Banking Ombudsman
The Swiss Banking Ombudsman acts as an information and mediation office without jurisdictional authority for clients of member institutions of the Swiss Bankers Association (banks and financial service providers) as well as for clients of institutes affiliated to the Association for this purpose. He deals with questions and complaints concerning banking and financial services carried out by the member institutions.
The Swiss Banking Ombudsman also runs a Central Claims Office for people searching for assets without contact and dormant assets (dormant accounts) in Swiss banks.
The institution Swiss Banking Ombudsman was established in April 1993. Since January 2023, the Banking Ombudsman is Andreas Barfuss, Andreas Barfuss, lic. oec. HSG, Attorney at Law. He is supported in his work by a team of multilingual lawyers, economists and banking experts.
The Swiss Banking Ombudsman is supported by the Swiss Banking Ombudsman Foundation, which was established by the Swiss Bankers Association. The Foundation Board is composed of independent public personalities and elects the Ombudsman.
Neutral mediator
Voluntary, out-of-court procedures for resolving disputes have proved their worth many times over in different countries and also in different sectors.
The Banking Ombudsman is neutral. He can provide reliable information and act as an independent mediator in disputes. Expensive, time-consuming legal proceedings, which often take years, are thus avoided.
The Banking Ombudsman is not a state court. Instead of issuing a judgment, he submits a negotiated solution to the parties to the dispute. This proposal is not binding, and the parties are free to decide whether to follow it or take other measures, such as legal actions. However, experience has shown that thanks to the expertise of the Banking Ombudsman, negotiated solutions tend to be accepted.
The mediation procedure with the Banking Ombudsman is free of charge for clients.
The Ombudsman is bound to confidentiality. He will only consult with the financial business if the client agrees to this.
Team
The team of the Swiss Banking Ombudsman consists of 9 employees, or 8.4 full-time equivalents, and is presented as follows:
