The Financial Ombudsman Service (FoS) has reported that residential first charge mortgages and buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage complaints both increased by 27% between July and September this year.
During the period, there were 1,170 complaints about residential first charge mortgages, while BTL mortgage complaints totalled 186.
Despite some areas showing a rise in complaints, the totalled number of cases fell from 73,700 in July to September 2024, to 46,300 in the same period this year.
The number was also lower than the 68,000 reported in the first three months of the financial year between April to June.
The latest data set shows that professional representatives accounted for 4,300 cases in the second quarter of this financial year, and a higher proportion of complaints are now coming directly from consumers.
In the same period in 2024/25, professional representatives lodged around 37,100 cases.
Motor finance commission and perceived irresponsible and unaffordable lending were the two areas where complaints from professional representatives previously made up a significant proportion of cases.
In the second quarter of this financial year, the FoS received 4,500 complaints about irresponsible and unaffordable lending compared to 24,900 cases in July to September 2024.
Commenting on the latest figures, FoS interim chief ombudsman James Dipple-Johnstone says: “We are undertaking an ambitious series of improvements to foster confidence in financial services now and in the future.”
“Following a period of extraordinary demand, our case volumes are now starting to decrease as the measures we have implemented ensure the complaints which come to us are better-evidenced and ready to be investigated.”
“The changes we have already introduced – and those we plan to make in the future – will allow us to focus on getting back to our core purpose for customers as a quick, informal and impartial alternative to the courts for resolving disputes.”
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