The Financial Ombudsman Service has reported a record 8,734 fraud and scam cases in just a three-month period this year, the highest ever quarterly level.

The percentage of professional complaints about pensions and annuities to the Financial Ombudsman Service - including from claims management companies - showed a surprise fall in the latest quarterly period, in marked contrast to a surge in professional complaints overall.

The Financial Ombudsman Service received 1,460 new complaints about SIPP products over the past year, according to its annual report on complaints.

Wealth management trade body PIMFA has urged the Financial Ombudsman Service to push up proposed cases fees for CMCs to better share the burden of costs between between claimants and firms hit by a complaint.

The Financial Ombudsman Service received a total of 95,349 complaints between 1 July and 31 December 2023 compared to 79,921 complaints in the same period in 2022.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is forecasting that the number of complaints it is set to receive this year will hit 210,000 - nearly 30,000 higher than it predicted in December.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is considering charging Claims Management Companies fees of up to £650 per case to help cut down on the tide of speculative claims that can clog up the service.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is to freeze its individual case fee at £750 for a third year as its strives to reduce the financial strain of its services on regulated firms.

The consumer complaints body the Financial Ombudsman Service is to increase its maximum compensation award from £375,000 to £415,00 from 1 April.

The number of complaints about life and pension and investment companies fell by 8% during 2022, according to the latest data from the Financial Ombudsman Service.