AFCA considers complaints that previously would have been handled by the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Credit and Investments Ombudsman and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal. We are the dispute resolution scheme for financial services.
We consider complaints about:
- credit, finance and loans
- insurance
- banking deposits and payments
- investments and financial advice
- superannuation
What we do
Our role is to assist consumers and small businesses to reach agreements with financial firms about how to resolve their complaints. We are impartial and independent. We do not act for either party to advocate their position. If a complaint does not resolve between the parties, we will decide an appropriate outcome.
Decisions we make can be binding on the financial firm involved in a complaint. We can award compensation for losses suffered because of a financial firm’s error or inappropriate conduct. There are other remedies we can also provide for superannuation complaints. We do not, however, award compensation to punish financial firms or impose fines.
AFCA is not a government department or agency, and we are not a regulator of the financial services industry. We are a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee that is governed by a Board of Directors, which includes equal numbers of industry and consumer representatives. AFCA’s Chief Ombudsman is responsible for the management of the organisation.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) is a free, fair and independent dispute resolution scheme. We consider complaints about financial products and services. AFCA’s service is offered as an alternative to tribunals and courts to resolve complaints consumers and small businesses have with their financial firms.
Find out more about what an ombudsman is and what the AFCA Ombudsman does.
Find out more about AFCA
- AFCA’s corporate information including our Constitution, strategic plan, funding model and organisational chart
- AFCA's commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.
- Our Rules and guidelines, including our jurisdiction and enabling legislation
- Our governance and leadership including the AFCA Board and our Chief Ombudsman
- AFCA Decision Makers
- Codes of Practice and our Code Compliance and Monitoring team
- Our commitment to deliver a service that ensures accessibility, independence, fairness, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness
- How we approach systemic issues in the financial system
You can also access and download copies of AFCA publications and forms.
