Frequently asked questions

An independent, non-governmental desk that registers grievances against banks, card issuers, lenders, insurers and public offices, issues formal representations under the citizen's written authority, and escalates each matter through the channels the governing rules provide, up to the regulator. It charges no fee.¹

No. The Bureau is independent and exercises no statutory power. It works through the grievance channels that banks, regulators and public offices are themselves required to maintain, and its strength is the complete, dated record it builds in each matter.²

No. The Bureau gives no legal advice and does not appear before any court or tribunal. Where a matter must go to court, it helps an eligible citizen apply to the District Legal Services Authority for free legal aid.¹³

Institutions are already bound to answer grievances within the periods fixed in their own policies. A representation from the Bureau arrives with your signed authority, a Registry Number and the provisions engaged, and each missed date is escalated. The RBI's Ombudsman scheme permits a complaint to be lodged through an authorised representative who is not an advocate.¹⁰

Any citizen with a grievance against an institution or public office in India: a borrower, cardholder, co-borrower, guarantor, account holder, policy holder, nominee or legal heir. A family member may help a citizen register, but the Letter of Authority must be signed by the citizen.

No. No fee, commission, success fee, reimbursement, gift or donation is accepted at any stage, before registration, during the matter or after it closes.¹

Pay nothing. The demand is fraudulent. Report it to case@cgb.org.in, and if money has been lost, to the National Cyber Crime Helpline on 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in.¹⁵

The Bureau handles no money. Where a regulation fixes compensation payable by an institution, the representation claims it, and any amount is paid by the institution directly to the citizen.

Complete Form CGB-1 online, or print it, complete it by hand and email a photograph to case@cgb.org.in. A Registry Number is sent to your email address within one working day.

Yes. You may open a free email account on your phone, or write through a trusted family member's email address, provided your own name appears in the grievance and you sign the Letter of Authority yourself.

Hindi, English or any other language. The Bureau's explanation is sent in the same language. Representations to institutions issue in English, with a summary in your language on request.

Every notice, letter or SMS from the institution; the agreement, policy or statement you hold; earlier complaint numbers and replies; and identity proof with the Aadhaar number masked except the last four digits. Never send an OTP, PIN, password or full card number.

An acknowledgement within one working day, an explanation within three, and the first representation within five working days of your signed Letter of Authority. Escalation follows within two working days of each lapse.

Write to case@cgb.org.in from your registered email address, quoting your Registry Number. A status reply issues within one working day. Status is never disclosed to any other address.

Banks owe their customers confidentiality and will not discuss an account with a third party without the customer's written consent. Form CGB-2 is that consent, confined to one matter, and it is annexed to the Bureau's first representation.

No. The Letter of Authority expressly forbids the Bureau to receive money, to accept, reject or negotiate any settlement, or to sign any document creating a financial obligation for you. Any proposal is placed before you unaltered, and the decision is yours.

Yes, at any time and without reasons, by writing to case@cgb.org.in. The institution is informed within one working day and your complete file is handed to you within three.

You may affix your left thumb impression. The person who completes the form for you writes your name beside it and adds their own name below. No one may sign in your place.

Recovery agents may contact a borrower only between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm, and may not intimidate, humiliate or approach third parties to shame the borrower.³ Record the date, time and number of each call, and register a grievance under category B-1.

The loan agreement must state the notice period before repossession, the circumstances in which notice may be waived, and the procedure for taking possession and for sale.⁴ The Bureau insists that the lender follows its own agreement and the applicable directions, and accounts in writing for each step.

The notice issued before repossession, the inventory prepared at the time of taking possession, the present location of the vehicle, any notice of sale, and the statement of account showing how sale proceeds were applied. A co-borrower or guarantor may ask for the same records.

A co-borrower or guarantor is usually liable alongside the principal borrower under the terms of the agreement, and may be pursued for the dues. That is exactly why you may register a grievance in your own name for statements, the agreement, repossession records and correction of your credit report.

Original property documents are to be released within 30 days of full repayment or settlement, failing which the lender compensates the borrower at ₹5,000 for each day of delay.⁵ For a vehicle loan, ask also for the no-dues certificate and the removal of hypothecation from the registration certificate.

A request to close a credit card is to be completed within seven working days, subject to payment of dues, failing which the issuer pays ₹500 for each day of delay.⁶ Keep the date and reference of your request and register a grievance under category C-1.

Report it to the issuer immediately through its official channel, and keep the reference. Where fraud arises from a third-party breach and is reported within three working days, the customer bears zero liability.⁷ Then register a grievance under C-1 or D-1.

Card issuers may not issue or upgrade a card without the customer's explicit consent. Where an unsolicited card is activated without consent, the issuer must reverse the charges and pay a penalty of twice the value of the charges reversed.⁸

Register a grievance under category S-1. The representation asks for the settlement letter, the no-dues or closure certificate, return of any title documents, and correct reporting of the account to the credit bureaus.

A settled account is ordinarily reported to the credit bureaus as settled rather than closed, and lenders may read that status adversely. The Bureau can seek correction only of entries that are wrong; it cannot have an accurate entry removed.

The Bureau may place your written request for settlement or restructuring before the institution as a representation, and insists on a reasoned reply. It does not bargain over amounts, and it never accepts or rejects an offer on your behalf.

Raise a dispute with the credit bureau and the lender, and keep the dispute number. A complaint not resolved within 30 days entitles the complainant to compensation of ₹100 for each day of delay.⁹ Register a grievance under category B-3 with a copy of the report.

Attach the payment receipts or the closure certificate to your grievance. The representation asks the lender to correct its reporting to each credit bureau and to confirm the correction in writing.

Register a grievance under category I-1. The representation goes first to the insurer's grievance officer. Where the insurer rejects it, does not reply within 30 days, or replies unsatisfactorily, the matter may go to the Insurance Ombudsman.¹¹

Register a grievance under category G-1. Central offices are approached through CPGRAMS, where the disposal period is 21 days, and state offices through the State grievance portal.¹²

They are used only for your registered matter, held in a restricted case file, and erased within 30 days of closure. You may ask for access, correction or erasure at any time.¹⁴

Yes. Your Letter of Authority is annexed to the first representation, and you are copied on it. The Bureau does not correspond anonymously.

Lodging a grievance is a right the governing rules provide. Any adverse step taken in response to a complaint should itself be recorded with its date and reported in your matter, and the Bureau places it on the record.

No. No citizen's matter is published or disclosed to the press without that citizen's written consent.

A matter pending before a court or tribunal is ordinarily declined. The Bureau may still refer you to the District Legal Services Authority for free legal aid.¹³

The Bureau cannot prevent lawful recovery of genuine dues. It insists that the lender follows the notice and procedure the rules require, issues proper records, and accounts for each step it has taken.

Yes, to secure fair treatment, correct records and lawful procedure. The Bureau will not help any person conceal an asset or evade a debt that is genuinely due, and asks citizens to continue paying dues that are not in dispute.

No. The Bureau promises process, not results: the right letter, to the right officer, at the right time, escalated on each lapse until a reasoned answer is given.