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INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME, 2021

PRELIMINARY OFFICES UNDER THE RESERVE BANK -INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME, 2021 POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE OMBUDSMAN PROCEDURE FOR REDRESSAL OF GRIEVANCE UNDER THE SCHEME MISCELLANEOUS Integrated Ombudsman Address

PRELIMINARY

  • This Scheme may be called the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021.
  • It shall come into force on such date as the Reserve Bank may specify.
  • It shall extend to the whole of India.
  • The Scheme shall apply to the services provided by a Regulated Entity in India to its customers under the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
  • The Reserve Bank, if it is satisfied that it is expedient so to do, may by order suspend for such period as may be specified in the order, the operation of all or any of the clauses of the Scheme, either generally or in relation to any specified Regulated Entity.
  • The Reserve Bank may, by order, extend from time to time, the period of any suspension ordered as aforesaid by such period, as it may deem fit.
  • In the Scheme, unless the context otherwise requires:
    (a) “Appellate Authority” means the Executive Director in-Charge of the Department of the Reserve Bank administering the scheme
    (b) “Appellate Authority Secretariat” means the Department in the Reserve Bank which is administering the Scheme
    (c) “Authorised Representative” means a person, other than an advocate, duly appointed and authorised in writing to represent the complainant in the proceedings before the Ombudsman
    (d) “Award” means an award passed by the Ombudsman in accordance with the Scheme
    (e) “bank” means a ‘banking company’, a ‘corresponding new bank’, a ‘Regional Rural Bank’, ‘State Bank of India’ as defined in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, a ‘co-operative bank’ as defined in Section 56(c) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to the extent not excluded under the Scheme, but does not include a bank in resolution or winding up or under directions or any other bank as specified by the Reserve Bank
    (f) “Complaint” means a representation in writing or through other modes alleging deficiency in service on the part of a Regulated Entity, and seeking relief under the Scheme
    (g) “Deficiency in service” means a shortcoming or an inadequacy in any financial service, which the Regulated Entity is required to provide statutorily or otherwise, which may or may not result in financial loss or damage to the customer
    (h) “Deputy Ombudsman” means any person appointed by the Reserve Bank as such under the Scheme
    (i) “Non-Banking Financial Company” (NBFC) means an NBFC as defined in Section 45-I (f) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and registered with the Reserve Bank, to the extent not excluded under the Scheme, but does not include a Core Investment Company (CIC), an Infrastructure Debt Fund-Non - Banking Financial Company (IDF-NBFC), a Non-Banking Financial Company - Infrastructure Finance Company (NBFC-IFC), a company in resolution or winding up/liquidation, or any other NBFC specified by the Reserve Bank
    (j) “Regulated Entity” means a bank or a Non-Banking Financial Company or a System Participant as defined in the Scheme, or any other entity as may be specified by the Reserve Bank from time to time; to the extent not excluded under the Scheme
    (k) “Settlement” means an agreement reached by the parties to the complaint by facilitation or conciliation or mediation, as per the provisions of this Scheme
    (l) “System Participant” means a person other than the Reserve Bank and a System Provider, participating in a payment system as defined in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
    (m) “System Provider” means and includes a person who operates an authorised payment system as defined in Section 2 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
    (n) “The Reserve Bank” means Reserve Bank of India constituted under Section 3 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
  • Words and expressions used and not defined in the Scheme, but defined in the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, or in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, or in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 or in the Regulations or guidelines or Directions issued by the Reserve Bank in exercise of its powers conferred by the Acts referred to herein above, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them

OFFICES UNDER THE RESERVE BANK -INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME, 2021

  • The Reserve Bank may appoint one or more of its officers as Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman, to carry out the functions entrusted to them under the Scheme
  • The appointment of Ombudsman or the Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, shall be made for a period not exceeding three years at a time
  • The offices of the Ombudsman shall be at such places as may be specified by the Reserve Bank
  • In order to expedite disposal of the complaints, the Ombudsman may hold sittings at such places and in such manner as may be considered necessary and proper in respect of a complaint
  • The Reserve Bank shall establish the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre at any place as may be decided by it to receive the complaints filed under the Scheme and process them
  • The complaints under the Scheme +made online shall be registered on the portal cms.rbi.org.in. Complaints in electronic mode (E-mail) and physical form, including postal and hand-delivered complaints, shall be addressed and sent to the place where the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre of the Reserve Bank is established, for scrutiny and initial processing Provided that the complaints that are received directly in any of the offices of the Reserve Bank shall be forwarded to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre for further action
  • The Reserve Bank shall ensure that the offices of the Ombudsman and the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre are adequately staffed and shall bear the cost thereof

POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE OMBUDSMAN

  • The Ombudsman/Deputy Ombudsman shall consider the complaints of customers of Regulated Entities relating to deficiency in service
  • There is no limit on the amount in a dispute that can be brought before the Ombudsman for which the Ombudsman can pass an Award. However, for any consequential loss suffered by the complainant, the Ombudsman shall have the power to provide a compensation up to Rupees 20 lakh, in addition to, up to Rupees One lakh for the loss of the complainant’s time, expenses incurred and for harassment/ mental anguish suffered by the complainant
  • While the Ombudsman shall have the power to address and close all complaints, the Deputy Ombudsman shall have the power to close those complaints falling under clause 10 of the Scheme and complaints settled through facilitation as stated under clause 14 of the Scheme
  • The Ombudsman shall send to the Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, a report, as on March 31st every year, containing a general review of the activities of the office during the preceding financial year, and shall furnish such other information as the Reserve Bank may direct
  • The Reserve Bank may, if it considers necessary in the public interest to do so, publish the report and the information received from the Ombudsman in such consolidated form or otherwise, as it may deem fit

PROCEDURE FOR REDRESSAL OF GRIEVANCE UNDER THE SCHEME

  • Any customer aggrieved by an act or omission of a Regulated Entity resulting in deficiency in service may file a complaint under the Scheme personally or through an authorised representative as defined under clause 3(1)(c)
  • No complaint for deficiency in service shall lie under the Scheme in matters involving:
    (a) commercial judgment/commercial decision of a Regulated Entity
    (b) a dispute between a vendor and a Regulated Entity relating to an outsourcing contract
    (c) a grievance not addressed to the Ombudsman directly
    (d) general grievances against Management or Executives of a Regulated Entity
    (e) a dispute in which action is initiated by a Regulated Entity in compliance with the orders of a statutory or law enforcing authority
    (f) a service not within the regulatory purview of the Reserve Bank
    (g) a dispute between Regulated Entities; and
    (h) a dispute involving the employee-employer relationship of a Regulated Entity.
  • A complaint under the Scheme shall not lie unless:
    (a) the complainant had, before making a complaint under the Scheme, made a written complaint to the Regulated Entity concerned and -

    (i) the complaint was rejected wholly or partly by the Regulated Entity, and the complainant is not satisfied with the reply; or the complainant had not received any reply within 30 days after the Regulated Entity received the complaint; and

    (ii) the complaint is made to the Ombudsman within one year after the complainant has received the reply from the Regulated Entity to the complaint or, where no reply is received, within one year and 30 days from the date of the complaint.

    (b) the complaint is not in respect of the same cause of action which is already-

    (i) pending before an Ombudsman or settled or dealt with on merits, by an Ombudsman, whether or not received from the same complainant or along with one or more complainants, or one or more of the parties concerned

    (ii) pending before any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other Forum or Authority; or, settled or dealt with on merits, by any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other Forum or Authority, whether or not received from the same complainant or along with one or more of the complainants/parties concerned

    (c) the complaint is not abusive or frivolous or vexatious in nature
    (d) the complaint to the Regulated Entity was made before the expiry of the period of limitation prescribed under the Limitation Act, 1963, for such claims
    (e) the complainant provides complete information as specified in clause 11 of the Scheme
    (f) the complaint is lodged by the complainant personally or through an authorised representative other than an advocate unless the advocate is the aggrieved person.
  • The complaint may be lodged online through the portal designed for the purpose (https://cms.rbi.org.in).
  • The complaint may also be submitted through electronic or physical mode to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre as notified by the Reserve Bank. The complaint, if submitted in physical form, shall be duly signed by the complainant or by the authorised representative. The complaint shall be submitted in electronic or physical mode in such format and containing such information as may be specified by Reserve Bank.
  • Complaints which are in the nature of offering suggestions or seeking guidance or explanation shall not be treated as valid complaints under the Scheme and shall be closed accordingly with a suitable communication to the complainant.
  • Complaints which are non-maintainable under clause 10 shall be separated to issue a suitable communication to the complainant
  • The remaining complaints shall be assigned to the offices of the Ombudsman for further examination under intimation to the complainant. A copy of the complaint shall also be forwarded to the Regulated Entity against whom the complaint is filed with a direction to submit its written version.
  • The Ombudsman may, for the purpose of carrying out duties under this Scheme, require the Regulated Entity against whom the complaint has been made or any other Regulated Entity which is a party to the dispute to provide any information or furnish certified copies of any document relating to the complaint which are or is alleged to be in its possession
  • The Ombudsman shall maintain confidentiality of the information or the documents coming to its knowledge or possession in the course of discharging duties and shall not disclose such information or documents to any person except as otherwise required by law, or with the consent of the person furnishing such information or documents
  • The Ombudsman/Deputy Ombudsman shall endeavour to promote settlement of a complaint by agreement between the complainant and the Regulated Entity through facilitation or conciliation or mediation.
  • The proceedings before the Ombudsman shall be summary in nature and shall not be bound by any rules of evidence. The Ombudsman may examine either party to the complaint and record their statement
  • The Regulated Entity shall, on receipt of the complaint, file its written version in reply to the averments in the complaint enclosing therewith copies of the documents relied upon, within 15 days before the Ombudsman for resolution
  • In case the Regulated Entity omits or fails to file its written version and documents within the time as provided in terms of sub-clause (3), the Ombudsman may proceed ex-parte based on the evidence available on record and pass appropriate Order or issue an Award. There shall be no right of appeal to the Regulated Entity in respect of the Award issued on account of non-response or non-furnishing of information sought within the stipulated time.
  • The Ombudsman/Deputy Ombudsman shall ensure that the written version or reply or documents filed by one party, to the extent relevant and pertaining to the complaint, are furnished to other party and follow such procedure and provide additional time as may be considered appropriate
  • In case the complaint is not resolved through facilitation, such action as may be considered appropriate, including a meeting of the complainant with the officials of Regulated Entity, for resolution of the complaint by conciliation or mediation may be initiated
  • The parties to the complaint shall cooperate in good faith with the Ombudsman/Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, in resolution of the dispute and comply with the direction for production of any evidence and other related documents within the stipulated time.
  • If any amicable settlement of the complaint is arrived at between the parties, the same shall be recorded and signed by both the parties and thereafter, the fact of settlement may be recorded, annexing thereto the terms of settlement, directing the parties to comply with the terms within the stipulated time
  • The complaint would be deemed to be resolved when:
    (a) it has been settled by the Regulated Entity with the complainant upon the intervention of the Ombudsman; or
    (b) the complainant has agreed in writing or otherwise (which may be recorded) that the manner and the extent of resolution of the grievance is satisfactory; or
    (c) the complainant has withdrawn the complaint voluntarily
  • Unless the complaint is rejected under clause 16, the Ombudsman shall pass an Award in the event of:
    (a) non-furnishing of documents/information as enumerated in clause 14(4); or
    (b) the matter not getting resolved under clause 14(9) based on records placed, and after affording a reasonable opportunity of being heard to both the parties
  • The Ombudsman shall also take into account, in addition, the principles of banking law and practice, directions, instructions and guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank from time to time and such other factors as may be relevant, before passing a reasoned Award
  • The Award shall contain, inter alia, the direction, if any, to the Regulated Entity for specific performance of its obligations and in addition to or otherwise, the amount, if any, to be paid by the Regulated Entity to the complainant by way of compensation for any loss suffered by the complainant
  • Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-clause (3), the Ombudsman shall not have the power to pass an Award directing payment by way of compensation, an amount which is more than the consequential loss suffered by the complainant or Rupees 20 lakh whichever is lower. The compensation that can be awarded by the Ombudsman shall be exclusive of the amount involved in the dispute
  • The Ombudsman may also award a compensation not exceeding Rupees one lakh to the complainant, taking into account the loss of the complainant’s time, expenses incurred, harassment and mental anguish suffered by the complainant
  • A copy of the Award shall be sent to the complainant and the Regulated Entity
  • The Award passed under sub-clause (1) shall lapse and be of no effect unless the complainant furnishes a letter of acceptance of the Award in full and final settlement of the claim to the Regulated Entity concerned, within a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of the copy of the Award Provided that no such acceptance may be furnished by the complainant if he has filed an appeal under sub-clause (3) of clause 17
  • The Regulated Entity shall comply with the Award and intimate compliance to the Ombudsman within 30 days from the date of receipt of the letter of acceptance from the complainant, unless it has preferred an appeal under sub-clause (2) of clause 17
  • The Deputy Ombudsman or the Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if it appears that the complaint made:
    (a) is non-maintainable under clause 10; or
    (b) is in the nature of offering suggestions or seeking guidance or explanation
  • The Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if:
    (a) in his opinion there is no deficiency in service; or
    (b) the compensation sought for the consequential loss is beyond the power of the Ombudsman to award the compensation as indicated in clause 8(2); or
    (c) the complaint is not pursued by the complainant with reasonable diligence; or
    (d) the complaint is without any sufficient cause; or
    (e) the complaint requires consideration of elaborate documentary and oral evidence and the proceedings before the Ombudsman are not appropriate for adjudication of such complaint; or
    (f) in the opinion of the Ombudsman there is no financial loss or damage, or inconvenience caused to the complainant
  • There shall not be any right of appeal to a Regulated Entity for an Award issued for non-furnishing of documents/information under clause 15(1)(a)
  • The Regulated Entity may, aggrieved by an Award under clause 15(1)(b) or closure of a complaint under clauses 16(2)(c) to 16(2)(f), within 30 days of the date of receipt of communication of Award or closure of the complaint, prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority
    (a) Provided that in the case of an appeal by a Regulated Entity, the period of 30 days for filing an appeal shall commence from the date on which the Regulated Entity receives the letter of acceptance of Award by the complainant:
    (b) Provided further that an appeal may be filed by a Regulated Entity only with the previous sanction of the Chairman or the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer or, in their absence, the Executive Director/Official of equal rank
    (c) Provided that the Appellate Authority may, if he is satisfied that the Regulated Entity had sufficient cause for not making the appeal within the time, may allow a further period not exceeding 30 days
  • The complainant may, aggrieved by an Award under clause 15(1) or rejection of a complaint under clauses 16(2)(c) to 16(2)(f), within 30 days of the date of receipt of the Award or rejection of the complaint, prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority
    Provided that the Appellate Authority may, if he is satisfied that the complainant had sufficient cause for not making the appeal within the time, may allow a further period not exceeding 30 days
  • The Appellate Authority’s Secretariat shall scrutinise and process the Appeal
  • The Appellate Authority may, after giving the parties a reasonable opportunity of being heard:
    (a) dismiss the appeal; or
    (b) allow the appeal and set aside the Award or order of the Ombudsman; or
    (c) remand the matter to the Ombudsman for fresh disposal in accordance with such directions as the Appellate Authority may consider necessary or proper; or
    (d) modify the order of the Ombudsman or Award and pass such directions as may be necessary to give effect to the order of the Ombudsman or Award so modified; or
    (e) pass any other order as it may deem fit
  • The order of the Appellate Authority shall have the same effect as the Award passed by Ombudsman under clause 15 or the order rejecting the complaint under clause 16, as the case may be
  • The Regulated Entity to which the Scheme is applicable shall facilitate the smooth conduct of the Scheme by ensuring meticulous adherence to the requirements under the Scheme, failing which, the Reserve Bank may take such action as it may deem fit
  • The Regulated Entity shall appoint a Principal Nodal Officer at their head office who shall not be a rank less than a General Manager or an officer of equivalent rank and shall be responsible for representing the Regulated Entity and furnishing information on behalf of the Regulated Entity in respect of complaints filed against the Regulated Entity. The Regulated Entity may appoint such other Nodal Officers to assist the Principal Nodal Officer as it may deem fit for operational efficiency
  • The Regulated Entity shall display prominently for the benefit of their customers at their branches/places where the business is transacted, the name and contact details (Telephone/mobile number and E-mail ID) of the Principal Nodal Officer along with the details of the complaint lodging portal of the Ombudsman (https://cms.rbi.org.in)
  • The Regulated Entity to which the Scheme is applicable shall ensure that the salient features of the Scheme are displayed prominently in English, Hindi and the regional language in all its offices, branches and places where the business is transacted in such a manner that a person visiting the office or branch has adequate information on the Scheme
  • The Regulated Entity shall ensure that a copy of the Scheme is available in all its branches to be provided to the customer for reference upon request.
  • The salient features of the Scheme along with the copy of the Scheme and the contact details of the Principal Nodal Officer shall be displayed and updated on the website of the Regulated Entity

MISCELLANEOUS

  • If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the Scheme, the Reserve Bank may make such provisions not inconsistent with the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, or the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, or the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, or the Scheme, as it may consider necessary or expedient for removing any difficulty
  • The Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006, the Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies, 2018, and the Ombudsman Scheme for Digital Transactions, 2019, hereby stand repealed
  • The adjudication of pending complaints appeals, and execution of the Awards already passed, as on the date of commencement of the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, shall continue to be governed by the provisions of the respective Ombudsman Schemes and instructions of the Reserve Bank issued thereunder

Integrated Ombudsman Address

Centralized Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC)
Reserve Bank of India,
Central Vista, Sector 17,
Chandigarh 160017
RBI Online Portal: http://cms.rbi.org.in

  Toll free Contact Centre Number:   14448 (9.30 am to 5.15pm)

  Email:   crpc@.org.in

INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME, 2026

PRELIMINARY OFFICES UNDER THE RESERVE BANK – INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME, 2026 POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE RBI OMBUDSMAN/ RBI DEPUTY OMBUDSMAN PROCEDURE FOR REDRESSAL OF GRIEVANCE UNDER THE SCHEME MISCELLANEOUS INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN ADDRESS

PRELIMINARY

  • i) The Scheme shall be called the Reserve Bank– Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS), 2026. It aims to provide a cost-effective, expeditious, non-adversarial alternate grievance redress mechanism for the resolution of complaints against Regulated Entities covered under the Scheme
  • ii) It shall come into force with effect from July 1, 2026.
  • iii) The Scheme shall apply to the services provided by the following Regulated Entities:
    1. (1) All Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks, State Co-operative Banks, Central Co-operative Banks, Scheduled Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks, and Non-Scheduled Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks with deposits size of ₹50 crore and above as on the date of the audited balance sheet of the previous financial year.
    2. (2) All Non-Banking Financial Companies (excluding Housing Finance Companies, Core Investment Company (CIC), Infrastructure Debt Fund-Non-Banking Financial Company (IDF-NBFC), Non-Banking Financial Company - Infrastructure Finance Company (NBFC-IFC), Non-Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC), Primary Dealers (PDs), Mortgage Guarantee Companies (MGC)) which
      1. (a) are authorised to accept deposits; or
      2. (b) have customer interface, with an assets size of ₹100 crore and above as on the date of the audited balance sheet of the previous financial year
    3. (3) All Non-bank Prepaid Payment Instruments Issuers
    4. (4) Credit Information Companies.
  • i) The Reserve Bank, if it is satisfied that it is expedient so to do, may by order suspend for such period as may be specified in the order, the operation of all or any of the clauses of the Scheme, either generally or in relation to any specified Regulated Entity.
  • ii) The Reserve Bank may, by order, extend from time to time, the period of any suspension ordered as aforesaid by such period, as it may deem fit.
  • i) In the Scheme, unless the context otherwise requires:
    1. (1) “Appellate Authority” means the Executive Director in-Charge of Consumer Education and Protection Department of the Reserve Bank;
    2. (2) “Appellate Authority Secretariat” means Consumer Education and Protection Department of the Reserve Bank which is administering the Scheme;
    3. (3) “Authorised Representative” means a person, other than an advocate, duly appointed and authorised in writing to represent the Complainant in the proceedings before the RBI Ombudsman;
    4. (4) “Award” means the direction issued under clause 15 of the Scheme by the RBI Ombudsman to the Regulated Entity for specific performance of its obligations within the time limit prescribed;
    5. (5) “bank” means a ‘banking company’, a ‘corresponding new bank’, a ‘Regional Rural Bank’, ‘State Bank of India’ as defined in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, a ‘co-operative bank’ as defined in Section 56 (c) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to the extent included under the Scheme but does not include a bank in resolution or winding up or under All-Inclusive Directions;
    6. (6) “Complaint” means a representation in writing, alleging a deficiency in service on the part of a Regulated Entity, submitted by its customer or his/her authorised representative, and seeking relief under the provisions of the Scheme;
    7. (7) “Credit Information Company” means a company as defined in the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013) and has been granted a certificate of registration under sub-section (2) of section 5 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 (30 of 2005);
    8. (8) “Customer” means a person who uses, or is an applicant for, a service provided by a Regulated Entity;
    9. (9) “Deficiency in service” means a shortcoming or an inadequacy in any service, which the Regulated Entity is required to provide statutorily or otherwise, which may or may not result in financial loss or damage to the customer;
    10. (10) “Non-Banking Financial Company” (NBFC) means an NBFC as defined in Section 45-I (f) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and registered with the Reserve Bank, to the extent included under the Scheme but does not include, an NBFC in resolution or winding up/liquidation, or under Directions of Reserve Bank of India;
    11. (11) “Non- bank Prepaid Payment Instruments Issuer” means a company, as defined in the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013), which has been granted a Certificate of Authorisation by the Reserve Bank of India under Section 7(1) of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (51 of 2007) to operate as a Prepaid Payment Instrument Issuer;
    12. (12) “RBI Deputy Ombudsman” means a person appointed by the Reserve Bank as such under Clause 4 of the Scheme;
    13. (13) “RBI Ombudsman” means a person appointed by the Reserve Bank as such under Clause 4 of the Scheme;
    14. (14) “Regulated Entity” means a bank or a Non-Banking Financial Company, or a Non- bank Prepaid Payment Instruments Issuer or a Credit Information Company as defined in the Scheme, or any other entity as may be specified by the Reserve Bank from time to time, to the extent not excluded under the Scheme;
    15. (15) “Rejected Complaints” means complaints that are closed under the provisions as specified in clause 16 of the Scheme.
    16. (16) “Settlement” means an outcome of the processes under clause 14 of the Scheme;
    17. (17) “The Reserve Bank” means Reserve Bank of India constituted under Section 3 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
  • ii) Words and expressions used and not defined in the Scheme, but defined in the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, or in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, or in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 or in the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 or the Regulations or guidelines or Directions issued by the Reserve Bank in exercise of its powers conferred by the Acts referred to herein above, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them.

