Australia's financial complaints regulator has fielded over 11,000 coronavirus-related complaints across the pandemic.
But it expected the fallout to be worse before the prompt response of banks, superannuation funds and governments.
A year on from the World Health Organisation declaring COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11 last year, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority on Thursday revealed the scale of related complaints.
There were 11,482 COVID-linked complaints about financial products or services to the regulator from March 3 to February 2.
That figure was well short of expectations, making up only 15 per cent of total complaints over the 11-month span.
"While not seeking to downplay the challenges people have faced, and continue to face, this was fewer complaints than we thought might arise from the pandemic," AFCA's chief operating officer Justin Untersteiner said.
"Banks were quick to respond, providing emergency support as they handled unprecedented numbers of requests for repayment deferrals.
"Superannuation funds worked with us to resolve consumer concerns about early access to super funds. Government financial support measures also played a vital role."
Almost one in three of the COVID-19 complaints was about travel insurance (3516), although they dipped sharply as international borders remained slammed shut.
Credit cards (1590 complaints), home loans (1204), superannuation accounts (996) and personal loans (800) rounded out the top five most complained about financial products.
In all, 65 per cent of COVID-related complaints were lodged in the first six months of the pandemic.
"There was then a trend downwards as financial firms fine-tuned their responses, activities like travel reduced and the economy steadied," the body said.
AFCA is on alert for more cases of financial difficulty to potentially arise in coming months as federal government supports such as JobKeeper finish at the end of March.
"It's vitally important that consumers and financial service providers work together to resolve issues quickly," Mr Untersteiner said.
Half-yearly statistics also show fraudsters are increasingly on the prowl, with the monthly average of complaints about unauthorised transactions and scams rising 23 per cent.
"Scams were growing before COVID-19 but the pandemic has accelerated this trend," Mr Untersteiner said.
He urged people to check in with family and friends to discuss the dangers posed to users online.
