Obsi Reviews 34

No follow up, no follow through.

A token measure at best that is rarely effective at recovering funds.

I was scammed and provided almost no assistance at all to the scammers, no pin. They already had a bunch of my personal information. I believe they were able to access my information through my phone as I received a google android alert that some was trying to access my device.

I’ve waited months for someone to even be assigned to my case from OBSI.

This demonstrates yet another absolute failure to ensure Canadian banking security and protection for customers.

TD was the bank in question, which has been the subject of a number of lawsuits, but OBSI claims to be objective, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they had an arrangement with banks to avoid approving claims, given the abysmal effectiveness.

MULTIPLE PIECES OF EVIDENCE HAVE BEEN DISREGARDED WASTE OF TIME
AN INTIMIDATING & INSULTING EXPERIENCE

This service appears to cater exclusively to a select group and is not accessible or responsive to the broader population. The entire process has resulted in a significant waste of time and considerable psychological distress, all while hoping for a satisfactory resolution.

The unauthorized transactions in question were initiated through an obsolete email address from 2022, which I had formally closed.
Twenty-four trades executed within approximately 20 seconds
Concurrent multi-network session activity
Discrepancies in timestamps
Multiple IP addresses accessing the account within the same brief timeframe
Additionally, the system-triggered termination of multiple active sessions simultaneously was ignored.
Variations in device fingerprints were also neglected. The login records indicate multiple device identifiers
Furthermore, the occurrence of an international third-party security breach prior to or during the unauthorized transactions was not taken into account.
Evidence demonstrating the addition of an API key to the account on the day of the unauthorized transactions was also disregarded.
Despite submitting three comprehensive reports supported by substantial proof, all were dismissed without due consideration.

The senior investigator ignored the core issue of the bank's non-compliance with regulations where I could not login to get my personal visa statements through my personal account of an expired visa card. Instead he stated that the bank had the right to charge my expired visa card with re-occurring month charges from vendors and applying interest. He ignored that I was cut off from accessing my account and statement in my original complaint, did not get facts from the bank, refused to acknowledge this a even a factor in his analysis and even refused to include it in his final analysis when I emailed him, identifying the oversight and asked the he at least include this issue in his closing letter and findings.

What went wrong?
- Everything.
How could this organisation improve?
- Burn itself to the ground while bathing in gasoline, drinking Acetone Martinis & using Chlorine Trifluoride as hair spray. 

I had a proper horrible time & made a complaint to BMO - who essentially told me to leave them alone as they could do what they want. Ok great .... Get through to this bunch of unhelpful individuals. The "Senior Investigator" KP, finally contacted me after I logged the case in Aug '25 she got in touch early Nov '25. We talked on the phone for an hour, she pretended to care, I told her I don't want to get jerked around & lied to if you aren't going to look at it impartially. Told her everything about how my situation had changed, what I was facing, how it affected me, the consequences of XYZ. EVERYTHING. She said NOPE WON'T HAPPEN WE DON'T TAKE SIDES. Called her out on it there & then saying I bet her that she will & she will take the bank's side, organisations like hers ALWAYS side with banks. Assured me NOPE WE'RE IMPARTIAL. KP said she will look at everything & everything will be fine. Yeah, yeah, my thoughts were, pull the other one love. 

Mind you BMO riddled me out of possible employment with a company (yearly salary of over 190K, left me stranded in another country after a life-saving medical procedure after they dropped my credit limit by over $26,000 overnight) stopping my ability to return to a normal life (such as flights back to Canada, private physio for my full recovery, pay bills, pay for medication etc etc) some of what it's been used for in the past! Yes, you reading right 26K with no 2025 tech reliable notification as to it was happening (but hey BMO Section 7 says middle finger to you we will do what we want). They used snail mail - supposedly in Mar '25 - still no letter & it was Nov when this was taking place. BMO can use texts to remind me of a payment due, or emails about their marketing propaganda, or emails to refer your friends for a chance to win a $50 gift card or that you missed a payment (I didn't & NEVER have they just decided to hit me with that as well as the overlimit charge when they dropped the limit then hit me with all the fees) but nothing by email or a text to say hey buddy we're taking back 26k and you need to get in touch ASAP.

