RBI Ombudsman Complaint: How to Escalate a Bank or CIBIL Issue
Your bank ignored you, or a bureau left a wrong entry on your report. Here's when the RBI's free complaint route opens, how to file, and what it can and can't fix.
The RBI Ombudsman is the Reserve Bank's free complaint service for customers of banks, larger NBFCs, wallet issuers and credit bureaus. Complain to the bank or bureau first. If it doesn't reply within 30 days, or you're unhappy with its answer, you then have 90 days to file on the RBI's portal, cms.rbi.org.in. Since 1 July 2026 a new scheme applies, with higher compensation and a much shorter filing window.
Key TakeawaysThe Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 replaced the 2021 scheme on 1 July 2026 (RBI).You must complain to the entity first, then file within 90 days of its reply or of the 30-day reply window ending (RBI).Awards can include up to Rs 30 lakh for consequential loss, plus up to Rs 3 lakh for harassment, time and costs (RBI).Credit bureaus are covered. A credit report complaint unresolved after 30 days earns Rs 100 a day (RBI).
What Is the Banking Ombudsman, and Who Does It Cover?
The banking ombudsman is a senior RBI officer who settles service complaints against RBI-regulated entities, free and without a lawyer. Many people call it the banking lokpal.
Under the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026, the Ombudsman covers (RBI):
- Banks: commercial banks, regional rural banks and most co-operative banks.
- NBFCs: those that take deposits, and those above the scheme's size threshold that deal with customers.
- Wallets: non-bank prepaid payment instrument issuers.
- Credit information companies: the credit bureaus.
Housing finance companies sit outside it.
India's four bureaus are CIBIL, Equifax, Experian and CRIF High Mark, all on the RBI's list of credit information companies. Our comparison of the four credit bureaus in India explains why your report can differ between them.
GroScore is a free credit score app and personal credit coach from Vitrak Technologies (GroMo). It shows your Equifax credit score and full report with a soft check that never affects your score, explains what is holding the score back, and gives a step-by-step plan to fix it. GroScore is not a lender and not a credit bureau. The score it shows is your Equifax score, not a CIBIL score, and it can't remove an accurate entry from any report.
What the Ombudsman can't hear
The 2026 scheme rejects a complaint at the outset when it falls in an excluded area (RBI):
| Complaint | Covered? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A wrong charge, hidden fee or failed refund | Yes | Deficiency in service |
| A credit report error not fixed within 30 days | Yes | Bureaus and lenders are covered |
| Recovery agent harassment, Fair Practices Code breaches | Yes | Listed under loans and advances |
| Your loan or card application was rejected | No | A commercial judgement of the bank |
| The same grievance is in court, a tribunal or arbitration | No | Already before another forum |
| A dispute with the bank's vendor, or between banks | No | Not a customer matter |
| You filed through an advocate | No | Use yourself or a non-lawyer representative |
A complaint in a "No" row gets rejected before anyone reads it.
A police case doesn't block you. Criminal proceedings and police investigations don't count as "the same grievance" (RBI).
When Can You File an RBI Ombudsman Complaint?
You can file only after the entity has had its chance. Three conditions decide your timing (RBI):
- Complain to the bank, NBFC or bureau in writing first, and keep proof: a ticket number, an email or an acknowledged letter.
- Wait for a reply. You can escalate if none arrives within 30 days, or within any longer window set by RBI, NPCI or card network rules. An unsatisfactory reply lets you escalate at once.
- File within 90 days of that window closing, or of the entity's last message, whichever is later.
The window was a year under the 2021 scheme. Now it's 90 days.
Miss the 90 days and the portal treats the complaint as not maintainable. Note the date on the day you send your first complaint.
Copying the RBI on an email to your bank doesn't count.
How to File an RBI Complaint Against a Bank
Use any of three routes. None costs anything (RBI):
- Online on cms.rbi.org.in. The CMS RBI portal is the fastest. Save the complaint number it gives you.
