How allegations are resolved
Upheld, not upheld, withdrawn and dismissed explained
Short answer
- Financial Ombudsman uphold rate
- 30% of complaints resolved in 2025/26 1
- Financial Ombudsman withdrawn or abandoned
- 18% in 2025/26, down from 35% in 2024/25, in a passage on professional representatives 1
- SEC matters closed without action
- 1,095 in fiscal year 2025 3
- Commons outcomes
- No breach, rectification, or referral to the Committee on Standards 4
- Malta standards cases 2025
- 6 investigations found misconduct and 6 found none 5
Upheld and not upheld
Complaint bodies and ombudsman schemes report their decisions as upheld or not upheld. An upheld complaint means the body agreed with the complainant on the issue it examined. It does not mean a court found a crime. The UK Financial Ombudsman Service reported an overall uphold rate of 30% across all financial products for 2025/26 1.
Standards bodies use other words for the same idea. Malta's Commissioner for Standards in Public Life reports misconduct found or no misconduct found 5. In 2025 it concluded 12 investigations, with misconduct found in six and no misconduct found in six 5. Five of the misconduct cases went to the parliamentary Standards Committee and one was resolved under article 22(5) 5.
House of Commons: no breach, rectification, referral
The House of Commons Procedural Protocol sets three outcomes after an investigation 4. No breach means the evidence does not show a breach on the balance of probabilities 4. Rectification means a breach was found and the Member agreed to take remedial action, including an apology 4. Referral means the Commissioner sends a memorandum to the Committee on Standards, for example where the Member disputes the finding 4.
The Committee can require an apology, training or repayment, and the House decides suspension, loss of salary or expulsion 4. A Member can appeal to the Independent Expert Panel, whose decision is final 4.
Withdrawn, discontinued and dismissed in criminal cases
A criminal charge can end without a verdict. Under the Contempt of Court Act 1981, proceedings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are discontinued if the charge or summons is withdrawn or a nolle prosequi is entered 2. A charge ordered to lie on the file is no longer active, but it can be revived with leave of the court 2.
Prosecutors must stop a case that fails the evidential test. The Code for Crown Prosecutors says a case that does not pass the evidential stage must not proceed, no matter how serious it is 6. A charge under the narrower Threshold Test must be kept under review, and the Full Code Test applied once further evidence arrives 6.
Closed without action in regulatory cases
Regulators close many inquiries without bringing a case. The SEC said it closed 1,095 matters without action in fiscal year 2025, and it excluded them from its enforcement results 3. The FCA closed 81 enforcement operations and opened 23 in the year to 31 March 2025 7. The FCA release does not give a figure for operations closed with no further action 7.
Glossary table
| Term | Meaning | Example body |
|---|---|---|
| Upheld | The body agreed with the complaint on the issue examined 1 | Financial Ombudsman Service 1 |
| No breach | Breach not shown on the balance of probabilities 4 | House of Commons Commissioner 4 |
| Rectification | Breach found and remedied with the Member's agreement 4 | House of Commons Commissioner 4 |
| Withdrawn | Charge or summons withdrawn, case discontinued 2 | Criminal courts, England and Wales 2 |
| Lie on the file | Charge not pursued but can be revived with leave 2 | Criminal courts, England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2 |
| Closed without action | Inquiry ended without a case 3 | SEC 3 |
Common questions
Does not upheld mean the complaint was false?
No. It means the body did not find the complaint proved to its standard, such as the balance of probabilities 4.
What share of Financial Ombudsman complaints are upheld?
30% of complaints resolved in 2025/26 1.
What happens when a criminal charge is withdrawn?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the proceedings are treated as discontinued 2.
Can an MP appeal a standards finding?
Yes. A Member can appeal to the Independent Expert Panel, whose decision cannot be appealed further 4.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@allegationindex.org.
Sources
- Financial Ombudsman Service: Annual complaints data and insight 2025/26 (21 May 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Contempt of Court Act 1981, Schedule 1
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission via Newsfile: SEC Announces Enforcement Results for Fiscal Year 2025 (7 April 2026)
- UK Parliament: Procedural Protocol in respect of the Code of Conduct (24 February 2023)
- Commissioner for Standards in Public Life (Malta): Annual Report 2025 (31 July 2026)
- Crown Prosecution Service: The Code for Crown Prosecutors (26 October 2018)
- Financial Conduct Authority: FCA Enforcement data 2024/25 (10 July 2025)
Related
- Settled without admission of wrongdoing, explained
What it means when a regulator settles a case without an admission, how the SEC and FCA settle, and the 2026 end of the SEC no-deny policy.
- What ombudsman complaint outcomes mean
How ombudsman schemes in the UK, the EU and Kenya decide complaints, what upheld, maladministration and solution mean, and the latest published figures.
- How parliaments handle complaints about members
How the UK, Canada, the US House and Malta take, investigate and decide complaints about legislators, with tests, outcomes and appeals.
- Standards of proof compared across courts and other bodies
Beyond reasonable doubt, balance of probabilities, clear and convincing evidence and the tests prosecutors and parliaments use, with the law.