So KP says we don't take sides, we look at the info, the financial impact on you, your situation, your credit report blah blah blah, trying to get me off the phone so she can go do something as productive as having a nap.
She lets me know literally 4 days later her investigation is done. This hassle with BMO has been going from March 2025 to July 2025 & you finish it in less than 4 days, with numerous phone calls, emails and complaints logged with BMO? NO WAY YOU DID!
KP then sends me a pathetic copy & paste email stating she saw no issues with how the bank treated me or the situation & it's all ok & dandy under Section 7 aka SOD OFF. No compensation, no correcting credit file info - nothing.
So, I emailed KP stating quote "So in the most disrespectful, offensive, obtuse, impertinent way possible - THANK YOU FOR NOTHING & PROVING ME RIGHT!" unquote. I also told them I don't care for their confidentiality & I'm releasing the letter she sent that says "Don't disclose this to anyone". Yeah, nah whatever - that's what you hope. MY letter, MY decision. What are you going to do ignore my safe word as well?

This organisation doesn't care about customers, doesn't care if the banks slap you about, doesn't care about the situation you are now in or will be in because the banks have done the nasty to you. Like I said it took back 26k overnight, left me stranded over the other side of the world yet still want to think they are amazing!

The only reason that NO ONE gets any decent service from this organisation (OBSI) is that they are taking kickbacks from the banks, I am very sure. This is why you get overlooked by this organisation that is supposed to be impartial. Yet as customers we can do nothing. The banks treat us bad, the complaints procedure for the banks likewise ignore us, the OBSI sides against us, THEN they say, "If you're not happy with the outcome get in touch within 30 days to get it reviewed" & "This doesn't stop you taking it to court for a civil suit". 
ARE YOU SERIOUS? Appeal OBSI's decision against me to OBSI so they can then side against me again by sticking with their staff member & of course being "impartial"? Yeah like that's going to get me anywhere.
"Take it to court" - you sided against me; the bank financially bopped me on the head - you really think I have the resources to drag this through the courts for however long - to then be hit with legal fees AGAINST ME? 

AVOID THIS ORGANISATION ENTIRELY. They are NOT impartial.

I filed a complaint with the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) hoping to get an independent and fair review of my dispute with my bank (CIBC). Unfortunately, the entire process turned out to be a complete waste of time.

I spent hours gathering and submitting all the documents OBSI required. The process is extremely time-consuming, and in the end it felt like none of that effort mattered. The outcome simply supported the bank’s position.

After going through this experience, I honestly do not understand the purpose of OBSI. The organization claims to be an independent ombudsman, but based on my experience it felt like they were favouring the bank rather than advocating for consumers.

Looking at the many negative reviews here, it’s clear I am not the only person who feels this way. Many others seem to have had similar experiences where a great deal of time was spent providing documentation only to receive a decision that sided with the financial institution.

Consumers expect an ombudsman service to be impartial and to genuinely review complaints. Unfortunately, that was not my experience.

I would not recommend anyone waste their time going through the OBSI process.

The banks feed OBSI. OBSI closed their eyes and did nothing to help us. I have been contacted OBSI for a year. No one responded to me. One day, they contacted me to inform me that it is acceptable for the CIBC to steal your money. We do not have any recommendations. Your loss is the loss. Good-bye.
They said the letter is confidential. I will post it to
the public.
All the banks tell you to go for obsi after they steal from you. You know why: obsi eating whatever shit the bank put on the ground.

Everyone is correct in what they're saying but what they fail to tell you is that they allegedly commit many things that are against Canadian laws including misrepresenting what they do and false advertising which is illegal. This is why they have you sign their allegedly irrelevant corrupt NDA. They're bureaucratic, as Canada is, which is why it is a literal failing country. The reviews here are correct, they allegedly hire previous big 5 employees that previously held the same roles everyone is having issues with. This is called systemic oppression. They like to think they can hide behind glass walls only because no one has taken them to court because lawyers are usually allegedly lazy, probably underpaid and complacent themselves.
So if anyone is a lawyer here, why are these corrupt organizations still standing? Are we not capable of suing them in court directly as a collective? Only opinions and speculative questions here, not inciting riots or anything.

