Thanks to an economy that is still in doldrums and equity markets showing few signs of solid recovery, a growing number of investors faced with the prospect of shrinking investment portfolios are lodging complaints with provincial and federal bodies that oversee the investment community.
The federal Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) and the Quebec Chambre de la sécurité financière are reporting dramatic increases in investor complaints since the beginning of the year while Quebec’s financial watchdog, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), has received a surging number of calls requesting information over investment products.