Lord Hunt Review
About this review
I was delighted to be asked to undertake an independent review of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Both my legal career and my political career have involved me closely with questions of service standards, rights of redress, alternative dispute resolution and accessibility.
Much of the focus of this independent review has been devoted to that last question: how to ensure that the FOS is as open, approachable and user-friendly as it can reasonably be expected to be; and also that it sets reasonable expectations of what it can do and what it can't do.
Though I have followed the activities of the Ombudsman with great interest from the outset, I had no preconceptions about the best way forward. I very much enjoyed considering submissions from every kind of stakeholder during the review and I weighed all the evidence carefully and impartially.
I have now published my report which is available on this website. I style my report as an agenda for change - and very much hope that the ombudsman service and its board have the necessary confidence to seize the great opportunity that now lies before them.
The Hunt Review
OPENING UP, REACHING OUT AND AIMING HIGH
An agenda for accessibility and excellence in the Financial
Ombudsman Service [PDF version opens in new window]
(published 9 April 2008)
Call for evidence
Accessibility and transparency
All stakeholders were invited to contribute to this independent review of Financial Ombudsman Service - providing views and feedback as part of the evidence-gathering process between 16 October 2007 and 16 January 2008.
Submissions to the review
Feedback and submissions from people and organisations with an interest in the ombudsman service are available on this website.