OFFICES UNDER THE RESERVE BANK – INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME, 2026

  • i) The Reserve Bank may appoint one or more of its officers as RBI Ombudsman and RBI Deputy Ombudsman, to carry out the functions entrusted to them under the Scheme.
  • ii) The appointment of RBI Ombudsman or the RBI Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, shall be made generally for a period of three years at a time.
  • i) The Offices of the RBI Ombudsman shall be at such places as may be specified by the Reserve Bank.
  • ii) In order to expedite disposal of the complaints, the RBI Ombudsman may hold sittings at such places and in such manner as may be considered necessary and proper in respect of a complaint.
  • i) The Reserve Bank shall establish the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre at one or more places, as may be decided by it, to receive the complaints filed under the Scheme and process them.
  • ii) The complaints under the Scheme made online shall be registered on the portal (https://cms.rbi.org.in). Complaints received through e-mail1 and physical form, including postal and hand-delivered complaints, shall be addressed and sent to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre2 of the Reserve Bank.
  • i) The Reserve Bank shall ensure that the Offices of the RBI Ombudsman and the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre are adequately staffed and shall bear the cost thereof.

POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE RBI OMBUDSMAN/ RBI DEPUTY OMBUDSMAN

  • i) The RBI Ombudsman/RBI Deputy Ombudsman shall consider the complaints of customers of Regulated Entities relating to deficiency in service
  • ii) While considering the complaints, the RBI Ombudsman/RBI Deputy Ombudsman shall take into account, the principles of banking law and practice, as also the directions, instructions, guidelines or regulations issued by the Reserve Bank to Regulated Entities from time to time and such other factors as may be relevant
  • iii) There is no limit on the amount in a dispute that can be brought before the RBI Ombudsman for which the RBI Ombudsman/ RBI Deputy Ombudsman can facilitate a settlement or pass an Award. However, for any consequential loss suffered by the Complainant, the RBI Ombudsman shall have the power to provide a compensation up to ₹30 lakh. In addition, the RBI Ombudsman shall also have the power to provide a compensation up to ₹3 lakh for the loss of the Complainant’s time, expenses incurred, harassment/mental anguish suffered, etc., if any, by the Complainant.
  • iv) The RBI Ombudsman shall have the power to examine and close all complaints
  • v) The RBI Deputy Ombudsman shall have the power to close those complaints falling under clause 10 of the Scheme and complaints resolved as per the provisions of the clause 14(8)(a) to 14(8)(c) of the Scheme.
  • vi) The RBI Ombudsman shall have the power to make any Regulated Entity, other than the one against whom the complaint has been lodged, a party to the complaint if, in the opinion of the RBI Ombudsman, such Regulated Entity has, by an act, negligence, or omission, failed to comply with any directions, instructions, guidelines, or regulations issued by the Reserve Bank.
  • vii) The Reserve Bank shall, in the public interest, publish an annual report on the functioning and activities under the Scheme in such manner as it deems fit.

