News

Bank customer complaints on the rise in Indian state

August 29, 2012

Bank customers in the India state of Odisha have lodged an increasing number of complaints about credit cards, debit cards and ATMs.

According to a Times of India report, the state's banking ombudsman received 1,826 complaints about bank services in the past year, compared with 1,124 the previous year, an increase of 62 percent. More than half of the complaints came from customers in rural and semi-urban areas of the state.

"The increase in the receipt of complaints from rural and semi-urban areas indicated the increased awareness in these areas. However, we are not satisfied with the figure and are planning awareness campaigns in rural areas," V.R. Rao, regional director of the apex bank told the Times of India.

Odisha state's banking ombudsman B.K. Bhoi said the complaints aren't unusual. "This has been an all-India phenomenon and not exceptional to our state. Most of these complaints are due to non-observance of prescribed safeguards by cardholders." Bhoi said that cardholders needed to be more careful with their card information.

The RBI has recommended that where possible, banks should increase the security of accounts through measures such as biometric identification at ATMs.

For more on this topic, visit the security research center.