The EMA responded to FCA Consultation paper 18/03 on SME access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and Feedback to DP15/7: SMEs as Users of Financial Services on 23 April 2018.
EMA expresses concern about the FCA’s proposals to expand the list of eligible complainants to the Financial Ombudsman Service to include SMEs and guarantors. This is a substantial departure from existing practice, and is likely to have a considerable impact, particularly on smaller financial service providers in the payment services sector, where disputes are likely to be complex, and where the financial services provider may themselves be an SME.