Complaints by consumers against claims management companies (CMCs) have more than trebled over the past year, Ministry of Justice figures have revealed.

The number of complaints against CMCs shot up from just under 200 a month in January 2009 to more than 600 a month in January this year, the figures show. According to data from September 2009, complaints were predominantly over ‘misleading’ advice (13%) and refunds (13%).

The number of CMCs regulated by the MoJ has increased by 50% over the past year to 3,366 – six times the MoJ’s original estimate when it took on the role of claims management regulator.

However, applications for licences appear to be in decline, having fallen from around 180 in January 2009 to about 80 in January 2010.

Speaking at the Claims Management Conference in Manchester last week, Kevin Rousell, head of claims management at the MoJ, said that there seemed to be little prospect of another body taking over claims management regulation from the MoJ, which was initially tasked with regulating CMCs as a temporary measure. ‘The Legal Services Board has shown no signs of being oversight regulator for claims management businesses,’ he said. ‘There’s no point in change for change’s sake.’

The figures show that the claims regulator received 400 complaints a month on average between January 2009 and January 2010, and launched 150 enforcement actions a month over the same period.