Complaints to Banking Ombudsman continue to fall

Banking Ombudsman Liz Brown said formal complaints received by her office in the first five months of this year were down 20 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Favourable economic conditions had undoubtedly contributed to the decrease in complaints," Ms Brown said in a newsletter.

"In the past a substantial number of complaints have come from bank customers who were having difficulty managing debt, and we are seeing fewer of this type of complaint."

Ms Brown said there had been a decline in most types of complaints for the past two years but overall, complaint numbers remained high because of "an influx of complaints about investment products in 2002 and 2003".

However as the performance of managed funds and other investment products with a shares component improved, "these complaints slowed to a trickle and the underlying trend became apparent."

Read More - Opens in a new window