It is vital to the success of the Credit Ombud Office that it is, and is perceived to be independent of the credit industry over which it has jurisdiction. The structure of the Credit Ombud ensures that the Office alone decides whether a Member (Credit Provider, Credit Bureau, Debt Counsellor or Payment Distribution Agent) has acted unfairly or unreasonably when investigating a complaint. There will be no undue influence in this process by any party.

To ensure this independence, the CO reports to the Credit Ombud Council which is represented by 3 constituencies: namely consumer bodies, the credit constituency and independent members.