You repeat your story 100 times, OBSI will never highlight mistake of Bank, in their decision, they will not even touch the part which can put Bank on the wrong side. I think that's why some people have used the word corrupt for obsi. I have noticed obsi favours banks, tries their best to hide mistakes of Bank, tries their best to frustrate public. Nothing else. I several times, asked OBSI to check a recording, but they don't want to work. Government should eliminate this organization. No use. I will share my experience on Twitter as well. Thanks

OBSI, Safiya was not very competent in my opinion. I had an appointment set for Nov. 12th at 12noon. Surprise! Safiya called at 11am! Throughout the telephone call Safiya had coughed in my ear so many time, without any apologies. My husband and I have a joint account with TD for over 30 years. We have placed either of our checks into the bank for over 30 years, when the other wasn't available. I just asked the bank (as we were told) for their policy and procedures. To date I haven't been sent anything, Safiya OBSI comes back with they said it was the TD bank or a third party. So which is it??? There was another issue with my mortgage however I won't go into that now.

Wonder why you can’t find OBSI on google maps? They had such bad reviews the organization requested their own deletion. Better use the courts as the OBSI agents are all former big 5 executives. You have a better chance finding 100 bucks blowing in the wind

Do not seek assistance from bank investigators, such as Angad Singh. His investigation was based solely on bank resolutions and was ineffective. These individuals are not on the customers' side and are only causing problems. Avoid them.

Unfortunately, alsthough I had phone transcripts, names and dates showing that a Scotiabank employee had lied, OSBI did nothing. When I contacted Scotiabank to get info not available online so I could move all my accounts and take advantage of an amazing EQ offer, the "financial advisor" told all sorts of lies (Interest increases for one year, free services etc.) to get me to agree to stay, then ghosted me without signing the paperwork on any of them until the EQ offer expired. OSBI was okay with this. Disappointing.

My experience with the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) was deeply disappointing and revealed a fundamentally flawed process.

My primary concern is OBSI's lack of objectivity. In my case, the investigator simply reiterated the bank's position without providing independent justification or factual support for their conclusions. The process allows OBSI to make claims without any obligation to ground them in evidence, cite sources, or consider legal precedent. Most troublingly, they are not required to alter their opinion when presented with contradicting evidence, often relying solely on the financial institution's word.

While OBSI may help a minority of complainants, I did not find it to be a fair, free, or independent forum. The issues lie not with the outcome, but with the opaque and unaccountable methodology.

Therefore, I suggest carefully weighing your options. If you are certain you will not go to court, then OBSI is an option, albeit with potential for months of delay. However, if you are prepared to escalate, I recommend proceeding directly to small claims court. It is affordable in most provinces and offers a significantly better chance of a decision based on objective facts, evidence, and legal precedent.

Obsi is More corrupt than the bank that ripped me off the investigator Gillian is behond corrupt they sided with the bank when my debit card was cloned they didn't even have a explanation why they just sided with the bank this organization MUST be shut down immediately

They are absolutely aligned with Canadian banks to assuage consumer complaints about
banking issues. There should be a Parliamentary inquiry into their lack of effectiveness resulting in the Federal Government taking over the unbiased Ombudsman role to protect customers of banks.
I prepared a detailed report on my massive romance scam which happened in 2023.

I spent 2.5 hours on the phone with Vida Cave
a former bank employee and my claim was rejected offhand. I tried to get my case reconsidered by Jeff Scanlon and was advised my case would not be reopened as I missed the 30 day deadline by 7 days.
I have now provided my case details to my
MP David McKenzie and he thinks there should be a Parliamentary enquiry into their behaviour
and lack of concern for my case.
I am age 75 and will have to go back to work soon as I’m running out of money.

Shambles of an Ombudsman. They will always side with big banks over individual consumers. If you check your assigned investigators LinkedIn, don't be surprised when you see they used to work for these companies.
In my case they colluded with a bank to fake correspondence and justify a total lack of communication and transparency. And I wasnt asking for compensation, just a simple acknowledgement and explanation.
Complaining to these guys is a complete waste of time. If you really get screwed, you're better off taking it to court.

In my opinion & perosnal experience, contacting Ombudsman For Banking Services & Investments is a TOTAL WASTE OF TIME & MUCH AN INTIMIDATING & INSULTING EXPERIENCE. Reality is that NOTHING FREE SEEMS WORKING PROPERLY & DILIGENTLY NOWADAYS BUT SIMPLY MORE BUREAUCRACY & MORE RED TAPES & RUBBISH!!!