PROCEDURE FOR REDRESSAL OF GRIEVANCE UNDER THE SCHEME

  • Any customer aggrieved by an act or omission of a Regulated Entity resulting in deficiency in service may file a complaint under the Scheme personally or through an authorised representative as defined under clause 3(1)(c).
  • i) A complaint under the Scheme shall be maintainable only if the following conditions are satisfied:
    1. (1) the complaint is addressed to the RBI Ombudsman directly. However, it does not include a communication in which the Reserve Bank is merely endorsed/marked in copy (whether by e-mail or in physical form); and
    2. (2) the complaint is lodged by the Complainant personally or through an authorised representative other than an advocate unless the advocate is the aggrieved person; and
    3. (3) the Complainant provides complete information as specified in clause 11 of the Scheme; and
    4. (4) the complaint is not abusive or frivolous or vexatious in nature; and
    5. (5) the Complainant had first made a complaint in writing or through any other mode to the Regulated Entity concerned, where proof of having made a complaint can be produced by the Complainant, before making a complaint under the Scheme; and
    6. (6) the Complainant has not received any reply within 30 days or within the time specified by the Reserve Bank, National Payments Corporation of India, or under Card Network guidelines, if any, whichever is higher after the Regulated Entity received the complaint; or the Complainant is not satisfied with the reply / resolution provided by the Regulated Entity; and
    7. (7) the complaint is made to the RBI Ombudsman within 90 days from the date on which the timeline specified in sub-clause (1)(f) expires or the date of the last communication from the concerned Regulated Entity, whichever is later; and
    8. (8) the complaint is not relating to the same grievance, which is already pending before the Office of the RBI Ombudsman, whether or not received from the same Complainant or along with one or more Complainants; or
    9. (9) the complaint is not relating to the same grievance, which is already settled or dealt with on merits, by the Office of the RBI Ombudsman, whether or not received from the same Complainant or along with one or more Complainants; and
    10. (10) the complaint is not relating to the same grievance, which is already pending before any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other judicial or quasi-judicial forum, whether or not received from the same Complainant or along with one or more of the Complainants; or
    11. (11) the complaint is not relating to the same grievance, which is already settled or dealt with on merits, by any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other judicial or quasi-judicial forum, whether or not received from the same Complainant or along with one or more of the Complainants; and
    12. (12) the complaint to the Regulated Entity was made before the expiry of the period of limitation prescribed under the Limitation Act, 1963, for such claims Explanation 1: For the purposes of sub-clause (1)(j) and (1)(k), a complaint relating to the same grievance does not include criminal proceedings pending or decided before a Court or Tribunal or any police investigation initiated in a criminal offence.
  • ii) The complaints involving the following matters are excluded from the purview of the Scheme:
    1. (1) matters related to commercial judgment or decision of a Regulated Entity;
    2. (2) a dispute between a vendor and a Regulated Entity;
    3. (2) a dispute between a vendor and a Regulated Entity;
    4. (4) a grievance arising from an action of a Regulated Entity in compliance with the orders of a judicial/quasi-judicial or statutory or law enforcing authority;
    5. (5) a service not within the regulatory purview of the Reserve Bank;
    6. (6) a dispute between Regulated Entities;
    7. (7) a dispute involving the employee-employer relationship of a Regulated Entity;
    8. (8) a grievance for which a remedy has been provided in Section 18 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005; and
    9. (9) a grievance pertaining to customers of Regulated Entity not included under the Scheme.
  • iii) Complaints not meeting the eligibility conditions as specified under sub-clause (1) and complaints that are mentioned in sub-clause (2), shall be rejected at the outset as non-maintainable without further examination, with appropriate communication to the Complainant.
  • i) The complaint may be lodged online through the portal https://cms.rbi.org.in.
  • ii) The complaint may also be submitted through e-mail3 or physical mode to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre4 as notified by the Reserve Bank. The complaint, if submitted in physical form, shall be duly signed by the Complainant or by the authorised representative. The complaint submitted in electronic or physical mode shall be in such format as specified in Annex.
  • i) Complaints lodged on the portal shall be subject to limited system-based validation, based on the information and responses furnished by the Complainant, solely for the purpose of verifying compliance with basic maintainability requirements under the Scheme.
    Provided that where, on the basis of such system-based validation, the complaint is found to be not maintainable under clause 10, the same shall be treated as inadmissible for registration as a complaint under the Scheme and shall be rejected at the outset with appropriate communication to the Complainant.
  • ii) The Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre shall verify the complaints received through e-mail and physical mode and assess their maintainability under the Scheme. Such checks shall be limited to assessing maintainability and shall not amount to examination of the complaint on merits. It shall
    1. (1) where the submission does not indicate any deficiency in service and is in the nature of suggestions, queries etc., treat the same as a “not valid complaint” under the Scheme and reject it at the outset with appropriate communication to the Complainant;
    2. (2) where the complaint falls under such grounds of non-maintainability in clause 10 as may be specified by the Reserve Bank for closure at the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre, reject the same at the outset with appropriate communication to the Complainant.
      Provided that in cases covered under sub-clauses (a) and (b), the submission/complaint shall be inadmissible for registration as a complaint under the Scheme.
  • iii) The complaints that are determined to be non-maintainable under clause 10 of the Scheme during processing at the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre shall be rejected, with appropriate communication to the Complainant indicating the grounds for non-maintainability.
    Provided that only such sub-clauses under clause 10, as may be decided by the Executive Director in-Charge of Consumer Education and Protection Department of the Reserve Bank, shall be rejected by the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre.
  • iv) Where a complaint is not rejected under sub-clause (1) or sub-clause (2), as the case may be, it shall be registered and assigned to the Office of the RBI Ombudsman for examination and disposal under the Scheme.
  • v) Registration of a complaint under sub-clause (4) and its assignment to the Office of the RBI Ombudsman, shall not be construed as a determination of maintainability. Where, upon examination, a complaint is found to be not maintainable under clause 10, the Office of the RBI Ombudsman shall reject the complaint in accordance with the provisions of the Scheme, with appropriate communication to the Complainant.
  • i) A copy of the complaint, registered and assigned to the Office of the RBI Ombudsman in accordance with clause 12(4), shall also be forwarded to the Regulated Entity against whom the complaint is filed with a direction to submit its written response within the time as specified in clause 14(2).
  • ii) The Office of the RBI Ombudsman may, for the purpose of carrying out duties under the Scheme, require the Regulated Entity against whom the complaint has been made or any other Regulated Entity which is a party to the dispute to provide any information or furnish certified copies of any document relating to the complaint which are or is alleged to be in its possession.
    Provided that in the event of failure of a Regulated Entity to comply with the requisition without sufficient cause, it shall be deemed that the Regulated Entity has no information to furnish or no submissions to make.
  • iii) The Office of the RBI Ombudsman shall maintain confidentiality of the information or the documents coming to its knowledge or possession in the course of discharging its duties and shall not disclose such information or documents to any person except as otherwise required by law, or with the consent of the person furnishing such information or documents.
    Provided that nothing in this sub-clause shall prevent the Office of the RBI Ombudsman from disclosing information or documents furnished by the parties to the proceedings to each other, to the extent considered necessary to comply with the principles of natural justice and fair play;
    Provided further that provisions of this sub-clause shall not apply in relation to the disclosure made or information furnished by the Office of the RBI Ombudsman to the Reserve Bank or filing thereof before any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other judicial or quasi-judicial forum.
  • i) As the intent of the Scheme is to provide a cost-effective and expeditious grievance redress, the proceedings under the Scheme shall be summary in nature and shall not be bound by any rules of evidence.
  • ii) The Regulated Entity shall, on receipt of the complaint, file its written response to the averments in the complaint enclosing therewith copies of the documents relied upon, within 15 days before the Office of the RBI Ombudsman.
    Provided that the Office of the RBI Ombudsman may, at the request of the Regulated Entity in writing grant such further time as may be deemed fit to file its written response and documents.
  • iii) In case the Regulated Entity omits or fails to file its written response and documents within the time as provided in terms of sub-clause (2), the RBI Ombudsman may proceed ex-parte, based on the documents / material available on record, and issue an Award.
  • iv) The RBI Ombudsman or RBI Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, shall endeavour to facilitate a settlement of a complaint by agreement between the Complainant and the Regulated Entity. In the course of such proceedings, the parties to the complaint shall comply with the advisory issued by the Office of the RBI Ombudsman for submission of relevant documents or material within the stipulated time.
  • v) For the purpose of promoting a settlement of the complaint, the RBI Ombudsman or RBI Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, shall ensure that the written response or supporting documents or material filed by one party, to the extent relevant and pertaining to the complaint, are furnished to other party and follow such procedure and provide additional time as may be considered appropriate.
  • vi) The RBI Ombudsman may, if deemed necessary and based on the circumstances of the complaint, issue an advisory to the Regulated Entity at any stage to take such action as may lead to full or partial resolution and settlement of the complaint, and
    1. (1) if the Regulated Entity takes action and complies with the advisory within the stipulated time and the Complainant accepts the same, the complaint shall be closed under Clause 14(8)(b);
    2. (2) in the event the Complainant does not respond within the stipulated time or raises any objection that is found to be without merit, the complaint shall be closed under Clause 14(8)(a) or Clause 14(8)(d), respectively
  • vii) Where the RBI Ombudsman / RBI Deputy Ombudsman is of the opinion that the documents / material furnished and written submissions by both the parties are not conclusive enough to arrive at a settlement, a conciliation meeting of the Complainant with the officials of Regulated Entity may be initiated by the RBI Ombudsman or RBI Deputy Ombudsman, if considered necessary. If such meeting is held and it results in a mutually acceptable settlement of the grievance, the proceedings of the meeting shall be recorded and signed by the parties stating that they are agreeable to the settlement.
    Provided that such meeting shall be held in the presence of the RBI Ombudsman, and the parties in person or online
  • Subject to the provisions of Clause 8(5), the complaint shall be closed by the RBI Ombudsman / RBI Deputy Ombudsman when:
    1. (1) all aspects of the complaint, have been fully settled by the Regulated Entity upon their intervention; or
    2. (2) the Complainant has agreed in writing or otherwise (which may be recorded by the Office of the RBI Ombudsman) that the manner and the extent of resolution of the grievance is satisfactory; or
    3. (3) the Complainant has withdrawn the complaint voluntarily; or
    4. (4) the Complainant has objected, in part or full, to the resolution provided, but the RBI Ombudsman is of the opinion that the objections do not have sufficient merit; or
    5. (5) the Regulated Entity has addressed certain issues raised in the complaint, and the remaining issues, in the opinion of the RBI Ombudsman, either fall outside the purview of the Scheme, or do not involve any deficiency in service on the part of the Regulated Entity, or do not merit further consideration.
  • i) (1) Unless the complaint is rejected under clause 16, the RBI Ombudsman shall pass an Award in the event of:
  • (1) non-furnishing of documents/information by the Regulated Entity as enumerated in clause 14(3); or
  • (2) the matter not getting resolved under clause 14(8) based on the documents and material placed before the RBI Ombudsman.
    Provided that a reasonable opportunity of being heard (oral or in writing) is given to both the parties before passing an Award.
  • ii) The Award shall contain, inter alia, the direction, if any, to the Regulated Entity for specific performance of its obligations and in addition to or otherwise, the amount, if any, to be paid by the Regulated Entity to the Complainant by way of compensation for any loss suffered by the Complainant as specified in clause 8(3).
  • iii) A copy of the Award shall be sent to the Complainant and the Regulated Entity.
  • iv) The Award passed under sub-clause (1) shall lapse and be of no effect unless the Complainant furnishes a letter of acceptance of the Award in full and final settlement of the claim to the Regulated Entity concerned, within a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of the copy of the Award.
    Provided that no such acceptance may be furnished by the Complainant if he has filed an appeal under sub-clause (3) of clause 17.
  • v) The Regulated Entity shall comply with the Award and intimate compliance to the RBI Ombudsman or appeal to the Appellate Authority subject to the provisions of Clause 17, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the letter of acceptance from the Complainant.
  • i) The RBI Ombudsman or the RBI Deputy Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if it is found that:>
    1. (1) the complaint is non-maintainable under clause 10; or
    2. (2) the complaint is not a valid complaint as it does not indicate any deficiency in service and is in the nature of suggestions, queries etc.; or
    3. (3) a case on the same cause of action is filed before any Court, Tribunal, Arbitrator, or any other judicial or quasi-judicial forum, while the complaint is being examined under the Scheme
  • ii) The RBI Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if in his/her opinion:
    1. (1) there is no deficiency in service; or
    2. (2) the compensation sought for the consequential loss is beyond the power of the RBI Ombudsman to provide the compensation as indicated in clause 8(3); or
    3. (3) the complaint is not pursued by the Complainant with reasonable diligence; or
    4. (4) (the complaint is without sufficient cause; or
    5. (5) the complaint requires consideration of elaborate documentary and oral evidence and the proceedings before the RBI Ombudsman are not appropriate for adjudication of such a complaint; or
    6. (6) there is no financial loss or damage, or inconvenience caused to the Complainant.
  • i) There shall not be any right of appeal to a Regulated Entity for an Award issued under clause 15(1)(a).
  • ii) The Regulated Entity may, aggrieved by an Award under clause 15(1)(b), prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority within 30 days from the date of receipt of the Complainant’s letter of acceptance of the Award;
    1. (1) an appeal may be filed by a Regulated Entity only with the previous sanction of the Executive Director/Official of equal rank.
    2. (2) the Appellate Authority, if he is satisfied that the Regulated Entity had sufficient cause for not making the appeal within the time, may allow a further period not exceeding 30 days.
  • iii) The Complainant may, aggrieved by an Award under clause 15(1), within 30 days of the date of receipt of the Award, prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority.
    1. Provided that the Appellate Authority, if he/she is satisfied that the Complainant had sufficient cause for not making the appeal within the time, may allow a further period not exceeding 30 days.
  • iv) The Appellate Authority’s Secretariat shall scrutinise and process the Appeal.
  • v) The Appellate Authority may, after giving the parties a reasonable opportunity of being heard (oral or in writing):
    1. (1) dismiss the appeal; or
    2. (2) allow the appeal and set aside the Award of the RBI Ombudsman; or
    3. (3) remand the matter to the RBI Ombudsman for fresh disposal in accordance with such directions as the Appellate Authority may consider necessary or proper; or
    4. (4) modify the Award and pass such directions as may be necessary to give effect to the Award so modified; or
    5. (5) pass any other order as it may deem fit.
  • vi) The order of the Appellate Authority shall have the same effect as the Award passed by RBI Ombudsman under clause 15 or the order rejecting the complaint under clause 16, or any other order, as the case may be.
  • i) The Regulated Entity to which the Scheme is applicable shall facilitate the smooth implementation of the Scheme by ensuring meticulous adherence to the requirements under the Scheme, failing which, the Reserve Bank may take such action as it may deem fit.
  • ii) The Regulated Entity shall appoint a Principal Nodal Officer at their head office who shall be of a rank not less than a General Manager or equivalent and shall be responsible for representing the Regulated Entity and furnishing information on its behalf in respect of complaints filed against the Regulated Entity. The Regulated Entity may appoint such other Nodal Officers to assist the Principal Nodal Officer as it may deem fit for operational efficiency. Any changes in appointment or contact details of Principal Nodal Officer shall be reported to Consumer Education and Protection Department, Central Office, Reserve Bank of India prior to or in case of exigency, immediately post any such change
  • iii) The Regulated Entity shall display prominently for the benefit of their customers at their branches/places where the business is transacted, the name and contact details (Telephone/mobile number and E-mail ID) of the Principal Nodal Officer and the address of Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre along with the link to the RBI Ombudsman complaint lodging portal (https://cms.rbi.org.in) on their website.
  • iv) The Regulated Entity to which the Scheme is applicable shall ensure that the salient features of the Scheme are displayed prominently in English, Hindi and the regional language in all its offices, branches and places where the business is transacted in such a manner that a person visiting the office or branch has adequate information on the Scheme.
  • v) The Regulated Entity shall ensure that a copy of the Scheme is available in all its branches to be provided to the customer for reference upon request.
  • vi) The salient features of the Scheme along with the copy of the Scheme and the contact details of the Principal Nodal Officer shall be displayed and kept updated on the website of the Regulated Entity

MISCELLANEOUS

  • If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the Scheme, the Reserve Bank may make such provisions not inconsistent with the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, or the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, or the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, or the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 or the Scheme, as it may consider necessary or expedient for removing any difficulty
  • i) The Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, shall stand repealed as on July 01, 2026.
  • ii) The adjudication of complaints under the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, received before July 01, 2026, appeals arising from decisions made under the said Scheme, and the execution of Awards issued thereunder shall continue to be governed by the provisions of the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 and the instructions of the Reserve Bank issued thereunder.

INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN ADDRESS

Centralized Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC)
Reserve Bank of India,
Central Vista, Sector 17,
Chandigarh 160017
RBI Online Portal: http://cms.rbi.org.in

  Toll free Contact Centre Number:   14448 (9.30 am to 5.15pm)

  Email:   crpc@.org.in

INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME, 2021

  • This Scheme may be called the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021.
  • It shall come into force on such date as the Reserve Bank may specify.
  • It shall extend to the whole of India.
  • The Scheme shall apply to the services provided by a Regulated Entity in India to its customers under the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
  • The Reserve Bank, if it is satisfied that it is expedient so to do, may by order suspend for such period as may be specified in the order, the operation of all or any of the clauses of the Scheme, either generally or in relation to any specified Regulated Entity.
  • The Reserve Bank may, by order, extend from time to time, the period of any suspension ordered as aforesaid by such period, as it may deem fit.
  • In the Scheme, unless the context otherwise requires:
    (a) “Appellate Authority” means the Executive Director in-Charge of the Department of the Reserve Bank administering the scheme
    (b) “Appellate Authority Secretariat” means the Department in the Reserve Bank which is administering the Scheme
    (c) “Authorised Representative” means a person, other than an advocate, duly appointed and authorised in writing to represent the complainant in the proceedings before the Ombudsman
    (d) “Award” means an award passed by the Ombudsman in accordance with the Scheme
    (e) “bank” means a ‘banking company’, a ‘corresponding new bank’, a ‘Regional Rural Bank’, ‘State Bank of India’ as defined in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, a ‘co-operative bank’ as defined in Section 56(c) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to the extent not excluded under the Scheme, but does not include a bank in resolution or winding up or under directions or any other bank as specified by the Reserve Bank
    (f) “Complaint” means a representation in writing or through other modes alleging deficiency in service on the part of a Regulated Entity, and seeking relief under the Scheme
    (g) “Deficiency in service” means a shortcoming or an inadequacy in any financial service, which the Regulated Entity is required to provide statutorily or otherwise, which may or may not result in financial loss or damage to the customer
    (h) “Deputy Ombudsman” means any person appointed by the Reserve Bank as such under the Scheme
    (i) “Non-Banking Financial Company” (NBFC) means an NBFC as defined in Section 45-I (f) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and registered with the Reserve Bank, to the extent not excluded under the Scheme, but does not include a Core Investment Company (CIC), an Infrastructure Debt Fund-Non - Banking Financial Company (IDF-NBFC), a Non-Banking Financial Company - Infrastructure Finance Company (NBFC-IFC), a company in resolution or winding up/liquidation, or any other NBFC specified by the Reserve Bank
    (j) “Regulated Entity” means a bank or a Non-Banking Financial Company or a System Participant as defined in the Scheme, or any other entity as may be specified by the Reserve Bank from time to time; to the extent not excluded under the Scheme
    (k) “Settlement” means an agreement reached by the parties to the complaint by facilitation or conciliation or mediation, as per the provisions of this Scheme
    (l) “System Participant” means a person other than the Reserve Bank and a System Provider, participating in a payment system as defined in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
    (m) “System Provider” means and includes a person who operates an authorised payment system as defined in Section 2 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
    (n) “The Reserve Bank” means Reserve Bank of India constituted under Section 3 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
  • Words and expressions used and not defined in the Scheme, but defined in the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, or in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, or in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 or in the Regulations or guidelines or Directions issued by the Reserve Bank in exercise of its powers conferred by the Acts referred to herein above, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them
  • The Reserve Bank may appoint one or more of its officers in the rank of Chief General Manager or General Manager to be known as Banking Ombudsmen to carry out the functions entrusted to them by or under the Scheme.
  • The appointment of Banking Ombudsman under the above Clause may be made for a period not exceeding three years at a time.
  • The offices of the Ombudsman shall be at such places as may be specified by the Reserve Bank.
  • In order to expedite disposal of the complaints, the Ombudsman may hold sittings at such places and in such manner as may be considered necessary and proper in respect of a complaint.
  • The Reserve Bank shall establish the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre at any place as may be decided by it to receive the complaints filed under the Scheme and process them
  • The complaints under the Scheme +made online shall be registered on the portal cms.rbi.org.in. Complaints in electronic mode (E-mail) and physical form, including postal and hand-delivered complaints, shall be addressed and sent to the place where the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre of the Reserve Bank is established, for scrutiny and initial processing Provided that the complaints that are received directly in any of the offices of the Reserve Bank shall be forwarded to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre for further action
  • The Reserve Bank shall ensure that the offices of the Ombudsman and the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre are adequately staffed and shall bear the cost thereof
  • The Ombudsman/Deputy Ombudsman shall consider the complaints of customers of Regulated Entities relating to deficiency in service
  • There is no limit on the amount in a dispute that can be brought before the Ombudsman for which the Ombudsman can pass an Award. However, for any consequential loss suffered by the complainant, the Ombudsman shall have the power to provide a compensation up to Rupees 20 lakh, in addition to, up to Rupees One lakh for the loss of the complainant’s time, expenses incurred and for harassment/ mental anguish suffered by the complainant.
  • While the Ombudsman shall have the power to address and close all complaints, the Deputy Ombudsman shall have the power to close those complaints falling under clause 10 of the Scheme and complaints settled through facilitation as stated under clause 14 of the Scheme.
  • The Ombudsman shall send to the Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, a report, as on March 31st every year, containing a general review of the activities of the office during the preceding financial year, and shall furnish such other information as the Reserve Bank may direct
  • The Reserve Bank may, if it considers necessary in the public interest to do so, publish the report and the information received from the Ombudsman in such consolidated form or otherwise, as it may deem fit
  • Any customer aggrieved by an act or omission of a Regulated Entity resulting in deficiency in service may file a complaint under the Scheme personally or through an authorised representative as defined under clause 3(1)(c)
  • No complaint for deficiency in service shall lie under the Scheme in matters involving:
    (a) commercial judgment/commercial decision of a Regulated Entity
    (b) a dispute between a vendor and a Regulated Entity relating to an outsourcing contract
    (c) a grievance not addressed to the Ombudsman directly
    (d) general grievances against Management or Executives of a Regulated Entity
    (e) a dispute in which action is initiated by a Regulated Entity in compliance with the orders of a statutory or law enforcing authority
    (f) a service not within the regulatory purview of the Reserve Bank
    (g) a dispute between Regulated Entities; and
    (h) a dispute involving the employee-employer relationship of a Regulated Entity.
  • A complaint under the Scheme shall not lie unless:
    (a) the complainant had, before making a complaint under the Scheme, made a written complaint to the Regulated Entity concerned and -

    (i) the complaint was rejected wholly or partly by the Regulated Entity, and the complainant is not satisfied with the reply; or the complainant had not received any reply within 30 days after the Regulated Entity received the complaint; and

    (ii) the complaint is made to the Ombudsman within one year after the complainant has received the reply from the Regulated Entity to the complaint or, where no reply is received, within one year and 30 days from the date of the complaint.

    (b) the complaint is not in respect of the same cause of action which is already-

    (i) pending before an Ombudsman or settled or dealt with on merits, by an Ombudsman, whether or not received from the same complainant or along with one or more complainants, or one or more of the parties concerned

    (ii) pending before any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other Forum or Authority; or, settled or dealt with on merits, by any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other Forum or Authority, whether or not received from the same complainant or along with one or more of the complainants/parties concerned

