BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION | MARCH 2020

Consumer Response 

Annual Report

January 1 – December 31, 2019
1 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Message from

the Director

I am pleased to present the Bureau of Consumer Financial 

Protection’s (CFPB or Bureau) Consumer Response 2019 

Annual Report, as required by Section 1013(b)(3)(C) of the 

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 

(Dodd-Frank Act).

Congress directed us to centralize the collection, monitoring, 

and response to complaints about consumer financial products and services. During 2019, the 

Bureau received its 2 millionth complaint and handled approximately 352,400 complaints. Last 

year alone more than 3,200 bank and nonbank financial companies responded to their 

customers through the Bureau’s complaint process, providing timely responses to 99 percent of 

the more than 285,400 complaints sent to them for response. 

Since being confirmed as the Bureau’s Director, I have emphasized how our Office of Consumer 

Response’s monitoring and analysis of complaints inform the Bureau’s use of its primary tools –

education, regulation, supervision, and enforcement. Complaints play an integral role in how 

the Bureau uses its tools and provide transparency for the marketplace through the public 

Consumer Complaint Database. Through the database, the Bureau shares with the public deidentified information about complaints sent to banks and nonbank financial companies for 

response. Complaints are added to the database after the company responds to the complaint, 

confirming a commercial relationship with the consumer, or after the company has had the 

complaint for 15 calendar days, whichever comes first.

To hear directly from stakeholders about how the Bureau might enhance its complaint sharing, 

the Bureau asked for public comment on our complaint publication policies in 2018. We 

received nearly 26,000 comments from consumers, government and elected officials, 

community and consumer groups, financial service companies, academics, researchers, market 

analysts, specialty population groups and privacy groups. 

After careful consideration and evaluation of stakeholder feedback and public comment, in 

September 2019 I announced that I had directed my team to find ways to address concerns 

expressed by stakeholders and provide the marketplace with better context and transparency, 

while continuing to advance the interests of consumers. So, we began work to ensure the 
2 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

database presents consumers’ opinions and other information in a fair and accurate way. That 

same month we expanded and more prominently displayed disclosures to provide better context 

to the published data. We took these steps because we recognize that complaints are not 

necessarily representative of all consumers’ experiences with a financial product or company. 

We also took steps to better inform consumers by integrating consumer financial educational 

resources into the complaint process to help consumers find answers to financial questions on 

our website before submitting a complaint. While not a requirement, we also encourage 

consumers to contact the company before submitting a complaint.

In 2020, we will continue our work to add data visualization and trend analytics tools to the 

database, so it is easier for consumers, researchers, advocates, and other stakeholders, including 

financial companies, to explore the data and quickly look at the data in a clearer and more 

powerful interface. These are the kind of tools the Bureau already uses to support our work to 

regulate consumer financial products and services under existing federal consumer financial 

laws, enforce those laws judiciously, and educate and empower consumers to make betterinformed financial decisions to reach their own life goals. Making these tools available to the 

public will greatly improve the functionality of the database.

In keeping with our statutory obligations and commitment to transparency, we are issuing this 

report to inform the public about the insights we have gleaned from complaints to help maintain 

a financial system that works for all. This report provides needed information about the 

Bureau’s complaint handling process to understand the complaint analyses in context, describes 

trends observed this year, and highlights notable deviations from the prior year’s trends. 

Sincerely,

Kathleen L. Kraninger
3 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Table of Contents

Message from the Director.........................................................................................1

Table of Contents........................................................................................................3

1. Introduction...........................................................................................................4

2. Complaint Numbers..............................................................................................7

3. Complaint Resolution.........................................................................................14

4. Complaint Types.................................................................................................16

4.1 Credit or consumer reporting..................................................................17

4.2 Debt collection........................................................................................ 25

4.3 Credit cards............................................................................................. 31

4.4 Mortgages ............................................................................................... 35

4.5 Checking or savings account .................................................................. 41

4.6 Student loans ..........................................................................................44

4.7 Money transfers, money services, and virtual currencies .....................49

4.8 Vehicle loans or lease ............................................................................. 53

4.9 Personal loans......................................................................................... 56

4.10 Prepaid cards ..........................................................................................60

4.11 Payday loans ...........................................................................................62

4.12 Credit repair............................................................................................65

4.13 Title loans ............................................................................................... 67

5. Conclusion ..........................................................................................................70

Appendix....................................................................................................................71
4 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

1. Introduction

One of the primary functions of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB or Bureau) 

is collecting, investigating, and responding to consumer complaints.1 Created by the Bureau, 

under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Office of 

Consumer Response (Consumer Response)2 maintains procedures to provide timely responses

to consumer complaints. 3 Consumer Response also analyzes and shares complaint data to 

inform the marketplace and to empower consumers to take more control over their financial 

lives. 

