The Bank of Italy has published its 2025 reports on the Banking and Financial Ombudsman and on the handling of customer complaints against banks and finance companies. The update points to a mixed picture. Ombudsman complaints edged down slightly to more than 13,500, but disputes linked to fraudulent transactions continued to rise and now account for more than one third of the total, while direct complaints to the Bank of Italy increased to more than 12,800, driven mainly by account operation blocks and inheritance-related issues. The ombudsman ruled on more than 12,500 cases in 2025, with 56 percent ending substantially in customers' favor through full or partial findings or settlements before a decision. Excluding salary-backed loan matters, intermediaries complied with ombudsman decisions in 94 percent of cases, in line with the previous year, and nearly EUR 8 million was returned to customers. The report also confirmed a continued decline in disputes over salary-backed loans, while disputes overall picked up again in the second half of 2025 and in the first months of 2026. In the Bank of Italy's own complaints handling data, complaints about mortgage renegotiation requests fell 30 percent and those relating to payment services and instruments declined 11 percent, although fraud reports increased, including cases involving unauthorized use of the Bank of Italy's name and logo. Consumer credit complaints rose by about 11 percent, while those related to investment products and services decreased. Excluding matters outside the Bank of Italy's remit, which made up 18 percent of submissions, around half of complaints were fully or partly upheld. Just over 3,200 complaints concerned reporting to the Central Credit Register, about 14 percent more than in 2024.
Bank of Italy2026-06-24
Bank of Italy publishes 2025 ombudsman and complaints reports showing rising fraud cases and an 8 percent increase in customer complaints
The Bank of Italy's 2025 ombudsman and complaints reports show fraud-related disputes continuing to rise, even as Banking and Financial Ombudsman complaints fell slightly to more than 13,500. Direct customer complaints to the Bank of Italy rose 8 percent to more than 12,800, mainly because of account blocks and inheritance issues. The ombudsman returned nearly EUR 8 million to customers, while about half of in-scope complaints handled by the Bank of Italy were fully or partly upheld.