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The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada says it has received a surge of complaints in the wake of news reports containing allegations of high-pressure sales tactics at Canada’s big banks.

Between March 13 and March 19, the financial services watchdog said it received 431 calls and emails, most of which appear to be complaints, marking an increase of 156 per cent from roughly the same period a year ago.

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“Since the (CBC News) story has come up, we’ve had a significant surge in calls,” said FCAC deputy commissioner Brigitte Goulard in an interview. “Some of them are complaints…. Some of them are also employees calling. We have seen a significant number of calls and emails coming in.”

The top concerns among those who contacted the FCAC were express consent, sales practices and the financial services watchdog’s role, the agency said.

The total is a marked increase from the 168 calls and emails the watchdog received a year ago and from the previous week of March 6 to 12, in which the FCAC said it received 175 calls and emails.