HomeCirculars › RBI/2004-05/425

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No longer current — replaced by Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 (RB-IOS, 2021)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

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

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Superseded by Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 (RB-IOS, 2021)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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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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