- By email to crpc@rbi.org.in. That's the email of the RBI for complaints. It reaches the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC).
- By post to CRPC, Reserve Bank of India, 4th Floor, Sector 17, Central Vista, Chandigarh 160017. Sign the form.
The order is fixed. Skipping step one gets a complaint rejected.
Stuck? Call the RBI's toll-free line, 14448. Its recorded service runs round the clock, and agents answer from 8 am to 10 pm, Monday to Saturday except national holidays, in English, Hindi and ten regional languages (RBI, retrieved 2026-10-26).
The portal screens each complaint first, so answer its yes/no questions about court cases and advocates honestly.
Documents and a sample complaint outline
Keep three things ready:
- your complaint to the entity, with its date
- the entity's reply, if any
- proof: statements, a closure letter, screenshots, call logs
For a report problem, attach the page that shows the error. See how to download your credit report as a PDF from each bureau.
Follow the RBI form's order:
- Who you are: name, mobile, email, address.
- Who you're complaining about: the entity, branch, and its complaint number.
- The account: loan, card or savings account number.
- What went wrong: dates, amounts, what you asked for, what happened.
- The relief you want: a corrected report, a refund, Rs 100 a day for a delay, or compensation for your time.
Can You Complain to the RBI About a Wrong CIBIL Report?
Yes, but the bureau comes first. Start with the bureau's own dispute process. A CIBIL complaint online is a dispute raised on CIBIL's website; Equifax, Experian and CRIF High Mark run their own forms. Our guide to raising a CIBIL dispute walks through each one.
The RBI's Master Direction on credit information reporting of 6 January 2025 then sets the clock:
| Stage | Time allowed | If it's missed |
|---|---|---|
| Lender sends corrected data | 21 calendar days | The lender pays the delay compensation |
| Bureau resolves the complaint | 30 calendar days in total | The bureau pays, if the lender was on time |
| Compensation reaches your bank account | 5 working days after resolution | Escalate to the Ombudsman |
Compensation runs at Rs 100 for every calendar day past 30 (RBI). When both caused the delay, they split it in proportion.
Go to the Ombudsman when the error isn't fixed, the compensation is refused, or nobody replies. Wrong DPD (days past due), a closed loan still "Active" and a loan you never took all qualify. An account you don't recognise can mean fraud, so first check your active loans and report it to the lender.
No route deletes an accurate entry. The scheme also excludes grievances for which Section 18 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 already gives a remedy (RBI).
What Happens After You File?
Your complaint moves through set stages, each with its own deadline but no total one (RBI):
- Response. The entity answers within 15 days, with documents, unless the Ombudsman grants more time. Silence lets the Ombudsman decide on what's on record.
- Settlement. The Ombudsman can issue an advisory at any stage and may call a conciliation meeting.
- Award. Without a settlement, the Ombudsman hears both sides and passes an award, which can order action and compensation.
- Acceptance. You get 30 days to accept the award in writing, or it lapses. The entity then has 30 days to comply or appeal.
- Appeal. Unhappy? Appeal within 30 days to the Appellate Authority, the RBI executive director in charge of consumer protection. Another 30 days is allowed for good cause.
Rs 30 lakh is the new ceiling for consequential loss, up from Rs 20 lakh in 2021. Up to Rs 3 lakh more can cover your time, costs and harassment, up from Rs 1 lakh, and there's no cap on the amount in dispute (RBI). Our explainer on the RBI's credit score rules covers the bureau-side protections.
Filed before 1 July 2026? Your complaint, appeal and award stay under the 2021 scheme (RBI).
The Ombudsman fixes service failures. Credit decisions stay with the lender.
Worked Example: A Closed Loan Still Shown as Active for Four Months
Here's an illustrative case. Priya, 32, repaid a personal loan with a Rs 9,000 EMI on 15 March 2026 and got her closure letter. Four months later, her report still shows it "Active".
