YEREVAN, September 5. /ARKA/. Office of financial ombudsman of Armenia in January-August 2011 compensated its clients about 29 million drams, said financial ombudsman of Armenia Piruz Sargsyan.

“Number of complaints against financial organizations at the end of August was 525, of which 80 are submitted in written form”, said Sargsyan during the press-conference on Monday.

Sargsyan said that in percent ratio about 68% complaints of 80 were for benefit of the clients.

Written applications and complaints reviewed by the ombudsman, mainly referred to loan transactions (18 complaints), deposit transactions (4), banking accounts and plastic cards (18), money transfers (6), insurance services (19) and mandatory car insurance (15).

In this regard, financial ombudsman said that the essence of the complaints of the clients very often brings to wrong percent ratios on deposits and levying of additional money from the accounts by the banks.

“Complants on mandatory car insurance refer to wrong assessment of the size of losses, partial compensation of damage to the health or the issue of guiltiness of any party. Clients submit documents on the payment of money for different healthcare services and the insurance companies refuse to compensate the expenses by any reason”, she said.

For mandatory car insurance, financial ombudsman supports its clients. She said that in the reporting period 103 complaints were submitted for mandatory car insurance without mentioning the name of the company according to the law.

Sargsyan said also that cooperation with financial organizations against which they receive complaints, gives its positive results: business relations between financial ombudsman and the clients are significantly improved becoming more civil and corresponding o the law.

Last year financial ombudsman’s office received a great number of complaints about pawning mainly in the pawn shops where the property was sold without notification of the clients which contradicts the law.

“This year the number of such complaints significantly reduced. We met with financial organizations and discussed this issue with CBA lawyers and they corrected the situation”, she said.

The first office of financial ombudsman among CIS countries started its activity in Armenia on January 24, 2009 in accordance with the law “On Financial Ombudsman”. In 2009 the office compensated the clients about 26 million drams.

Services of financial ombudsman are provided free which helps the citizens to avoid paying for the own lawyer and court payments.

The activity of this structure is aimed at the protection of rights and interests of clients of the banking system of Armenia, conduct effective and free review of their requirements and increase of trust towards the financial system of the country. ($1 – 368.46 drams). --0--