Ombudsman deals with all complaints independently and impartially and is obliged to guarantee confidentiality of personal, account, deposit and transaction details. 

Most of the complaints that are dealt with by the Association’s ombudsman cover the actions and services provided by credit institutions incorporated in Latvia – Latvian branches and representative offices of foreign credit institutions.

It is possible to turn to the Ombudsman in the case of failure to agree with your bank regarding an emerging situation, for example, when:

• ATM has failed to issue the requested amount of money
• Money transfer has not been performed or was transferred to another addressee
• Problems appeared during communication with the bank.

From 18.05.2018. the Association’s ombudsman resolves disputes not only between consumers but also bodies corporate. If the dispute deals with the closing of a bank account on bank’s initiative:

• the dispute is resolved in oral or written proceedings;
• the solution provided by the ombudsman is of recommendatory nature and is binding only in case the parties have agreed in writing on the binding nature of the resolution and have consented thereto;
• all complaints are handled within two months of filing the complaint.

The Association’s Ombudsman is registered with the Out-of-court Consumer Dispute Database.

The Ombudsman shall review the complaint within two months from the day of submission of a complaint or the elimination of shortages. In the case that it is not possible to comply with the deadline due to objective reasons, the Ombudsman may prolong it. Review of complaints is explained in more detail in the Rules and By-Laws of the Ombudsman.