FCA and FOS Complaints Data UK 2025: Most Complained About Banks and Products

DATA | FCA COMPLAINTS | FCA SOURCE

How FCA and FOS complaints data works

There are two separate but related sources of financial complaints data in the UK. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) collects complaints data directly from regulated firms -- any firm regulated by the FCA must report complaints it receives twice a year. The FCA publishes aggregate data and firm-level data for large firms (those receiving 500 or more complaints in a half-year, or 1,000+ complaints per year). This is the broadest picture of complaints across all UK financial services.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) separately collects data on complaints that consumers escalate to the Ombudsman after the firm's own complaints process has failed to resolve them. FOS data therefore represents unresolved or disputed complaints -- a subset of total complaints. FOS publishes both quarterly complaint volumes and firm-level data twice yearly.

Most complained about financial products (H2 2025)

Banking and credit cards dominate complaint volumes, accounting for 857,757 of the 1.74 million complaints in H2 2025. Within this category, current accounts are the most complained about product at 492,149 complaints, followed by credit cards at 218,456. Current account complaints include disputes about fraud and scams (where banks are accused of not doing enough to prevent authorised push payment fraud), service failures, charges and account closures.

Insurance and pure protection is the second-largest category with 665,370 complaints. Motor insurance is the most complained about insurance product at 215,708, reflecting disputes about claims handling, policy administration and premium increases. The FCA notes that banking and credit card complaints decreased 4.7% from H1 to H2 2025, while insurance complaints decreased 4.6%.

Most complained about products -- H2 2025 (FCA data)

Source: FCA complaints data H2 2025 (April 2026). FCA-regulated firms only.

Figures cover complaints received by FCA-regulated firms with 500+ complaints in H2 2025. Smaller firms not included.

Motor finance commission complaints -- a special situation

Motor finance commission complaints represent a unique and volatile element of the complaints data. The FCA launched a review of motor finance commission in January 2024, and the Court of Appeal ruled in October 2024 that secret commissions on motor finance were unlawful. This triggered a surge in motor finance commission complaints to the FOS -- the FOS received 21,500 new complaints about motor finance commission in Q4 2024/25 alone.

In 2025, the FCA paused firms' obligation to respond to motor finance commission complaints pending the Supreme Court ruling, which is expected in 2026. During the pause, new motor finance commission complaints were still being received but were not resolved. The pause has significantly affected the complaint volumes reported by the FOS. The FCA estimated that redress costs for the motor finance industry could reach PS30 billion if the Supreme Court upholds the Court of Appeal ruling.

FOS upheld rates: who wins complaints?

The FOS upheld 22.9% of the 3,503 ombudsman decisions published in 2026, meaning the consumer won just under one in four escalated complaints. The uphold rate varies significantly by product and firm. Banking and payments had an uphold rate of 20.4% in 2026. Barclays Bank UK PLC appeared most frequently in published FOS decisions in 2026 by firm volume. The most common complaint theme in FOS decisions was delay in claim handling, followed by fraud or scam concerns and affordability assessment failures.

It is important to note that FOS published decisions represent only a fraction of total complaints -- most complaints are resolved by the firm before reaching the FOS, and FOS quarterly data covers all complaints received rather than just those that result in published decisions.

How do I complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service?

You must first complain to the financial firm directly and give them eight weeks to respond. If the firm rejects your complaint, or does not respond within eight weeks, you can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) free of charge. The FOS can be contacted online at financial-ombudsman.org.uk, by phone on 0800 023 4567, or by post. You must refer the complaint to the FOS within six months of receiving the firm's final response letter.

Can I use a claims management company (CMC) to handle my complaint?

You can use a claims management company, but you do not need to. CMCs typically charge 25-40% of any compensation you receive (including VAT), reducing your payout significantly. The FOS service is free to use directly. CMCs are regulated by the FCA and must be authorised to handle financial complaints claims management. You can check if a CMC is authorised on the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk.

What does it mean if a complaint is upheld by the FOS?

If the FOS upholds a complaint, it means the Ombudsman has found in your favour -- the firm did not treat you fairly or breached applicable rules. The FOS can direct the firm to apologise, correct the problem and/or pay compensation. FOS awards are limited to PS415,000 for complaints relating to events from April 2022 onwards. You must accept or reject an FOS decision within the stated deadline. If you accept, it is binding on the firm. You can still go to court if you reject the FOS decision, but this is unusual and costly.

What are the most complained about banks in the UK?

The FCA publishes firm-level complaints data for large firms (those receiving 500+ complaints in a half-year). The firms with the highest total complaint volumes are typically the largest banks and insurance groups by customer base -- Lloyds, Barclays, NatWest, HSBC and Aviva. However, complaint volume alone does not indicate the worst performing firms -- smaller firms can have higher complaint rates relative to their customer base. The FOS publishes its own firm-level data twice yearly at financial-ombudsman.org.uk/data-insight.