General insurance has accounted for 37% of COVID-19 financial complaints over the past year, with travel leading a table of concerns across all product types.

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) said today it had received a total of 11,482 virus-related complaints between March 3 last year and the end of last month. Some 88% have been resolved.

Credit disputes accounted for 41% of the total, followed by general insurance, then superannuation with 11%, deposit taking with 5%, payment systems with 4% and investments and life each accounting for 1%.

Travel was the most complained about product, with 3516 complaints received, although the rate fell sharply as people remained at home.

AFCA says travel represented 83% of general insurance COVID complaints, while loss of profits/business interruption, comprehensive car cover and landlords’ insurance accounted for 3% each. Home building represented 2% of the COVID insurance complaints.

The World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11 last year (March 12 AEDT), but AFCA had begun collecting data a week earlier.

The COVID-related complaints represented about 15% of all complaints received over the 12-month period.

“While not seeking to downplay the challenges people have faced and continue to face, this was fewer complaints that we thought might arise from the pandemic,” AFCA COO Justin Untersteiner said.

For general insurance, denial of claim due to an exclusion or condition represented 28% of COVID complaints; denial of claim (general) 18%, delay in claim handling 16%, claim amounts 8% and incorrect premiums 7%.

Data collated across all financial sectors shows failure to respond to requests for assistance was the top issue with 1203 complaints.