Action group pressures FOS over 'vested interest'

Consumer say FOS sides with financial institutions

Carmen Reichman
clock • 2 min read

A consumer action group plans to petition the government to launch a review into the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), saying the body had vested interests in the "institutions that fund it".

FOS Action Group said ombudsman decisions were biased towards the financial services industry and unfair on consumers. The FOS also failed to adhere to common law but its decisions were often relied on in court disputes, creating further unfairness for consumers, the group said. It has asked the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to complete a study into the current Alternative Resolution Directive system and legal facility available to consumers in disputes. It said it also wants other consumers to urge their local MPs to raise the issue in Parliament, while it will la...

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