The Financial Ombudsman Service received 22,489 new general insurance/protection claims in the first half of 2024. This was down on the 24,496 received in the same period the previous year. The insurers with the most claims registered against them were Admiral Group (1,657), Direct Line Group (1,555), Aviva Insurance Limited (1,427), Esure Insurance Limited (1,193) and Axa Insurance UK Plc (916).

Abby Thomas, chief executive and chief ombudsman of the FOS, said: “Businesses should put consumers at the heart of their service but the high level of complaints we receive shows that’s not always the case.”

She added: “If people don’t feel they’ve been treated fairly by their financial provider, they can come directly to our service and we’ll see if we can help. Getting a fair answer is free and easy.”