Complaints received by the Banco de España
15/07/2019
The Banco de España provides the general public with range of services which include receiving and dealing with complaints lodged by users of financial services at supervised institutions.
The 2018 Annual Complaints Report presents information about the complaints lodged with the Banco de España that year, comparing it with data from the preceding year.
For example, the report contains key data such as the fact that 19,695 complaints were registered in 2018, 51% less than in 2017. This decrease is mainly due to the lower number of claims filed in connection with the costs involved in arranging a mortgage.
To sum up: a total of 10,082 complaints were admitted for consideration, 3,306 supervening inadmissibility reports were issued, 4,706 complaints were resolved in the complainant’s favour, in 2,002 cases reports were favourable to the institution, and in 68 instances, complainants withdrew from the procedure.
How are complaints usually filed with the Banco de España?
Filing a complaint in person, at a Banco de España branch office, or by ordinary mail, continues to be the preferred channel, although doing so online, through the Virtual Office, requires no trip to the bank or postage costs, and allows you to check the status of your complaint online.
Against what type of institutions were complaints most frequently lodged in 2018?
Of the total number of complaints, 83.4% were filed against banks, 7.9% against credit cooperatives and 5% against specialised lending institutions.
What were the most frequent reasons for filing complaints in 2018?
As in previous years, the largest number of complaints related to mortgages (54% of all complaints filed in 2018).
However, complaints relating to personal loans increased notably, from 650 in 2017 to 1,211 in 2018, mainly owing to the substantial number of complaints filed by customers against dental clinics for their failure to deliver the agreed service, requesting cancellation of the associated credit.
By contrast, in recent years, a declining trend has been observed in complaints filed in connection with the failure to apply, or incorrectly applying, the Code of Good Practice. Specifically, in 2018, the number of such complaints had fallen by 24.6%, compared with 2017. This trend can be explained by the fact that institutions adhering to the Code of Good Practice have become more aware of what it entails and of what is required to apply it correctly.
Lastly, for more information about the cities in which most complaints are filed, the profile of complainants, the number of complaints filed by citizens resident in other countries, details of the matters which give rise to complaints, etc., please refer to the 2018 Annual Complaints ReportAbre en ventana nueva, in which you will find tables, statistics and a wealth of information on this matter.
