction, concealment, and delay.
Patterns Emerging
From multiple accounts and case reviews, several systemic issues stand out:
- Re-routing data requests into complaint channels
Subject Access Requests (SARs) — protected under data protection law — appear to be deflected into FOS’s general complaints process. This tactic sidesteps the strict one-month deadline set out in legislation, placing consumers at a disadvantage. - Issuing new complaint references
By creating new IDs, FOS can effectively reset the clock and divert matters away from statutory obligations. This may appear administrative, but in practice it undermines accountability. - Passing complaints back to the same officials
Rather than allocating matters to independent reviewers, complaints are often referred back to the very individuals whose actions are under challenge. This erodes confidence in the impartiality of the process. - Ignoring substantive allegations
Key issues raised by complainants — such as missing disclosures, duplication padding, or withheld records — are too often met with holding responses that do not engage with the evidence. - Broad use of exemptions
Reports suggest FOS may apply statutory exemptions far more widely than permitted, including on grounds of “commercial sensitivity.” This risks concealing information that should lawfully be disclosed. - Lack of transparency on timelines
Responses frequently avoid committing to deadlines, contrary to both the letter and spirit of data protection requirements.
Why This Matters
The FOS exists to protect consumers from an industry where financial muscle can silence ordinary voices. But if the Ombudsman itself is seen to stonewall, deflect, or shield powerful institutions, then the public loses its last line of defence.
This is not just about poor administration. It points to a deeper governance failure. When independence and transparency are compromised, systemic injustice follows. Consumers are left without recourse. Industry malpractice goes unchecked. Trust in the financial system is further eroded.
The Public Interest
Every democracy needs watchdogs that are genuinely accountable. The FOS was intended to be one of them. But watchdogs that refuse to bark when wrongdoing is at the door fail not just individual complainants, but society as a whole.
Transparency, fairness, and independence are not optional extras in financial redress — they are the very foundations of justice. If FOS is found to be consistently falling short, then reform is not just desirable. It is urgent.
👉 Next Steps:
This blog is part of an ongoing conversation about how consumers can protect their rights, and how oversight bodies must be held accountable. If you’ve experienced similar barriers, or if you care about building a financial system that is truly transparent and fair, join the discussion with the Academy of Life Planning and our Get SAFE initiative.
About Get SAFE
Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) was born from a simple truth: too many victims of financial abuse are left to suffer in silence.
We exist for people like Ian—for the ones who did everything right, only to be failed by the systems they trusted. We know that behind every vanished pension, every ignored complaint, and every stonewalled letter is a person—frightened, exhausted, and too often alone.
Get SAFE offers more than sympathy. We offer structure, support, and solidarity.
We provide a voice where there’s been silence, and clarity where there’s been confusion.
We stand beside those who have been exploited, not just to help them recover—but to help them reclaim their story and rebuild their future.
Because financial justice is not a luxury.
It’s a human right.
If you or someone you know has been affected by financial exploitation, we are here.
You are not alone.
Learn more at: Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation).
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