Contact center
(from Russia)
ext 00020 (from abroad)
Monday - Friday from 8:00 to 20:00 (Moscow time), except public holidays, free call from regions of Russia
25 april 2023, 12:00
According to preliminary data, the number of appeals to the Financial Ombudsman related to insurance decreased in 2022 in comparison with 2021 and amounted to 135,129 (161,269 in 2021), said Financial Ombudsman Svetlana Maximova at the conference on “Settlement of Losses in Insurance” held in Moscow on April 25.
“The reduction is explained by a slight subsidence of the market, improvement of insurance segment regulation and the generally positive effect of the institute of out-of-court dispute resolution and compulsory claim procedure,” the Financial Ombudsman pointed out.
According to Svetlana Maximova, there were no visible and dramatic changes in general in the distribution of shares by insurance types in the total volume of appeals concerning insurance in comparison with 2021.
Compulsory MTPL insurance accounts for the bulk of 78% of insurance appeals, because this type is compulsory and therefore the most popular. In 2021 its share was 76%.
There has been a noticeable change in the subject matter of CMTPL insurance appeals. In particular, disagreement with the amount of insurance compensation increased (42.9% in 2021, 52.2% in 2022) and the number of disputes where the consumer disagrees with the denial of insurance compensation decreased (25.5% in 2021, 16.9% in 2022). “In our view, this change is partly a positive trend in the development of interaction between insurers and their clients, as a rejection is always a strong dissatisfaction for the consumer, rather than a lack of consensus on the amount of payout,” the Financial Ombudsman added.
Svetlana Maximova also reminded that the Decree of the Russian Supreme Court Plenum No. 31 “On application by the courts of the legislation on compulsory third party liability insurance” dated 08.11.2022 had been published in 2022. The document resolved a wide range of issues, and according to these elucidations the FOS is adjusting the practice of dealing with consumer appeals.
The Financial Ombudsman also highlighted a list of unacceptable practices identified when considering appeals in 2022. In particular, these include the non-acceptance of a claim sent in a way not provided for by law but suggested by the insurer (e.g. through the chatbot). Insurers also impose insurance terms that provide for a significant “deferral” of claims. Another practice is the purchase of insurance reserves of a financial instrument for investment purposes, which does not comply with the terms of the investment insurance contract.
