Glossary

Insurance Ombudsman

Also called ombudsman.

An independent forum that decides policyholder complaints, free of charge.

The Ombudsman scheme provides an independent route for policyholder complaints against insurers. There is no fee, and no lawyer is required.

The precondition is that you complained to the insurer and it rejected the complaint, did not resolve it to your satisfaction, or did not reply. A complaint registered with the regulator is not a substitute for that, and is not something the Ombudsman requires you to have done. An award binds the insurer.

Related terms

  • Grievance redressal The defined route for complaining, and for escalating when a complaint is not resolved.
  • Bima Bharosa The regulator's online portal for registering complaints against insurers.
  • Claim repudiation An insurer's refusal to pay a claim, with reasons given.

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