The Department of Finance monitors the performance of, and any challenges relating to, the Irish banking sector at a broad level. Day-to-day supervision is the responsibility of the Central Bank of Ireland as the independent financial regulator in Ireland.
In relation to individual complaints, the Financial Services and Pension Ombudsman (FSPO) provides an independent, fair, impartial, confidential and free service to help resolve complaints from consumers and small businesses against financial service providers and pension providers.
The FSPO is independent in the performance of their statutory functions. Due to their independence, as Minister of Finance, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on, or intervene in, individual cases.
The FSPO has advised that it does not comment on individual complaints, identify the provider involved in individual complaints by name or address, or publish information on the complaints received by individual providers, other than where permitted under the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Act 2017.
The FSPO publishes a comprehensive Overview of Complaints each year which includes: a summary of all complaints made to the FSPO, a review of trends and patterns in the making of complaints to the FSPO; a breakdown of the method by which all complaints made to the FSPO were dealt with; and a summary of the outcome of all complaints concluded or terminated.
Finally, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2025, which was enacted last year, clarified that the FSPO has the statutory power to investigate complaints against a financial service provider or pension provider even if the provider has subsequently left the market.
