Media Releases

The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman, Karen Stevens, is warning people who are planning to visit or who are currently in New Caledonia to contact their travel insurance providers immediately, in light of the civil unrest currently taking place.

The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman, Karen Stevens, says she is looking forward to insurance contracts becoming fairer and easier to understand for consumers when upcoming changes to insurance law are passed.

The Ombudsmen for Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL) and the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) confirm the two organisations are in a formal process of evaluating a merger.

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.