She earns Rs 60,000 a month and her real EMIs total Rs 12,000, a FOIR (fixed obligations to income ratio) of 20%. A lender reading her report adds the phantom Rs 9,000 and sees Rs 21,000, or 35%. Many lenders cap FOIR, so the error can shrink an offer or end it.
Her timeline:
- 1 August: she disputes the entry with the bureau and sends the lender her closure letter.
- 31 August: the 30-day deadline passes.
- 15 September: the report is corrected, 15 days late.
- Compensation due: 15 days × Rs 100 = Rs 1,500, within 5 working days, so by 22 September.
- 25 September: no money arrives. She writes to the lender's grievance officer.
- 25 October: 30 days pass with no reply.
- 23 January 2027: her last day to file with the Ombudsman (25 October + 90 days).
Illustrative example. Your dates and amounts will differ.
Priya files on cms.rbi.org.in in early November with the dispute ID, closure letter and her email, asking for the Rs 1,500. Any extra compensation is the Ombudsman's call.
What Would GroScore's Credit Coach Flag on Your Report?
Each problem has its own door. In an illustrative example, Meera, 41, opens her Equifax report on GroScore. Arjun, GroScore's credit coach, reads it with her and flags three items, in this order:
- A DPD of 30 on her credit card for June. Her bank statement shows she paid on the due date. That's an error: she disputes it with Equifax, writes to the card issuer, and keeps the Ombudsman for day 31.
- A hard enquiry from an NBFC she's never heard of. Someone may have applied in her name. She contacts the NBFC, disputes the enquiry and calls the cybercrime helpline, 1930.
- A 60-day late payment on a 2025 personal loan. She did pay late, so it stays. It fades as on-time months build up.
Unsure what a code means? Our guide to account status codes like DPD, SMA and SUB decodes each one.
GroScore can alert you to a report error or new enquiry. It can't file a complaint for you or remove a true entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I file a complaint against a bank with the RBI?
Complain to the bank in writing first and keep the reference number. After 30 days without a reply, or an unhappy one, file on cms.rbi.org.in, email crpc@rbi.org.in or post the form to CRPC Chandigarh, within 90 days.
How long does the RBI Ombudsman take to resolve a complaint?
The 2026 scheme sets no single deadline for the whole case. The entity must respond within 15 days unless given more time, and the Ombudsman tries for a settlement first (RBI). After an award, each step has its own 30-day limit.
Can I complain to the RBI about a wrong CIBIL report?
Yes, after you've disputed it with the bureau and waited 30 days. Bureaus are covered, so you can complain if the error isn't fixed or the Rs 100-a-day compensation is refused. Accurate entries can't be removed this way.
Is there any fee to file an RBI Ombudsman complaint?
No. Filing and pursuing a complaint is free, and you don't need a lawyer. Be wary of anyone who asks for money to "file with the RBI" for you.
Can a lawyer file an RBI complaint for me?
Not as your representative. You can authorise someone else in writing, such as a family member, but not an advocate, unless the advocate is the aggrieved customer.
What if I filed my complaint before 1 July 2026?
Your complaint stays under the 2021 scheme until closed, including any appeal. Only complaints received from 1 July 2026 follow the 2026 rules.
The Bottom Line
The RBI Ombudsman is free and covers banks, larger NBFCs, wallets and credit bureaus. It works only in order: complain to the entity, wait 30 days, then file within 90. Keep every reference number and date. Before you complain about a report error, check your free Equifax report on GroScore so you know exactly which entry is wrong.
Disclaimer
This GroScore article is for general education and is not financial advice. GroScore provides credit scores and reports sourced from Equifax, an RBI-licensed credit bureau; scores differ between bureaus and change as lenders report new data. Credit score improvement depends on your individual credit behaviour and bureau reporting timelines, and results are not guaranteed. Loan and card decisions are made by lenders on their own criteria. GroScore is not a lender. Figures and rates shown are indicative.
