Mission

The Credit Ombudsman’s mission is to safeguard and promote the rights, guarantees, and legitimate interests of any persons or entities involved in credit relationships, as well as to contribute to improving access to credit within the financial system.

Competences

The Credit Ombudsman is responsible for:

• Contributing to the promotion of the legally protected rights, guarantees, and legitimate interests of any persons or entities involved in credit relationships;
• Disseminating and promoting knowledge of the legal and regulatory standards applicable to credit agreements, contributing to the development of financial literacy in this area;
• Collaborating with the Banco de Portugal to ensure compliance with legal and contractual rules regarding the granting of credit;
• Coordinating mediation activities between banking customers and credit institutions with the aim of improving access to credit;
• Identifying deficiencies in legislation, issuing recommendations for its amendment or repeal, or suggesting new legislation;
• Monitoring credit activity as a whole.