Media Releases

See IFSO Scheme media releases with updates on industry issues and complaints.

Consumers should take care to avoid circumstances that could result in an insurance claim, says the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Karen Stevens. This comes after a driver lost his vehicle after driving into the sea to wash its underside.

A Complaint Response and Management course, launched just under a year ago by Massey University’s Fin-Ed Centre and the IFSO Scheme, has reached 100 enrolments.

The IFSO Scheme will work with Banqer to help increase students’ understanding of what to do when issues arise with insurance and financial services.

The IFSO Scheme is warning consumers of the importance of honesty, after a fraudulent insurance claim has resulted in a man left uninsured and facing the imminent risk of losing his house.

The IFSO Scheme recently handled a case where an insurer declined a claim due to homeowners leaving a window open on a security stay during their holiday.

The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is warning businesses that insurance may not cover them if they’re involved in an online marketplace scam.

Consumers are being advised to carefully check and understand their insurance policies, after several cases of lost/stolen jewellery investigated by the IFSO Scheme resulted in disappointed customers.

In its annual report released today, the IFSO Scheme reveals it received 4,120 complaint enquiries in the past year. It is the highest number of complaint enquiries the IFSO Scheme has ever received in one year.

Vehicle insurance is the number one thing people complain about to the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme), making up 23% (76) of all complaints the Scheme investigated in the past year.

This Money Month, Karen Stevens, Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO), is recommending that people who are struggling to repay debt “pause, and get sorted” by contacting a free financial mentoring service.

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