The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a federal agency that handles complaints about financial products and services. Submitting a complaint to the CFPB is free, and the company you complain about is usually required to respond within 15 days. This page explains the process and what to expect.
The CFPB handles complaints about a wide range of financial products and services. This includes banks, credit unions and savings associations, mortgage lenders and servicers, credit card companies, debt collectors and debt buyers, credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and smaller specialty bureaus), student loan servicers, payday lenders and small-dollar lenders, auto lenders, and money transfer or remittance services. The CFPB does not handle complaints about most investment or securities products (those go to the SEC or FINRA), insurance products (those go to your state insurance commissioner), or businesses outside the financial sector.
Go to consumerfinance.gov/complaint and select "Submit a complaint." You will choose the type of financial product or service involved, then describe what happened in your own words. Include relevant dates, dollar amounts and any account reference numbers that will help identify the transaction. Do not include your full Social Security number anywhere in the complaint form. Attach any supporting documents you have, such as account statements, correspondence or screenshots. You will need to create a free CFPB account to track the status of your complaint.
The CFPB forwards your complaint to the company involved, which is generally required to respond within 15 days. You will receive email notifications as the status of your complaint changes. The CFPB may publish the complaint in its public complaint database. Published complaints do not include your personal identifying information, but they do show the company name, product type and the nature of the issue. This public database is one of the ways consumers can research a company's complaint history before engaging with them. It is important to understand that the CFPB does not guarantee a particular outcome. Filing a complaint does not mean the CFPB will take enforcement action or that you will receive the specific remedy you are requesting.
Before and after submitting a CFPB complaint, keep organised records of everything related to the issue. This includes copies of all communications with the company, any account statements or transaction records, correspondence you have already sent to the company, and your complaint confirmation number and any status updates from the CFPB portal. Good records strengthen your complaint and may be useful if the matter escalates to other regulators or legal proceedings.
Filing a CFPB complaint is often most effective when combined with other actions. Your state attorney general's office may also handle consumer financial complaints, particularly where state law provides additional protections. Your state banking regulator handles complaints about state-chartered banks and some other state-licensed lenders. For serious issues, legal aid organisations can help you assess whether you have grounds for a private legal action under the FDCPA, the FCRA or other consumer protection statutes. Consulting a non-profit credit counsellor through the NFCC can also help you develop a plan for addressing the underlying financial issue.
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This page is general educational information only. It is not financial, legal, tax, credit or debt advice. Rules and regulations can change. Always verify current information with official sources before taking any action.