Ombudsman News 188 published covering car finance commission complaints and consultation deadline

The Financial Ombudsman Service published the 188th edition of its Ombudsman News newsletter on 24 January 2024¹. The edition covers car finance commission complaints following the Financial Conduct Authority's announcement of temporary complaint-handling rules, and reminds readers that the deadline to respond to the Ombudsman's Plans and Budget Consultation for 2024/25 is 30 January 2024¹.

On car finance, the newsletter states that the FCA "has recently announced it will be assessing the car finance market to make sure that if consumers suffered a loss due to poor practices, they are compensated fairly"¹. It adds that while the FCA conducts its review, it has introduced temporary complaint-handling rules for certain car finance complaints where discretionary commission arrangements were in place¹. The newsletter points consumers and consumer advisers to separate information on how to make a new complaint, and points businesses to guidance on the FCA's temporary rules, what the Ombudsman looks at when complaints are referred to it, and its approach to resolving them¹.

On its own funding, the Ombudsman says it is consulting on its budget and funding for the next year, "including the amount of our case fee and how we'll ensure continued value for money"¹. The newsletter says its key goal for the year has been to increase the pace at which it resolves complaints while maintaining service quality, and that consultation feedback will help it do more¹. The consultation closes on 30 January 2024¹.

The same page lists other Ombudsman news items, dated later than the newsletter itself. One, dated 13 January 2026, says the service has proposed targets for the next financial year and that a consultation closes on 21 January 2026¹. Another, dated 27 November 2025, says continuous delivery of changes and improvements will be a key focus for 2026/27 as a Plans and Budget consultation was launched¹. A third, dated 23 January 2025, says the service predicts it will receive over 37,000 fraud and scams complaints next year, and that it anticipates fraud and scams will account for 35% of its incoming banking and loan cases in the next financial year¹.

Why it matters for households

The temporary FCA rules described in the newsletter apply to certain car finance complaints where discretionary commission arrangements were in place¹. For consumers with a complaint of that kind, the Ombudsman's stated position is that the FCA is reviewing the market and that the rules govern how such complaints are handled while that review runs¹. The newsletter does not set out the content of the temporary rules themselves, the period they cover, or what they mean for the timing of individual cases; those details are not reported here¹.

The consultation deadline of 30 January 2024 concerns the Ombudsman's own budget and funding for 2024/25, including the amount of its case fee¹. The case fee is charged to businesses rather than to consumers, but the newsletter does not state the proposed fee level or how any change would affect firms or complainants¹.

What happens next

The Plans and Budget Consultation for 2024/25 closes on 30 January 2024¹. The newsletter gives no further dates for the FCA's car finance review or for the temporary complaint-handling rules¹.

Households wanting background on how the service handles complaints can read our guides to taking a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service and to what the Financial Ombudsman Service does and who can use it. Our consumer protection and regulation and policy hubs cover the wider framework, including the Financial Conduct Authority and what it does for consumers.