How to complain about your bank to the RBI Ombudsman (Banking Lokpal)

A wrong charge that won't be reversed. A loan account that shows the wrong balance. A failed UPI payment where the money left your account and never came back. A card you cancelled that keeps billing you.

When a bank, NBFC, or digital-payment company won't fix a genuine problem, you are not stuck. The Reserve Bank of India's Ombudsman scheme (often referred to across India as the Banking Lokpal) exists for exactly this — and it's completely free.

The one rule people miss: complain to the bank first

You cannot go straight to the Ombudsman. The scheme is an escalation, so you must give the bank a chance first. You become eligible to approach the Ombudsman when any one of these is true:

You complained to the bank/NBFC and 30 days have passed with no reply, or
The bank rejected your complaint, or
You got a reply but are not satisfied with it.

So the first move is always: file a written complaint with the bank itself (through its official grievance channel), keep the complaint reference, and note the date. That 30-day clock and that reference number are what make you eligible.

(If your dispute is specifically with State Bank of India, follow our step-by-step SBI escalation guide through SBI's CRCF portal and Principal Nodal Officer before filing with the RBI).

When the Ombudsman can help

The RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS) brings banks, NBFCs, and payment system participants under a single "One Nation, One Ombudsman" window. Typical complaints it handles:

Money debited but the transaction failed (ATM, UPI, card, net-banking) and not reversed within mandated turnaround times. (See our dedicated guide on how to file a UPI complaint and claim ₹100/day compensation).
Unauthorised or fraudulent transactions the bank won't make good.
Wrong charges, hidden fees, or arbitrary interest rate hikes.
Loans and credit cards — mis-selling, delay in releasing property deeds, wrong CIBIL/credit bureau reporting.
Refusal to open/operate basic accounts, or unreasonable counter delays.
Failure to honour the bank's own commitments or regulatory guidelines.

There are exclusions — for example, a complaint already before a court, or one about a purely commercial decision of the bank (like its credit sanction policy). If in doubt, file anyway; ineligible complaints are simply closed at no cost to you.

How to file

Go to the RBI's complaint portal: cms.rbi.org.in (the Complaint Management System).
Choose "File a Complaint". You'll enter your mobile number, verify via OTP, and select your bank or NBFC.
Attach your evidence: the initial complaint you made to the bank, its reply (or proof of the 30-day silence), transaction screenshots, and account statements.
Submit. You get a unique complaint registration number (e.g. 20262700100XXXX).

Prefer the phone? The RBI runs a toll-free helpline on 14448 (8:00 AM to 10:00 PM) that can guide you and help register a complaint.

What happens next (and how to track)

The Ombudsman's Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC) examines the file, calls for the bank's comments, and facilitates conciliation or passes an Award. The process is designed to be citizen-friendly — you do not need a lawyer.

Tracking: You can monitor your file stage by stage at cms.rbi.org.in — see our guide on how to track RBI Ombudsman complaint status and what each stage means.
Time limit: You generally have to approach the Ombudsman within one year of the bank's reply (or of the end of the 30-day period if there was no reply). Don't sit on it.
Appeals: If the Ombudsman closes your case unfairly or passes an unsatisfactory Award, you have 30 days to appeal to the Executive Director at RBI.

The RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme was built on a "One Nation, One Ombudsman" idea — one portal, one process, free for you. The barrier is almost never eligibility. It's that most people never take the second step.

Verify before you rely on this

Ombudsman rules, covered entities, and timelines are set by the RBI and can change. Before you file, confirm the current procedure on the official portal, cms.rbi.org.in, and read the entity's own grievance-redress page.

Make the pressure count

Filing with the Ombudsman is the formal route. But banks move faster on problems that are visible and shared — because a wrong charge or tech glitch that hit one customer usually hit hundreds.

If you raise the issue publicly as well, others who've faced the same thing can back it, add their reference numbers, and turn a lone complaint into a pattern the bank has to answer for. The Ombudsman complaint is your legal escalation; the public post is the weight behind it.