The Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) said Tuesday that the biggest banks that currently use its dispute resolutions services have all signed up to remain with OBSI through 2013.

OBSI says it has received commitments from Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, CIBC, National Bank of Canada, HSBC Bank Canada, ING Bank of Canada, and Laurentian Bank of Canada to remain with OBSI for the full 2013 fiscal year.

Bank participation in OBSI is voluntary, and Royal Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank have withdrawn from the service over the past few years. Moreover, the federal government has declined to make OBSI the mandatory consumer dispute-resolution service for banks.

Additionally, OBSI reports that several new banks have joined for the first time, including Merrill Lynch International Bank Ltd. and Mega International Commercial Bank (Canada). Sixty banks now voluntarily participate in its dispute resolution service, OBSI confirms.

“By committing to OBSI, these banks have demonstrated the high importance they place on their customers’ experience and satisfaction,” said Fernand Bélisle, chair of OBSI’s board of directors.

“OBSI appreciates the continued support of so many of Canada’s leading banks. Our commitment to them is to continue providing the top-quality complaint-handling services, trusted by the public, that the banks and their customers have come to expect.”

Last week, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) proposed to require all firms under their direct supervision to use OBSI, too. The CSA proposal includes portfolio managers, exempt market dealers and scholarship plan dealers. Currently, only members of the industry self-regulatory organizations, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA) are required to participate in OBSI. Although a number of other firms do voluntarily use its services.

OBSI says that, if the CSA’s proposals are adopted, the number of banking and investment firms participating in OBSI would almost double from over 600 today to well over 1,000.