    (c) the complaint is not abusive or frivolous or vexatious in nature
    (d) the complaint to the Regulated Entity was made before the expiry of the period of limitation prescribed under the Limitation Act, 1963, for such claims
    (e) the complainant provides complete information as specified in clause 11 of the Scheme
    (f) the complaint is lodged by the complainant personally or through an authorised representative other than an advocate unless the advocate is the aggrieved person.
  • The complaint may be lodged online through the portal designed for the purpose (https://cms.rbi.org.in).
  • The complaint may also be submitted through electronic or physical mode to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre as notified by the Reserve Bank. The complaint, if submitted in physical form, shall be duly signed by the complainant or by the authorised representative. The complaint shall be submitted in electronic or physical mode in such format and containing such information as may be specified by Reserve Bank.
  • Complaints which are in the nature of offering suggestions or seeking guidance or explanation shall not be treated as valid complaints under the Scheme and shall be closed accordingly with a suitable communication to the complainant.
  • Complaints which are non-maintainable under clause 10 shall be separated to issue a suitable communication to the complainant
  • The remaining complaints shall be assigned to the offices of the Ombudsman for further examination under intimation to the complainant. A copy of the complaint shall also be forwarded to the Regulated Entity against whom the complaint is filed with a direction to submit its written version.
  • The Ombudsman may, for the purpose of carrying out duties under this Scheme, require the Regulated Entity against whom the complaint has been made or any other Regulated Entity which is a party to the dispute to provide any information or furnish certified copies of any document relating to the complaint which are or is alleged to be in its possession
  • The Ombudsman shall maintain confidentiality of the information or the documents coming to its knowledge or possession in the course of discharging duties and shall not disclose such information or documents to any person except as otherwise required by law, or with the consent of the person furnishing such information or documents
  • The Ombudsman/Deputy Ombudsman shall endeavour to promote settlement of a complaint by agreement between the complainant and the Regulated Entity through facilitation or conciliation or mediation.
  • The proceedings before the Ombudsman shall be summary in nature and shall not be bound by any rules of evidence. The Ombudsman may examine either party to the complaint and record their statement
  • The Regulated Entity shall, on receipt of the complaint, file its written version in reply to the averments in the complaint enclosing therewith copies of the documents relied upon, within 15 days before the Ombudsman for resolution
  • In case the Regulated Entity omits or fails to file its written version and documents within the time as provided in terms of sub-clause (3), the Ombudsman may proceed ex-parte based on the evidence available on record and pass appropriate Order or issue an Award. There shall be no right of appeal to the Regulated Entity in respect of the Award issued on account of non-response or non-furnishing of information sought within the stipulated time.
  • The Ombudsman/Deputy Ombudsman shall ensure that the written version or reply or documents filed by one party, to the extent relevant and pertaining to the complaint, are furnished to other party and follow such procedure and provide additional time as may be considered appropriate
  • In case the complaint is not resolved through facilitation, such action as may be considered appropriate, including a meeting of the complainant with the officials of Regulated Entity, for resolution of the complaint by conciliation or mediation may be initiated
  • The parties to the complaint shall cooperate in good faith with the Ombudsman/Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, in resolution of the dispute and comply with the direction for production of any evidence and other related documents within the stipulated time.
  • If any amicable settlement of the complaint is arrived at between the parties, the same shall be recorded and signed by both the parties and thereafter, the fact of settlement may be recorded, annexing thereto the terms of settlement, directing the parties to comply with the terms within the stipulated time The complaint would be deemed to be resolved when:
    (a) it has been settled by the Regulated Entity with the complainant upon the intervention of the Ombudsman; or
    (b) the complainant has agreed in writing or otherwise (which may be recorded) that the manner and the extent of resolution of the grievance is satisfactory; or
    (c) the complainant has withdrawn the complaint voluntarily
  • Unless the complaint is rejected under clause 16, the Ombudsman shall pass an Award in the event of:
    (a) non-furnishing of documents/information as enumerated in clause 14(4); or
    (b) the matter not getting resolved under clause 14(9) based on records placed, and after affording a reasonable opportunity of being heard to both the parties
  • The Ombudsman shall also take into account, in addition, the principles of banking law and practice, directions, instructions and guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank from time to time and such other factors as may be relevant, before passing a reasoned Award
  • The Award shall contain, inter alia, the direction, if any, to the Regulated Entity for specific performance of its obligations and in addition to or otherwise, the amount, if any, to be paid by the Regulated Entity to the complainant by way of compensation for any loss suffered by the complainant
  • Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-clause (3), the Ombudsman shall not have the power to pass an Award directing payment by way of compensation, an amount which is more than the consequential loss suffered by the complainant or Rupees 20 lakh whichever is lower. The compensation that can be awarded by the Ombudsman shall be exclusive of the amount involved in the dispute
  • The Ombudsman may also award a compensation not exceeding Rupees one lakh to the complainant, taking into account the loss of the complainant’s time, expenses incurred, harassment and mental anguish suffered by the complainant
  • A copy of the Award shall be sent to the complainant and the Regulated Entity
  • The Award passed under sub-clause (1) shall lapse and be of no effect unless the complainant furnishes a letter of acceptance of the Award in full and final settlement of the claim to the Regulated Entity concerned, within a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of the copy of the Award Provided that no such acceptance may be furnished by the complainant if he has filed an appeal under sub-clause (3) of clause 17
  • The Regulated Entity shall comply with the Award and intimate compliance to the Ombudsman within 30 days from the date of receipt of the letter of acceptance from the complainant, unless it has preferred an appeal under sub-clause (2) of clause 17
  • The Deputy Ombudsman or the Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if it appears that the complaint made:
    (a) is non-maintainable under clause 10; or
    (b) is in the nature of offering suggestions or seeking guidance or explanation
  • The Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if:
    (a) in his opinion there is no deficiency in service; or
    (b) the compensation sought for the consequential loss is beyond the power of the Ombudsman to award the compensation as indicated in clause 8(2); or
    (c) the complaint is not pursued by the complainant with reasonable diligence; or
    (d) the complaint is without any sufficient cause; or
    (e) the complaint requires consideration of elaborate documentary and oral evidence and the proceedings before the Ombudsman are not appropriate for adjudication of such complaint; or
    (f) in the opinion of the Ombudsman there is no financial loss or damage, or inconvenience caused to the complainant
  • There shall not be any right of appeal to a Regulated Entity for an Award issued for non-furnishing of documents/information under clause 15(1)(a)
  • The Regulated Entity may, aggrieved by an Award under clause 15(1)(b) or closure of a complaint under clauses 16(2)(c) to 16(2)(f), within 30 days of the date of receipt of communication of Award or closure of the complaint, prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority
    (a) Provided that in the case of an appeal by a Regulated Entity, the period of 30 days for filing an appeal shall commence from the date on which the Regulated Entity receives the letter of acceptance of Award by the complainant:
    (b) Provided further that an appeal may be filed by a Regulated Entity only with the previous sanction of the Chairman or the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer or, in their absence, the Executive Director/Official of equal rank
    (c) Provided that the Appellate Authority may, if he is satisfied that the Regulated Entity had sufficient cause for not making the appeal within the time, may allow a further period not exceeding 30 days
  • The complainant may, aggrieved by an Award under clause 15(1) or rejection of a complaint under clauses 16(2)(c) to 16(2)(f), within 30 days of the date of receipt of the Award or rejection of the complaint, prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority
  • Provided that the Appellate Authority may, if he is satisfied that the complainant had sufficient cause for not making the appeal within the time, may allow a further period not exceeding 30 days
  • The Appellate Authority’s Secretariat shall scrutinise and process the Appeal
  • The Appellate Authority may, after giving the parties a reasonable opportunity of being heard:
    (a) dismiss the appeal; or
    (b) allow the appeal and set aside the Award or order of the Ombudsman; or
    (c) remand the matter to the Ombudsman for fresh disposal in accordance with such directions as the Appellate Authority may consider necessary or proper; or
    (d) modify the order of the Ombudsman or Award and pass such directions as may be necessary to give effect to the order of the Ombudsman or Award so modified; or
    (e) pass any other order as it may deem fit
  • The order of the Appellate Authority shall have the same effect as the Award passed by Ombudsman under clause 15 or the order rejecting the complaint under clause 16, as the case may be
  • The Regulated Entity to which the Scheme is applicable shall facilitate the smooth conduct of the Scheme by ensuring meticulous adherence to the requirements under the Scheme, failing which, the Reserve Bank may take such action as it may deem fit
  • The Regulated Entity shall appoint a Principal Nodal Officer at their head office who shall not be a rank less than a General Manager or an officer of equivalent rank and shall be responsible for representing the Regulated Entity and furnishing information on behalf of the Regulated Entity in respect of complaints filed against the Regulated Entity. The Regulated Entity may appoint such other Nodal Officers to assist the Principal Nodal Officer as it may deem fit for operational efficiency
  • The Regulated Entity shall display prominently for the benefit of their customers at their branches/places where the business is transacted, the name and contact details (Telephone/mobile number and E-mail ID) of the Principal Nodal Officer along with the details of the complaint lodging portal of the Ombudsman (https://cms.rbi.org.in)
  • The Regulated Entity to which the Scheme is applicable shall ensure that the salient features of the Scheme are displayed prominently in English, Hindi and the regional language in all its offices, branches and places where the business is transacted in such a manner that a person visiting the office or branch has adequate information on the Scheme
  • The Regulated Entity shall ensure that a copy of the Scheme is available in all its branches to be provided to the customer for reference upon request. The salient features of the Scheme along with the copy of the Scheme and the contact details of the Principal Nodal Officer shall be displayed and updated on the website of the Regulated Entity
  • If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the Scheme, the Reserve Bank may make such provisions not inconsistent with the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, or the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, or the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, or the Scheme, as it may consider necessary or expedient for removing any difficulty.
  • The Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006, the Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies, 2018, and the Ombudsman Scheme for Digital Transactions, 2019, hereby stand repealed
  • The adjudication of pending complaints appeals, and execution of the Awards already passed, as on the date of commencement of the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, shall continue to be governed by the provisions of the respective Ombudsman Schemes and instructions of the Reserve Bank issued thereunder

Integrated Ombudsman Address

Centralized Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC)
Reserve Bank of India,
Central Vista, Sector 17,
Chandigarh 160017
RBI Online Portal: http://cms.rbi.org.in

  Toll free Contact Centre Number:   14448 (9.30 am to 5.15pm)

