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Complaints against banks are on the rise, according to the financial services industry’s ombudsman.

Overall complaint volumes remained stable, but banking-related complaints increased, according to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI), which released its annual report for 2015 on Wednesday.

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The Ombudsman opened 273 banking cases last year, up 21 per cent from the year before. The increase continues a trend of the past two years, according to OBSI, which also handles complaints related to investments.

The top complaints aimed at banks involved mortgage prepayment penalties, account collections and closures, and service. There were also complaints about suspected fraud, primarily involving debit and credit cards.

OBSI received a total of nearly 5,300 inquiries from Canadian consumers, which resulted in the opening and investigation of 571 cases.