COMPLAINTS about banks in Britain have risen this year - but the banks are getting better at dealing with them, according to a report yesterday.

The number of telephone inquiries and complaints made to the Banking Ombudsman was 22,793 - 22 per cent higher than in 1995 - while preliminary complaints in writing increased by 8.4 per cent. However, the number of cases accepted for full investigation during the 12 months ending September 30th was up only slightly, from 717 to 736.