  Email:   crpc@.org.in

INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME, 2026

  • i) The Scheme shall be called the Reserve Bank– Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS), 2026. It aims to provide a cost-effective, expeditious, non-adversarial alternate grievance redress mechanism for the resolution of complaints against Regulated Entities covered under the Scheme
  • ii) It shall come into force with effect from July 1, 2026.
  • iii) The Scheme shall apply to the services provided by the following Regulated Entities:
    1. (1) all Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks, State Co-operative Banks, Central Co-operative Banks, Scheduled Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks, and Non-Scheduled Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks with deposits size of ₹50 crore and above as on the date of the audited balance sheet of the previous financial year.
    2. (2) all Non-Banking Financial Companies (excluding Housing Finance Companies, Core Investment Company (CIC), Infrastructure Debt Fund-Non-Banking Financial Company (IDF-NBFC), Non-Banking Financial Company - Infrastructure Finance Company (NBFC-IFC), Non-Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC), Primary Dealers (PDs), Mortgage Guarantee Companies (MGC)) which
      1. (a) are authorised to accept deposits; or
      2. (b) have customer interface, with an assets size of ₹100 crore and above as on the date of the audited balance sheet of the previous financial year
    3. (3) all Non-bank Prepaid Payment Instruments Issuers
    4. (4) Credit Information Companies.
  • i) The Reserve Bank, if it is satisfied that it is expedient so to do, may by order suspend for such period as may be specified in the order, the operation of all or any of the clauses of the Scheme, either generally or in relation to any specified Regulated Entity.
  • ii) The Reserve Bank may, by order, extend from time to time, the period of any suspension ordered as aforesaid by such period, as it may deem fit.
  • i) In the Scheme, unless the context otherwise requires:
    1. (1) “Appellate Authority” means the Executive Director in-Charge of Consumer Education and Protection Department of the Reserve Bank;
    2. (2) “Appellate Authority Secretariat” means Consumer Education and Protection Department of the Reserve Bank which is administering the Scheme;
    3. (3) “Authorised Representative” means a person, other than an advocate, duly appointed and authorised in writing to represent the Complainant in the proceedings before the RBI Ombudsman;
    4. (4) “Award” means the direction issued under clause 15 of the Scheme by the RBI Ombudsman to the Regulated Entity for specific performance of its obligations within the time limit prescribed;
    5. (5) “bank” means a ‘banking company’, a ‘corresponding new bank’, a ‘Regional Rural Bank’, ‘State Bank of India’ as defined in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, a ‘co-operative bank’ as defined in Section 56 (c) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to the extent included under the Scheme but does not include a bank in resolution or winding up or under All-Inclusive Directions;
    6. (6) “Complaint” means a representation in writing, alleging a deficiency in service on the part of a Regulated Entity, submitted by its customer or his/her authorised representative, and seeking relief under the provisions of the Scheme;
    7. (7) “Credit Information Company” means a company as defined in the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013) and has been granted a certificate of registration under sub-section (2) of section 5 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 (30 of 2005);
    8. (8) “Customer” means a person who uses, or is an applicant for, a service provided by a Regulated Entity;
    9. (9) “Deficiency in service” means a shortcoming or an inadequacy in any service, which the Regulated Entity is required to provide statutorily or otherwise, which may or may not result in financial loss or damage to the customer;
    10. (10) “Non-Banking Financial Company” (NBFC) means an NBFC as defined in Section 45-I (f) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and registered with the Reserve Bank, to the extent included under the Scheme but does not include, an NBFC in resolution or winding up/liquidation, or under Directions of Reserve Bank of India;
    11. (11) “Non- bank Prepaid Payment Instruments Issuer” means a company, as defined in the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013), which has been granted a Certificate of Authorisation by the Reserve Bank of India under Section 7(1) of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (51 of 2007) to operate as a Prepaid Payment Instrument Issuer;
    12. (12) “RBI Deputy Ombudsman” means a person appointed by the Reserve Bank as such under Clause 4 of the Scheme;
    13. (13) “RBI Ombudsman” means a person appointed by the Reserve Bank as such under Clause 4 of the Scheme;
    14. (14) “Regulated Entity” means a bank or a Non-Banking Financial Company, or a Non- bank Prepaid Payment Instruments Issuer or a Credit Information Company as defined in the Scheme, or any other entity as may be specified by the Reserve Bank from time to time, to the extent not excluded under the Scheme;
    15. (15) “Rejected Complaints” means complaints that are closed under the provisions as specified in clause 16 of the Scheme.
    16. (16) “Settlement” means an outcome of the processes under clause 14 of the Scheme;
    17. (17) “The Reserve Bank” means Reserve Bank of India constituted under Section 3 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
  • ii) Words and expressions used and not defined in the Scheme, but defined in the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, or in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, or in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 or in the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 or the Regulations or guidelines or Directions issued by the Reserve Bank in exercise of its powers conferred by the Acts referred to herein above, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them.
  • i) The Reserve Bank may appoint one or more of its officers as RBI Ombudsman and RBI Deputy Ombudsman, to carry out the functions entrusted to them under the Scheme.
  • ii) The appointment of RBI Ombudsman or the RBI Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, shall be made generally for a period of three years at a time.
  • i) The Offices of the RBI Ombudsman shall be at such places as may be specified by the Reserve Bank.
  • ii) In order to expedite disposal of the complaints, the RBI Ombudsman may hold sittings at such places and in such manner as may be considered necessary and proper in respect of a complaint.
  • i) The Reserve Bank shall establish the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre at one or more places, as may be decided by it, to receive the complaints filed under the Scheme and process them.
  • ii) The complaints under the Scheme made online shall be registered on the portal (https://cms.rbi.org.in). Complaints received through e-mail1 and physical form, including postal and hand-delivered complaints, shall be addressed and sent to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre2 of the Reserve Bank.
  • i) The Reserve Bank shall ensure that the Offices of the RBI Ombudsman and the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre are adequately staffed and shall bear the cost thereof.
  • i) The RBI Ombudsman/RBI Deputy Ombudsman shall consider the complaints of customers of Regulated Entities relating to deficiency in service
  • ii) While considering the complaints, the RBI Ombudsman/RBI Deputy Ombudsman shall take into account, the principles of banking law and practice, as also the directions, instructions, guidelines or regulations issued by the Reserve Bank to Regulated Entities from time to time and such other factors as may be relevant
  • iii) There is no limit on the amount in a dispute that can be brought before the RBI Ombudsman for which the RBI Ombudsman/ RBI Deputy Ombudsman can facilitate a settlement or pass an Award. However, for any consequential loss suffered by the Complainant, the RBI Ombudsman shall have the power to provide a compensation up to ₹30 lakh. In addition, the RBI Ombudsman shall also have the power to provide a compensation up to ₹3 lakh for the loss of the Complainant’s time, expenses incurred, harassment/mental anguish suffered, etc., if any, by the Complainant.
  • iv) The RBI Ombudsman shall have the power to examine and close all complaints
  • v) The RBI Deputy Ombudsman shall have the power to close those complaints falling under clause 10 of the Scheme and complaints resolved as per the provisions of the clause 14(8)(a) to 14(8)(c) of the Scheme.
  • vi) The RBI Ombudsman shall have the power to make any Regulated Entity, other than the one against whom the complaint has been lodged, a party to the complaint if, in the opinion of the RBI Ombudsman, such Regulated Entity has, by an act, negligence, or omission, failed to comply with any directions, instructions, guidelines, or regulations issued by the Reserve Bank.
  • vii) The Reserve Bank shall, in the public interest, publish an annual report on the functioning and activities under the Scheme in such manner as it deems fit.
  • Any customer aggrieved by an act or omission of a Regulated Entity resulting in deficiency in service may file a complaint under the Scheme personally or through an authorised representative as defined under clause 3(1)(c).
  • i) A complaint under the Scheme shall be maintainable only if the following conditions are satisfied:
    1. (1) the complaint is addressed to the RBI Ombudsman directly. However, it does not include a communication in which the Reserve Bank is merely endorsed/marked in copy (whether by e-mail or in physical form); and
    2. (2) the complaint is lodged by the Complainant personally or through an authorised representative other than an advocate unless the advocate is the aggrieved person; and
    3. (3) the Complainant provides complete information as specified in clause 11 of the Scheme; and
    4. (4) the complaint is not abusive or frivolous or vexatious in nature; and
    5. (5) the Complainant had first made a complaint in writing or through any other mode to the Regulated Entity concerned, where proof of having made a complaint can be produced by the Complainant, before making a complaint under the Scheme; and
    6. (6) the Complainant has not received any reply within 30 days or within the time specified by the Reserve Bank, National Payments Corporation of India, or under Card Network guidelines, if any, whichever is higher after the Regulated Entity received the complaint; or the Complainant is not satisfied with the reply / resolution provided by the Regulated Entity; and
    7. (7) the complaint is made to the RBI Ombudsman within 90 days from the date on which the timeline specified in sub-clause (1)(f) expires or the date of the last communication from the concerned Regulated Entity, whichever is later; and
    8. (8) the complaint is not relating to the same grievance, which is already pending before the Office of the RBI Ombudsman, whether or not received from the same Complainant or along with one or more Complainants; or
    9. (9) the complaint is not relating to the same grievance, which is already settled or dealt with on merits, by the Office of the RBI Ombudsman, whether or not received from the same Complainant or along with one or more Complainants; and
    10. (10) the complaint is not relating to the same grievance, which is already pending before any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other judicial or quasi-judicial forum, whether or not received from the same Complainant or along with one or more of the Complainants; or
    11. (11) the complaint is not relating to the same grievance, which is already settled or dealt with on merits, by any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other judicial or quasi-judicial forum, whether or not received from the same Complainant or along with one or more of the Complainants; and
    12. (12) the complaint to the Regulated Entity was made before the expiry of the period of limitation prescribed under the Limitation Act, 1963, for such claims Explanation 1: For the purposes of sub-clause (1)(j) and (1)(k), a complaint relating to the same grievance does not include criminal proceedings pending or decided before a Court or Tribunal or any police investigation initiated in a criminal offence.
  • ii) The complaints involving the following matters are excluded from the purview of the Scheme:
    1. (1) matters related to commercial judgment or decision of a Regulated Entity;
    2. (2) a dispute between a vendor and a Regulated Entity;
    3. (2) a dispute between a vendor and a Regulated Entity;
    4. (4) a grievance arising from an action of a Regulated Entity in compliance with the orders of a judicial/quasi-judicial or statutory or law enforcing authority;
    5. (5) a service not within the regulatory purview of the Reserve Bank;
    6. (6) a dispute between Regulated Entities;
    7. (7) a dispute involving the employee-employer relationship of a Regulated Entity;
    8. (8) a grievance for which a remedy has been provided in Section 18 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005; and
    9. (9) a grievance pertaining to customers of Regulated Entity not included under the Scheme.
  • iii) Complaints not meeting the eligibility conditions as specified under sub-clause (1) and complaints that are mentioned in sub-clause (2), shall be rejected at the outset as non-maintainable without further examination, with appropriate communication to the Complainant.
  • i) The complaint may be lodged online through the portal https://cms.rbi.org.in.
  • ii) The complaint may also be submitted through e-mail3 or physical mode to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre4 as notified by the Reserve Bank. The complaint, if submitted in physical form, shall be duly signed by the Complainant or by the authorised representative. The complaint submitted in electronic or physical mode shall be in such format as specified in Annex.
  • i) Complaints lodged on the portal shall be subject to limited system-based validation, based on the information and responses furnished by the Complainant, solely for the purpose of verifying compliance with basic maintainability requirements under the Scheme.
    Provided that where, on the basis of such system-based validation, the complaint is found to be not maintainable under clause 10, the same shall be treated as inadmissible for registration as a complaint under the Scheme and shall be rejected at the outset with appropriate communication to the Complainant.
  • ii) The Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre shall verify the complaints received through e-mail and physical mode and assess their maintainability under the Scheme. Such checks shall be limited to assessing maintainability and shall not amount to examination of the complaint on merits. It shall
    1. (1) where the submission does not indicate any deficiency in service and is in the nature of suggestions, queries etc., treat the same as a “not valid complaint” under the Scheme and reject it at the outset with appropriate communication to the Complainant;
    2. (2) where the complaint falls under such grounds of non-maintainability in clause 10 as may be specified by the Reserve Bank for closure at the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre, reject the same at the outset with appropriate communication to the Complainant.
