Submit a complaint | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

See how the complaint process works

Watch this short video to find out what to include in your complaint and what will happen after you submit.

Submit a complaint | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (1)

Find answers before you start a complaint

We currently accept complaints about:

  • Checking and savings accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Credit reports and other personal consumer reports
  • Debt collection
  • Debt and credit management
  • Money transfers, virtual currency, and money services
  • Mortgages
  • Payday loans
  • Personal loans like installment, advance, and title loans
  • Prepaid cards
  • Student loans
  • Vehicle loans or leases

If you don't see the product or service you want to complain about listed, check out usa.gov to find other places to submit complaints. It includes ways to submit complaints about phone, internet, and cable companies as well as companies that sell other products and services and more.

If you think you’ve been a victim of scam, there are a few important steps you should take right away.

Have you tried reaching out to the company? Companies can usually answer questions unique to your situation and more specific to the products and services they offer.

Or, you can search for answers to consumers’ most frequently asked financial questions.

You generally can’t submit a second complaint about the same problem, so include this information to help the company respond to your complaint.

Key facts in your own words

  • Be clear and concise about the problem you’re having
  • Include only the most important dates, amounts, and communications you’ve had with the company

Documents

  • Attach documents that support the facts like account statements and communications with the company. Limit: 50 pages
  • If you’re submitting for someone else, note that companies generally require signed, written authorization provided directly by their customer before responding to someone other than their customer. If you have written authorization, consider attaching it.

Company you're complaining about

  • Select a company from the list in the form. We will forward your complaint directly to this company and ask for a response.
  • If you don’t see the company, provide complete contact information for the company. If we can’t send the complaint to that company, we’ll let you know what you can do next.

Your contact information

  • You will need to provide your name, email, and phone number to create your secure account.
  • You will need to provide your address. Without this, the company won't be able to respond to your complaint.
  • If you are submitting for someone else, you must disclose your relationship to the consumer and that you are submitting a complaint on their behalf.

Your complaint goes through several steps that help you get a response and help us identify problems in the marketplace.

1. Complaint submitted

You submit a complaint, or another government agency forwards your complaint to us. You will receive email updates and can check the status of your complaint.

2. Route

We'll send your complaint directly to the company so it can review the issues in your complaint. If we find that another government agency would be better able to assist, we will send your complaint to them and let you know.

3. Company response

The company will communicate with you as needed and respond to the issues in your complaint. Companies generally respond in 15 days. In some cases, the company will let you know their response is in progress and provide a final response in 60 days.

4. Complaint published

We publish information about your complaint (without information that directly identifies you) in our public Consumer Complaint Database. With your consent we also publish your description of what happened, after taking steps to remove personal information. Learn more about how we share complaint data.

5. Consumer review

We will let you know when the company responds. You’ll be able to review the company’s response and will have 60 days to provide feedback about the company's response.

If you suspect a scam, there are a few important steps you should take right away.

  1. Contact your local police or sheriff’s office to report the scam.
  2. Contact your state attorney general. Visit the National Association of Attorneys General website for the contact information of each state attorney general.
  3. If the victim is an older person or a person with a disability, contact your local adult protective services agency. You can find your state or local agency that receives and investigates reports of suspected elder financial exploitation by using the online Eldercare Locator or calling (800) 677-1116.
  4. If you or someone you care about is the victim of a fraud, scam or financial exploitation, you can report the fraud or scam to the Federal Trade Commission.

Because all scams are different, you might have to reach out to a number of other local, state, and federal agencies depending on your situation.

Ready to begin?

Submitting online usually takes less than 10 minutes. Include everything you need to because you generally can’t submit a second complaint about the same problem.

Start a new complaint

  • Learn more about how we share your complaint data
  • If you've already submitted a complaint, you can check the status of your complaint.

Witness a violation while working for a company?

You can report a tip to us, through a separate process if you are a current or former employee of a company that has violated federal consumer financial laws or if you are an industry insider who knows about such a company.

Alert us of a potential violation

Submit a complaint | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

FAQs

Submit a complaint | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? ›

You can also submit a complaint with the CFPB online or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372).

Does submitting a complaint with CFPB do anything? ›

Consistent with applicable law, we securely share complaints with other state and federal agencies to, among other things, facilitate: supervision activities, enforcement activities, and. monitor the market for consumer financial products and services.

Does filing a complaint with the FCC do anything? ›

The FCC cannot resolve all individual complaints, but we can provide information about your possible next steps. The collective data we receive from complaints helps us keep a pulse on what consumers are experiencing, may lead to investigations and serves as a deterrent to the companies we regulate.

What does FTC do with complaints? ›

The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection stops unfair, deceptive and fraudulent business practices by collecting reports from consumers and conducting investigations, suing companies and people that break the law, developing rules to maintain a fair marketplace, and educating consumers and businesses about their rights ...

How do I dispute a CFPB? ›

You also can submit a complaint with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. We will forward your complaint to the company and work to get you a response. You also may want to seek assistance from an attorney. Visit consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/1549 and lsc.gov/what-legal-aid/find-legal-aid.

How long does a CFPB investigation take? ›

However, it has 45 days to investigate if you dispute after receiving your free annual credit report. Also, if you submit additional information relevant to your dispute during the 30-day investigation period, it can extend the investigation period for 15 additional days.

How effective is the CFPB? ›

Here's a look at some of the CFPB's achievements, by the numbers: $17.5 billion – The amount of money the CFPB has put back in Americans' pockets in the form of monetary compensation, principal reductions, canceled debts, and other consumer relief resulting from CFPB enforcement and supervision work.

How long does an FTC complaint take? ›

The FTC must complete the investigation, including the report of investigation, within 180 calendar days of the date your complaint was filed. The report of investigation will contain relevant documents and information, including affidavits or other sworn statements acquired during the investigation.

What happens after you file a FTC report? ›

Your report goes into the FTC's Consumer Sentinel database, which is available to federal, state, and local law enforcement across the country. The FTC uses reports like yours to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams, and bad business practices, but can't resolve reports on behalf of individuals.

What are examples of FTC violations? ›

Every year the FTC brings hundreds of cases against individuals and companies for violating consumer protection and competition laws that the agency enforces. These cases can involve fraud, scams, identity theft, false advertising, privacy violations, anti-competitive behavior and more.

What is a 623 letter? ›

A business uses a 623 credit dispute letter when all other attempts to remove dispute information have failed. It refers to Section 623 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and contacts the data furnisher to prove that a debt belongs to the company.

What can the CFPB do for me? ›

We protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices and take action against companies that break the law. We arm people with the information, steps, and tools that they need to make smart financial decisions.

What power does the CFPB have? ›

The CFPB supervises a range of companies to assess their compliance with federal consumer financial laws. We have supervisory authority over banks, thrifts, and credit unions with assets over $10 billion, as well as their affiliates.

What is the number one complaint category for the CFPB? ›

Table 1 lists the most common financial products in the CFPB consumer complaints database during FY2023. Credit reporting is by far the most common product category about which consumers complain, accounting for 80.5% of the complaints.

Can the CFPB issue fines? ›

Is the Civil Penalty Fund funded by taxes? No, the Civil Penalty Fund is not funded by taxes or other money collected from the general public. It is funded by civil penalties, or fines, that the CFPB imposes on companies and/or individuals for violating federal consumer financial protection laws.

Does the CFPB help businesses? ›

We work to help small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs access the credit they need and deserve by increasing transparency and awareness in the lending marketplace.

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