Customer Service Committee to Monitor Banking Ombudsman Awards
No longer current — replaced by Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 (RB-IOS, 2021)
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2004-05/425 · issued 19 Apr 2005 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI mandates banks to place all Banking Ombudsman awards before the Customer Service Committee to ensure timely implementation and address systemic deficiencies, with top management involvement.
What changed
RBI expanded the role of the Customer Service Committee to proactively monitor implementation of Banking Ombudsman awards. Banks must now place all awards before the committee, especially those unimplemented for over three months, with reasons for delay.
What it means for you
Banks must ensure immediate implementation of Ombudsman awards to avoid customer grievances lingering. The Customer Service Committee will now oversee systemic issues flagged by awards, requiring top management to act on delays. This tightens accountability and reduces correspondence-based delays.
Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.
What banks were required to do at the time
Place all Banking Ombudsman awards before the Customer Service Committee for review.
Report awards unimplemented for over three months to the committee with reasons for delay.
Ensure top management actively oversees and expedites award implementation.
Use award insights to identify and fix systemic deficiencies in customer service.
Who it affects
All scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs), Customer Service Committees of bank boards, Top management of banks, Banking Ombudsmen offices
❓ Common questions
Regulatory timeline
Decoded by BankPulse2026-06-19 21:03 IST
Superseded by — Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 (RB-IOS, 2021)
Status change: superseded08 Jul 2026, 13:16 IST
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
What is the purpose of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme?
It resolves complaints about banking services and disputes between banks and customers or between banks through conciliation, mediation, and arbitration.
What happens if a bank delays implementing an Ombudsman award?
The award must be placed before the Customer Service Committee if unimplemented for over three months, with reasons, and the committee reports such delays to the board for remedial action.
Does this circular apply to Regional Rural Banks?
No, it applies to all scheduled commercial banks excluding RRBs.
📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Superseded byReserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 (RB-IOS, 2021)
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2004-05/425
DBOD.No.Leg.BC.79 /09.07.005/2004-05
April 19, 2005
To
All Scheduled Commercial Banks (Excluding RRBs)
Dear Sir,
Role of the Customer Service Committee of the Board - Monitoring
the implementation of awards under the Banking Ombudsman Scheme
Please refer to the Governor's D.O. letter dated August 14,
2004 addressed to Public Sector Banks / Private Sector Banks and Governor's
letter dated August 26, 2004 addressed to select Foreign Banks regarding constitution
of the Customer Service Committee of the Board and also advising the banks regarding
role of Customer Service Committee of the Board. In this connection, it has
been decided that the above Committee should also play a more pro-active role
with regard to complaints / grievances resolved by Banking Ombudsmen of the
various States as indicated below.
2. The Scheme of Banking Ombudsman was introduced with the
object of enabling resolution of complaints relating to provision of banking
services and resolving disputes between a bank and its constituent as well as
between one bank and another bank through the process of conciliation, mediation
and arbitration in respect of deficiencies in customer service. After detailed
examination of the complaints / grievances of customers of banks and after perusal
of the comments of banks, the Banking Ombudsmen issue their awards in respect
of individual complaints to redress the grievances. It has however been reported
that the banks enter into further correspondence and continue to delay the implementation
of the awards. As the delays in redressal defeats the objective of the Banking
Ombudsman Scheme, banks are advised to ensure that the Awards of the Banking
Ombudsmen are implemented immediately and with active involvement of Top Management.
3. Further, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of the
Customer Service Committee, banks are also advised to:
Place all the awards before the Customer Service Committee to enable them
to address issues of systemic deficiencies existing in banks, if any, brought
out by the awards; and
Place all the awards remaining unimplemented for more than three months
with the reasons therefor before the Customer Service Committee to enable
the Customer Service Committee to report to the Board such delays in implementation
without valid reasons and for initiating necessary remedial action.
4. Please acknowledge receipt.
Yours faithfully
(Anand Sinha)
Chief General Manager-in-Charge
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2004-05/425 · issued 19 Apr 2005. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly). Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=2206&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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