FCA firm complaints data explained

Who reports and who is named

The aggregate figures combine complaints from more than 3,000 regulated firms ¹. The FCA says its firm-level data set is made up of submissions from approximately 290 firms that report 500 or more complaints in a six-month period, or 1,000 or more in a year ².

Firms below these thresholds are in the aggregate totals but not shown separately ¹. Some firms report jointly with others in their group ¹. Firms authorised only for consumer credit are left out of the aggregate figures ¹.

The FCA publishes every six months, around April and October. H1 covers 1 January to 30 June and H2 covers 1 July to 31 December ².

Headline figures, 2026 H1

In H1 2026, 44.8% of complaints were closed within 3 days, 49.7% after 3 days but within 8 weeks, and 5.5% took longer than 8 weeks ¹. Firms upheld 1,003,011 complaints ¹. Current accounts remained the most complained-about product ¹.

Definitions the FCA uses

• Complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction about a financial product or service provided by a regulated firm ¹.
• Closed complaint: one that has reached an outcome and needs no further action from the firm ¹.
• Upheld: the firm agrees with the complaint, fully or partly, and accepts that something went wrong ¹.
• Redress: the action a firm takes to put things right ¹.
• Context data: figures that compare complaints with the size of a firm's business ¹.

Firms' own publication duty

Rule DISP 1.10A.1 R requires a firm reporting 500 or more complaints to publish a summary of that complaints data ³. A 1,000 complaint threshold applies to some firms, such as credit-only firms with revenue of £5 million or less ³.

For a period ending between 1 January and 30 June, the summary is due by 31 August of the same year. For a period ending between 1 July and 31 December, it is due by 28 February of the next year ³. Under guidance DISP 1.10A.10 G the FCA publishes firm-level context information ³.

Reading the firm-level tables

The firm-level tables show complaints by product group: banking and credit cards, decumulation and pensions, home finance, insurance and pure protection, and investments ⁴. Most firms report 1 January to 30 June 2026, but some report other six-month windows, such as 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2026 ⁴.

The FCA says some context figures are based on policies sold in a shorter period, or policies in force, rather than the total ⁴. When comparing firms, it suggests looking at the size of the customer base, the number of products, how fast complaints are resolved, the share upheld and the redress paid ¹. It says Financial Ombudsman Service data should not be compared directly with FCA data ¹, and historic figures may change if firms resubmit ¹.