Peter Bristow, outreach manager from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), is to speak at the ASTL’s quarterly meeting on 7 March.

He will be addressing lenders about the role of the service in resolving disputes between them and their customers when things have gone wrong.

This will include which complaints the ombudsman can consider, and how the service goes about its investigations and makes its decisions. He will also give an insight into the ombudsman’s wider role and current workload at a time of exceptional demand for its services by consumers.

The meeting is primarily for members but is also attended by potential new members, as well as associate members. It will take place from 3pm until 5pm on Thursday and will include updates on compliance and the ASTL’s series of meetings with the FSA as well as the talk by the Financial Ombudsman Service. There will also be time for networking following the meeting.

Bristow has been with the Ombudsman since the late 1990s. He joined after completing a law degree and has worked as an adjudicator resolving banking disputes before moving to his current role as an outreach manager.

Benson Hersch, the ASTL’s chief executive, said: “A significant number of people in the bridging industry and wider financial services are unaware of the impact that the Ombudsman has on their businesses and where its remit starts and stops, so Peter Bristow’s presentation promises to be very insightful.

“This talk by the Ombudsman is part of a range of initiatives that we have put in place to provide added value to ASTL members and associate members.”