Become a Participating Firm

Participating Firms

Participating firms at OBSI include all domestic banks and authorized foreign banks, most securities dealers, portfolio managers and investment fund managers, most credit unions and caisses populaires in Canada, as well as payment service providers and other financial services providers.

OBSI is funded by fees paid by over 1500 participating firms. Banks, securities registrants, and some credit unions and caisses populaires are required to belong to OBSI pursuant to the Bank Act, National Instrument 31-103, and provincial credit union regulations. Other firms, such as trust and loan companies, payment service providers and some credit unions and caisses populaires, participate in our service to fulfil their regulatory obligation to offer their customers the services of an independent dispute resolution service.

OBSI participating firms have access to our services to help resolve customer disputes, as well as:

  • Access to the Firm Portal, which provides comprehensive data about each firm’s current and historical cases and comparative data about historical cases for the firm’s sector, as well as administrative and accounting functions
  • Access to the Firm HelpDesk
  • Access to Firm Bulletins and a growing list of firm resources

Steps to become an OBSI Participating Firm

  1. Complete the membership application form at the bottom of this page. To complete the form, you will need to provide:
    • information about your firm sector or registration category
    • your firm’s address and contact information including internal and external contacts as well as accounting contacts
    • your firm’s agreement to comply with the membership obligations of OBSI’s Bylaws and Terms of Reference. To complete this step, please ensure that the membership application is completed by someone who has the legal authority to enter contracts on behalf of your firm.
  2. Our Membership Services team may reach out to you to confirm the details of your application or to request further information necessary to calculate your firm’s fees.
  3. We will process your application and send you an invitation to access our Firm Portal, as well as your fee invoice or instructions on generating your firm’s fee invoice. Invoices can be paid by EFT, credit card or cheque.
  4. Your firm will appear on our Participating Firm Search page and we will begin accepting inquiries and complaints from your firm’s clients.

Apply to become a member of OBSI