Important Statement from the Chairman of the Board of the Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman (CIFO)

Date: 28th October 2025

Due to the recent Public Statement made by the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner, CIFO’s Chairman wishes to make the following statement.

We deeply regret the confusion and doubt we caused the complainant in our communications with him in response to his data subject access request. This has been treated as a matter of grave importance and highest priority. We took immediate steps to put it right. We have appointed a new DPO, put in place new enhanced policies and procedures, undertaken training with all staff, and committed additional resource and funding to managing such requests.

As an Ombudsman service, we are committed to respecting the data rights of all individuals whose personal data we process and to ensure its users can have full confidence in our prompt, fair and transparent response to all data subject access requests.

We are confident that the steps we took will significantly reduce the risk of future breaches and ensure that our data protection practices meet the highest standards of integrity and transparency.

We appreciate the ongoing trust placed in our organisation and reaffirm our commitment to acting with integrity, independence, and in the interests of all parties. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of data governance to protect the data and the data rights of our global user base and to maintaining Jersey’s reputation as a leading international finance centre.

For more information, please contact CIFO’s Communications Office.
Email: Tracy.Weldrick@ci-fo.org or telephone: 01534 669800

About CIFO

The Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman (CIFO) is an independent organisation that resolves complaints about financial services provided in or from Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark. CIFO offers a free and impartial service to consumers and small businesses.