The Federal Court has set November 2 as the date for a hearing into the ability of the Financial Industry Complaints Service to deal with Westpoint-related complaints.

As reported in Sunrise Exchange News last week, FICS wanted a declaration from the court on its ability to deal with complaints after some planners argued the body should not handle disputes related to the collapsed property company.

At the time CEO Alison Maynard said the argument was holding up the resolution process.

Ms Maynard says now the date has been set, FICS is a step closer to a resolution. “We need to get this issue resolved as soon as possible so we can get back to our job, which is helping consumers and members resolve disputes.”