KARACHI: The number of complaints against banks increased by around 51 per cent during the first nine months of the ongoing calendar year, the office of Banking Mohtasib (ombudsman) revealed on Monday.
Despite Covid-19, major increase was observed in the number of complaints lodged with the Banking Mohtasib against alleged frauds, forgeries and other irregularities during the first nine months of 2020, as compared to the same period of 2019.
Almost 19,028 complaints were received by the Banking Mohtasib Secretariat during the Jan-Sept 2020 period, as against 12,624 complaints received in the same period of last year, depicting an increase of 50.7pc. These also included about 11,092 banking-related complaints received on the Prime Minister’s Portal.
According to a statement, “The increase in the number of complaints represents the confidence of the general public in the working of the institution of Banking Mohtasib. The Banking Mohtasib Secretariat disposed of 13,488 complaints from January 1 till September 30, 2020.”
Banking Mohtasib Muhammad Kamran Shehzad has urged the general public to strictly follow the instructions being given by the banks in their public awareness campaigns regarding nondisclosure of their personal and financial credentials to any person. In this way, they will be able to protect themselves from any fraud, forgeries etc.
I have also observed it. Overall behavior of Banking Staff towards clients is not satisfactory, specially Managers of the Branch. They keep them busy in calculating their percentage share in Banking Insurance Policies, Auto Loans etc.
Senior Citizens are kept standing outside the branches following their Covid SOP’s , whereas they should be immediately attended inside the branch as per SBP directives..
Public approaching for payment of their Foreign Remittances Encasement are told, our system is not working or system is down excuses.Or the Bank person having password of the system is absent today.Or Utility bill machine is not working today.
The Banking Mohtasib can do a big service to all
banking stakeholders by issuing stats showing breakup of number of complaints for
(a) for each bank separately
(b) separately by city for each bank
(c) nature of complaints,ie departments involved
(d) similar info on complaints resolved
(e) time taken to resolve
(f) unresolved, time since unresolved.
(g) grade banks by least & most complaints & resolutions
All the above +other useful stats be placed on its website. Will be for useful for SBP & account holders & bank management & Institute of Bankers to see banks from the account holder perspective.