The so-called ''impartial'' banking ombudsman from the very begining demands that we spend lots of time, provideing lots of detailed personal & complaint & other infomation, this & that on their 15-20 or so long pages online complaint form. I see this as nothing more than a planned/intended deterrent for most of us to just give up our unresolved issues with banks

For those of us who are so frustrated & determined to go ahead & spend perhaps hours completing this inital precedure, more BUREAUCRATC nightmares follow from contacting OBSI.

The following is my recent personal communication experience with OBSI RE RBC DIRECT INVESTING (see my TrustPilot post dated May 30/25 for details)

''Dear (private): June 3, 2025 11:10

Thank you for contacting the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) and giving us the opportunity to review your complaint against RBC. To begin our review of your complaint, we require copies of:

1. The complaint letter you sent to RBC, or the date on which you called RBC to make your complaint

2. The final decision letter from RBC’s complaint-handling office, if you received one

Please send this information, along with any other supporting documents, within the next 14 days to: 20 Queen Street West, Suite 2400, P.O. Box 8, Toronto ON M5H 3R3, or by email to (private)

We will contact you once we have reviewed these documents to let you know what will happen next.

Sincerely,

Justin P

Case Assessment Officer II''

I sent my reply prompy as: June 3, 2025 1:42PM

''Hi Justine

I did ask Pat Feng, RBC Direct Investing Customer Care Officer on May 26 for a written record of my complaint & our tel communications dated May 20, 22 ,23 & 26 2025 & she told me there was no written records whatsoever as all communications were conducted over the phone

She gave me a case # as CC-01xxxx (private) on May 26 as per my request

Please let me know if further information. Thank you''

June 10, 2025 15:06 I received the following:

Dear (private):

To open our file, we require either a written response from RBC’s Client Complaints Appeal Office or written confirmation that your complaint has been outstanding for more than 90 days.

If you do not have any written correspondence, please contact RBC at 1-800 xxx-xxxx to inform them that you’ve contacted our office and request a written response for the purpose of our investigation.

Sincerely,

Justin P

Case Assessment Officer II''

I responded ''SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU ARE SIMPLY ANOTHER RIGID, NO GOOD BUREAUCRAT THAT WASTED LOTS OF MY VALUABLE TIME FOR NOTHING''

I have had 2 case files with the OBSI Royal Bank of Canada and Scotiabank. They are the worst. They will wait months to even look at your claim. I swear they put it on the desk and forget about it. The first investigator dealing with RBC actually asked me to tell her about my claim. She did not know anything about it. She gave the Bank credit, It was not in my favor. I actually had a 4runner that the bank never called to sign the contract they just started to take money out of my acct. Life got in the way a few years later, Divorce. The bank Seized it without a Writ or Warrant then sold it to pay off the loan and the bank won.!!!

The second investigator kept me on the phone and played psychologist saying what if....the account manager was wrong to tell you "your husband has every right to close a sole acct. He is your husband." She kept me on the phone for 1 hr and 20 min playing merry go round with illegal activity trying to find loopholes. I closed the conversation and said there will be a court date. I was told the OBSI cannot do any legal action. They just recommend a solution. I had the complaint in From Jan 24, 2025 and it is just now being investigated. A WAIST OF TIME!!!

OBSI for banking complaint handling process is more documentary but in reality is waste of tine for consumers facing issues with Bank services. Their investigators are not qualified to do competent investigation. They should have professional background and qualifications to do the job. They are simply office staff who just make decisions based on phone conversations with consumers. They are very much hesitant to question Bank authorities. Nothing will change by this review. Please don’t waste your time and efforts by contacting them. I regret myself. Thanks

OBSI is a corrupt and useless organisation that exists only to protect banks, not customers. Their entire process is a facade of fairness, deliberately designed to turn in favour of financial institutions, no matter how strong your case is. It’s nothing but an ineffective, bureaucratic shield that allows banks to get away with mistreatment and abuse.

They offer false hope, drag cases out with delays and meaningless correspondence, and end up delivering generic, one-sided outcomes that show no real investigation took place. OBSI is a disgraceful excuse for oversight a toothless, biased, and frustrating body that only adds more pain and wasted time to customers already seeking justice. Avoid this scam of a service.