Kifid, the Dutch Institute for Financial Disputes, was established in 2007 and is based in The Hague. It combines the activities of four predecessors, namely the four organisations that for years were responsible for alternative (i.e. out-of-court) resolution of disputes in the fields of (1) banking, (2) mortgages, (3) insurance, and (4) securities. All these organisations, which operated on the basis of self-regulation, merged in 2007 to form Kifid and so to improve accessibility for consumers.