      Provided that in cases covered under sub-clauses (a) and (b), the submission/complaint shall be inadmissible for registration as a complaint under the Scheme.
  • iii) The complaints that are determined to be non-maintainable under clause 10 of the Scheme during processing at the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre shall be rejected, with appropriate communication to the Complainant indicating the grounds for non-maintainability.
    Provided that only such sub-clauses under clause 10, as may be decided by the Executive Director in-Charge of Consumer Education and Protection Department of the Reserve Bank, shall be rejected by the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre.
  • iv) Where a complaint is not rejected under sub-clause (1) or sub-clause (2), as the case may be, it shall be registered and assigned to the Office of the RBI Ombudsman for examination and disposal under the Scheme.
  • v) Registration of a complaint under sub-clause (4) and its assignment to the Office of the RBI Ombudsman, shall not be construed as a determination of maintainability. Where, upon examination, a complaint is found to be not maintainable under clause 10, the Office of the RBI Ombudsman shall reject the complaint in accordance with the provisions of the Scheme, with appropriate communication to the Complainant.
  • i) A copy of the complaint, registered and assigned to the Office of the RBI Ombudsman in accordance with clause 12(4), shall also be forwarded to the Regulated Entity against whom the complaint is filed with a direction to submit its written response within the time as specified in clause 14(2).
  • ii) The Office of the RBI Ombudsman may, for the purpose of carrying out duties under the Scheme, require the Regulated Entity against whom the complaint has been made or any other Regulated Entity which is a party to the dispute to provide any information or furnish certified copies of any document relating to the complaint which are or is alleged to be in its possession.
    Provided that in the event of failure of a Regulated Entity to comply with the requisition without sufficient cause, it shall be deemed that the Regulated Entity has no information to furnish or no submissions to make.
  • iii) The Office of the RBI Ombudsman shall maintain confidentiality of the information or the documents coming to its knowledge or possession in the course of discharging its duties and shall not disclose such information or documents to any person except as otherwise required by law, or with the consent of the person furnishing such information or documents.
    Provided that nothing in this sub-clause shall prevent the Office of the RBI Ombudsman from disclosing information or documents furnished by the parties to the proceedings to each other, to the extent considered necessary to comply with the principles of natural justice and fair play;
    Provided further that provisions of this sub-clause shall not apply in relation to the disclosure made or information furnished by the Office of the RBI Ombudsman to the Reserve Bank or filing thereof before any Court, Tribunal or Arbitrator or any other judicial or quasi-judicial forum.
  • i) As the intent of the Scheme is to provide a cost-effective and expeditious grievance redress, the proceedings under the Scheme shall be summary in nature and shall not be bound by any rules of evidence.
  • ii) The Regulated Entity shall, on receipt of the complaint, file its written response to the averments in the complaint enclosing therewith copies of the documents relied upon, within 15 days before the Office of the RBI Ombudsman.
    Provided that the Office of the RBI Ombudsman may, at the request of the Regulated Entity in writing grant such further time as may be deemed fit to file its written response and documents.
  • iii) In case the Regulated Entity omits or fails to file its written response and documents within the time as provided in terms of sub-clause (2), the RBI Ombudsman may proceed ex-parte, based on the documents / material available on record, and issue an Award.
  • iv) The RBI Ombudsman or RBI Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, shall endeavour to facilitate a settlement of a complaint by agreement between the Complainant and the Regulated Entity. In the course of such proceedings, the parties to the complaint shall comply with the advisory issued by the Office of the RBI Ombudsman for submission of relevant documents or material within the stipulated time.
  • v) For the purpose of promoting a settlement of the complaint, the RBI Ombudsman or RBI Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, shall ensure that the written response or supporting documents or material filed by one party, to the extent relevant and pertaining to the complaint, are furnished to other party and follow such procedure and provide additional time as may be considered appropriate.
  • vi) The RBI Ombudsman may, if deemed necessary and based on the circumstances of the complaint, issue an advisory to the Regulated Entity at any stage to take such action as may lead to full or partial resolution and settlement of the complaint, and
    1. (1) if the Regulated Entity takes action and complies with the advisory within the stipulated time and the Complainant accepts the same, the complaint shall be closed under Clause 14(8)(b);
    2. (2) in the event the Complainant does not respond within the stipulated time or raises any objection that is found to be without merit, the complaint shall be closed under Clause 14(8)(a) or Clause 14(8)(d), respectively
  • vii) Where the RBI Ombudsman / RBI Deputy Ombudsman is of the opinion that the documents / material furnished and written submissions by both the parties are not conclusive enough to arrive at a settlement, a conciliation meeting of the Complainant with the officials of Regulated Entity may be initiated by the RBI Ombudsman or RBI Deputy Ombudsman, if considered necessary. If such meeting is held and it results in a mutually acceptable settlement of the grievance, the proceedings of the meeting shall be recorded and signed by the parties stating that they are agreeable to the settlement.
    Provided that such meeting shall be held in the presence of the RBI Ombudsman, and the parties in person or online
  • Subject to the provisions of Clause 8(5), the complaint shall be closed by the RBI Ombudsman / RBI Deputy Ombudsman when:
    1. (1) all aspects of the complaint, have been fully settled by the Regulated Entity upon their intervention; or
    2. (2) the Complainant has agreed in writing or otherwise (which may be recorded by the Office of the RBI Ombudsman) that the manner and the extent of resolution of the grievance is satisfactory; or
    3. (3) the Complainant has withdrawn the complaint voluntarily; or
    4. (4) the Complainant has objected, in part or full, to the resolution provided, but the RBI Ombudsman is of the opinion that the objections do not have sufficient merit; or
    5. (5) the Regulated Entity has addressed certain issues raised in the complaint, and the remaining issues, in the opinion of the RBI Ombudsman, either fall outside the purview of the Scheme, or do not involve any deficiency in service on the part of the Regulated Entity, or do not merit further consideration.
  • i) (1) Unless the complaint is rejected under clause 16, the RBI Ombudsman shall pass an Award in the event of:
  • (1) non-furnishing of documents/information by the Regulated Entity as enumerated in clause 14(3); or
  • (2) the matter not getting resolved under clause 14(8) based on the documents and material placed before the RBI Ombudsman.
    Provided that a reasonable opportunity of being heard (oral or in writing) is given to both the parties before passing an Award.
  • ii) The Award shall contain, inter alia, the direction, if any, to the Regulated Entity for specific performance of its obligations and in addition to or otherwise, the amount, if any, to be paid by the Regulated Entity to the Complainant by way of compensation for any loss suffered by the Complainant as specified in clause 8(3).
  • iii) A copy of the Award shall be sent to the Complainant and the Regulated Entity.
  • iv) The Award passed under sub-clause (1) shall lapse and be of no effect unless the Complainant furnishes a letter of acceptance of the Award in full and final settlement of the claim to the Regulated Entity concerned, within a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of the copy of the Award.
    Provided that no such acceptance may be furnished by the Complainant if he has filed an appeal under sub-clause (3) of clause 17.
  • v) The Regulated Entity shall comply with the Award and intimate compliance to the RBI Ombudsman or appeal to the Appellate Authority subject to the provisions of Clause 17, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the letter of acceptance from the Complainant.
  • i) The RBI Ombudsman or the RBI Deputy Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if it is found that:>
    1. (1) the complaint is non-maintainable under clause 10; or
    2. (2) the complaint is not a valid complaint as it does not indicate any deficiency in service and is in the nature of suggestions, queries etc.; or
    3. (3) a case on the same cause of action is filed before any Court, Tribunal, Arbitrator, or any other judicial or quasi-judicial forum, while the complaint is being examined under the Scheme
  • ii) The RBI Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if in his/her opinion:
    1. (1) there is no deficiency in service; or
    2. (2) the compensation sought for the consequential loss is beyond the power of the RBI Ombudsman to provide the compensation as indicated in clause 8(3); or
    3. (3) the complaint is not pursued by the Complainant with reasonable diligence; or
    4. (4) (the complaint is without sufficient cause; or
    5. (5) the complaint requires consideration of elaborate documentary and oral evidence and the proceedings before the RBI Ombudsman are not appropriate for adjudication of such a complaint; or
    6. (6) there is no financial loss or damage, or inconvenience caused to the Complainant.
  • i) There shall not be any right of appeal to a Regulated Entity for an Award issued under clause 15(1)(a).
  • ii) The Regulated Entity may, aggrieved by an Award under clause 15(1)(b), prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority within 30 days from the date of receipt of the Complainant’s letter of acceptance of the Award;
    1. (1) an appeal may be filed by a Regulated Entity only with the previous sanction of the Executive Director/Official of equal rank.
    2. (2) the Appellate Authority, if he is satisfied that the Regulated Entity had sufficient cause for not making the appeal within the time, may allow a further period not exceeding 30 days.
  • iii) The Complainant may, aggrieved by an Award under clause 15(1), within 30 days of the date of receipt of the Award, prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority.
    1. Provided that the Appellate Authority, if he/she is satisfied that the Complainant had sufficient cause for not making the appeal within the time, may allow a further period not exceeding 30 days.
  • iv) The Appellate Authority’s Secretariat shall scrutinise and process the Appeal.
  • v) The Appellate Authority may, after giving the parties a reasonable opportunity of being heard (oral or in writing):
    1. (1) dismiss the appeal; or
    2. (2) allow the appeal and set aside the Award of the RBI Ombudsman; or
    3. (3) remand the matter to the RBI Ombudsman for fresh disposal in accordance with such directions as the Appellate Authority may consider necessary or proper; or
    4. (4) modify the Award and pass such directions as may be necessary to give effect to the Award so modified; or
    5. (5) pass any other order as it may deem fit.
  • vi) The order of the Appellate Authority shall have the same effect as the Award passed by RBI Ombudsman under clause 15 or the order rejecting the complaint under clause 16, or any other order, as the case may be.
  • i) The Regulated Entity to which the Scheme is applicable shall facilitate the smooth implementation of the Scheme by ensuring meticulous adherence to the requirements under the Scheme, failing which, the Reserve Bank may take such action as it may deem fit.
  • ii) The Regulated Entity shall appoint a Principal Nodal Officer at their head office who shall be of a rank not less than a General Manager or equivalent and shall be responsible for representing the Regulated Entity and furnishing information on its behalf in respect of complaints filed against the Regulated Entity. The Regulated Entity may appoint such other Nodal Officers to assist the Principal Nodal Officer as it may deem fit for operational efficiency. Any changes in appointment or contact details of Principal Nodal Officer shall be reported to Consumer Education and Protection Department, Central Office, Reserve Bank of India prior to or in case of exigency, immediately post any such change
  • iii) The Regulated Entity shall display prominently for the benefit of their customers at their branches/places where the business is transacted, the name and contact details (Telephone/mobile number and E-mail ID) of the Principal Nodal Officer and the address of Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre along with the link to the RBI Ombudsman complaint lodging portal (https://cms.rbi.org.in) on their website.
  • iv) The Regulated Entity to which the Scheme is applicable shall ensure that the salient features of the Scheme are displayed prominently in English, Hindi and the regional language in all its offices, branches and places where the business is transacted in such a manner that a person visiting the office or branch has adequate information on the Scheme.
  • v) The Regulated Entity shall ensure that a copy of the Scheme is available in all its branches to be provided to the customer for reference upon request.
  • vi) The salient features of the Scheme along with the copy of the Scheme and the contact details of the Principal Nodal Officer shall be displayed and kept updated on the website of the Regulated Entity
  • If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the Scheme, the Reserve Bank may make such provisions not inconsistent with the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, or the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, or the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, or the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 or the Scheme, as it may consider necessary or expedient for removing any difficulty
  • i) The Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, shall stand repealed as on July 01, 2026.
  • ii) The adjudication of complaints under the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, received before July 01, 2026, appeals arising from decisions made under the said Scheme, and the execution of Awards issued thereunder shall continue to be governed by the provisions of the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 and the instructions of the Reserve Bank issued thereunder.

Integrated Ombudsman Address

Centralized Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC)
Reserve Bank of India,
Central Vista, Sector 17,
Chandigarh 160017
RBI Online Portal: http://cms.rbi.org.in

  Toll free Contact Centre Number:   14448 (9.30 am to 5.15pm)

  Email:   crpc@.org.in

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