Ombudsman reveals rise in number of complaints about banks

The banking sector has not shown any improvement in how it handles complaints, according to the latest report from the Financial Services Ombudsman.

William Prasifka's review of the first six months of this year, show a 27% increase in the number of complaints made by consumers to the Financial Services Ombudsman.

Insurance complaints account for half of all complaints received, with Payment Protection Insurance complaints increasing by 150%.

Mr Prasifka said, in future, financial institutions must show and document their efforts to deal with complaints before they are referred to the FSO.