Ombudsman’s Office

The Ombudsman of the Austrian Bankers’ Association is a neutral mediator. His office offers free assistance to retail customers of member banks helping them to clarify banking issues and cases of disagreement.

You may consult the Ombudsman in the following cases:

You believe that your bank has committed an error and/or there has been some misunderstanding and you are unable to sort matters out with your account manager. Examples:

• You feel you haven’t been sufficiently informed about the level of account management charges or the amount of your loan instalments, etc.
• Your complaint has not been duly processed by the bank.
• Transactions on your account statement could not be sufficiently explained.

Unfortunately, in the following cases the Ombudsman cannot intervene on your behalf:

• Where your request concerns a bank that is not a member of the Bankers’ Association. Normally, these would be the regional mortgage banks or Landeshypothekenbanken, banks of the popular or cooperative credit type such as Volksbanken and Raiffeisenkassen, and savings banks. In these cases please turn to the Ombudspersons of the associations of the relevant sector.
• Where the issue at hand concerns economic or business policy decisions of your bank: for instance you will not obtain the desired loan, or you will not obtain this loan to the amount desired, or you believe that the fees, charges and loan interest rates are too high.
• Where you seek information on certain products and services of a bank (in such a case please consult the bank in question directly).
• Where you have already put the matter in the hands of your bank’s own Ombudsperson.
• Where judicial proceedings have already been initiated in respect of this matter.
• Where judgement has already been delivered in respect of this matter.

Please note:

Our Ombudsman may not provide legal advice nor may he give expert opinions on any disputes submitted. Over-indebted individuals cannot be helped either. This is the task of debt counselling agencies (www.schuldenberatung.at).

Procedures mediated by our Ombudsman focus on clarifying matters or achieving consensual agreement between customers and banks. They will not result in binding decisions as taken by conciliation boards. Within this context, may we refer to the possibility of submitting matters to the Joint Conciliation Board of the Austrian Banking Industry:

For the specific remit of the Joint Conciliation Board of the Austrian Banking Industry please consult the Board’s website.