Rights under protection: how to complain about MFIs to the Central Bank
On Monday, June 2, the Bank of Russia announced the launch of a service for prompt notification of possible violations of consumer rights. Russians can report any unfair actions on the part of financial institutions. At the same time, the Bank of the Russian Federation will promptly apply supervisory measures. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
The Central Bank's complaint collection service: what is it and how to log in
The new service of the Bank of Russia will give citizens the opportunity to promptly report on the actions of financial organizations that violate consumer protection legislation.
The information received will become the basis for carrying out control measures, including a control purchase. Unlike the Central Bank's online reception, the new service allows you to send a message even if the violated rights relate not to the applicant himself, but to his friends or relatives.
For example, a citizen applies to one of the commercial banks to apply for a consumer loan. During the consultation, the bank employee informs that it is possible to obtain approval only if an additional paid service is provided — life insurance. At the same time, the client is not offered alternatives — the opportunity to cancel insurance altogether or choose a different insurance product.
In fact, such a service is imposed as a mandatory part of the loan agreement, although by law the consumer must have the right to choose. Moreover, the total cost of the loan, taking into account the imposed services, becomes significantly higher than initially expected, and information about this was not provided in advance.
Considering such actions to be unlawful, a citizen may contact the new operational information service of the Bank of Russia. He visits the regulator's website, fills out a feedback form, indicates the name of the organization, the essence of the situation, and, if necessary, attaches copies of documents or screenshots.
Even if the consumer does not plan to file an official complaint, his message will become the basis for a possible control purchase or other supervisory actions by the Bank of Russia. This will make it possible to identify systemic violations in the market and protect the interests of a wide range of consumers.
Analytics Brobank.ru Yuri Isaev distinguished the functionality of the Central Bank's Internet reception and the new service. According to him, the new service highlights the main functions that are necessary for the consumer of financial services, while the reception lists all types of possible appeals to the Central Bank of Russia.
In addition, the application is submitted using the new service after authorization through the Gosuslugi portal. That is, unlike an online reception, you will not need to enter personal data yourself, which will reduce to zero the likelihood of making an error when filling out the required form.
How to file a complaint
The service covers a wide range of financial market participants: banks, microfinance organizations, insurance companies, securities and collective investment market participants, as well as operators of investment and financial platforms.
To send a message, it is enough to fill out a special form on the website of the Bank of Russia, having previously logged in to Gosuslugi, and then go through a captcha confirming that the form is filled out by a person, not a robot.
Complaints may relate to various situations, including the imposition of additional paid services when applying for a loan, the replacement of deposits with other financial products, the creation of obstacles during the registration of a CTP policy, refusals to pay insurance, lack of transparent information about banking conditions and other unfair practices.
If the facts stated in the appeal are confirmed, the Bank of Russia may apply supervisory response measures to organizations. Information on the results of such inspections will be published on the official website of the regulator.
— The new service has significantly simplified the complaint procedure, made interaction with the regulator more convenient and transparent for consumers of financial services. The main difference between the approach introduced in the new service is centralization. Citizens will be able to report a violation, as they say, in one click," Alyona Yakovleva, tax consultant, founder and managing partner of RosCo Group, told Izvestia.
The expert reminds that citizens, as before, can complain about banks, MFIs and insurers for personal issues not only through the new service of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, but also directly contact the financial institution serving the financial commissioner, Rospotrebnadzor, Roskomnadzor and other relevant agencies.
The Financial Commissioner (Ombudsman) examines disputes between individuals and financial organizations, regulates monetary claims against banks regarding loans, insurance and investment products.
— If we are talking about violations of antimonopoly legislation and the law on advertising (for example, in violation of the rules for processing, storing and distributing personal data), citizens have the right to contact the FAS. In case of violation of consumer rights, you can, as before, contact Rospotrebnadzor," the expert concluded.
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