The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has introduced new services and staff in a bid to improve its engagement with financial planning members.
The widely used external dispute resolution scheme has launched a new e-learning tool to aid complaint handling for members, which FOS says will be a major educative support for them.
He ombudsman for investments, life insurance and superannuation (ILIS), Alison Maynard, said that at the same time as streamlining its dispute resolution processes, FOS had been steadily increasing its financial planning expertise.
Naomi Layton has been appointed as senior dispute analyst, with 17 years experience in the financial services industry.
ILIS Panel now has seven financial planning industry members, all of whom are certified financial planners, said Maynard. They include Peter Roan, Gavin Wright, Martin McIntosh, Claire Mackay, Corin Jack, Bruce Beakey and Phil Campbell.
She added FOS had seen a huge increase in the number of financial planning agencies and credit representatives joining the scheme since the introduction of the new Credit Legislation.