In 2019, the Bureau received approximately 352,400 consumer complaints.4 The Bureau 

receives consumer complaints through its website, by referral from the White House, 

congressional offices, and other federal and state agencies, and by telephone,5 mail, email, and 

fax.6 Consumers submitted approximately 83% of complaints by visiting the CFPB’s website and 

7% by calling the CFPB’s toll-free telephone number. The remaining 10% were submitted via 

postal mail, fax, or referral.

When consumers submit complaints online or over the phone, the Bureau asks them to identify 

the consumer financial product or service with which they have a problem, as well as the type of 

problem they are having with that product or service. This provides information that the Bureau 

 1 See Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-203 (Dodd-Frank Act), 

Section 1021(c)(2). See also § 1002(4) (“The term ‘consumer’ means an individual or an agent, trustee, or 

representative acting on behalf of an individual.”).

2 Id. § 1013(b)(3)(A).

3 Consumer complaints are submissions that express dissatisfaction with, or communicate suspicion of wrongful 

conduct by, an identifiable entity related to a consumer’s personal experience with a financial product or service.

4 This report covers complaints submitted in calendar year 2019 about a variety of consumer financial products and 

services: credit or consumer reporting; debt collection; mortgages; credit cards; checking or savings accounts; student 

loans; money transfers, money services, and virtual currencies; vehicle loans or leases; personal loans; payday loans; 

prepaid cards; credit repair; and, title loans.

5 In addition to taking consumers’ complaints and providing complaint status updates over the telephone via a tollfree number, the Bureau also provides consumers with answers to frequently asked questions about consumer 

financial products and services over the telephone. Representatives at the Bureau’s U.S.-based contact center answer

consumers’ inquiries, providing clear, unbiased answers and pointing them to CFPB-created tools like Ask CFPB and 

“Buying a House.” The Bureau provides services to consumers in more than 180 languages and to consumers who are 

deaf, have hearing loss, or have speech disabilities. In 2019, the Bureau received an average of more than 18,500 

telephone calls per month.

6 See Dodd-Frank Act § 1013(b)(3).
5 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

can use to analyze complaints. The Bureau’s complaint form also requires consumers to affirm 

that the information provided in their complaint is true to the best of their knowledge and belief.

The Bureau encourages consumers to submit complaints through its website whenever possible. 

The online complaint form helps to ensure completeness of information and enables the Bureau

to send the complaint to the named company quickly—on average, in one day or less. The online 

complaint form allows consumers to attach supporting documentation to their complaint, which 

often helps companies assess issues raised by consumers. Consumers can also check on the 

status of their complaint and access relevant educational resources in the web-based Consumer 

Portal.

The Bureau routes consumers’ complaints about financial products and services—and any 

documents they provide—directly to financial companies, and works to get consumers a timely 

response, generally within 15 days. Secure, web-based Company and Consumer Portals protect 

consumer privacy and company confidentiality. Where appropriate, the Bureau routes 

complaint referrals to other federal agencies through the secure, web-based Government 

Portal.7

After a consumer receives the company’s response to their complaint, the consumer can provide 

feedback on the company’s response by completing an optional survey. Consumers have 60 days 

from the date the company responded to complete the survey. 

Consumers’ complaints and companies’ responses provide the Bureau with near real-time 

information about the types of challenges consumers are experiencing with financial products 

and services and how companies are responding to their customers’ concerns. The Bureau used 

a variety of approaches to identify trends and possible consumer harm in the more than 

350,000 complaints received in 2019. Examples include: 

 Reviewing cohorts of complaints and company responses to assess the accuracy, 

timeliness, and completeness of an individual company’s responses to complaints sent to 

them for response

 Conducting text analytics to identify emerging trends and statistical anomalies

 Visualizing data to highlight geographic and temporal patterns

 7 Dodd-Frank Act § 1013(b)(3)(A) (“The Director shall coordinate with the Federal Trade Commission or other 

Federal agencies to route complaints to such agencies, where appropriate.”).
6 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

These analyses support the Bureau’s work to supervise companies, enforce federal consumer 

financial laws, propose rules, and develop tools that help empower consumers to make informed 

financial decisions. The Bureau also shares consumer complaint information with prudential 

regulators, the Federal Trade Commission, other federal agencies, and state agencies using the 

Government Portal.8

In keeping with the Bureau’s statutory responsibilities and its commitment to accountability, 

this report provides information and analysis about complaints received by the Bureau from 

January 1 through December 31, 2019, including information and analysis about complaint 

numbers, complaint types, and, where applicable, information about the resolution of 

complaints.9

 8 Id. § 1013(b)(3)(D).

9 This report fulfills the reporting requirements of Dodd-Frank Act Section 1013(b)(3)(C), which instructs the Bureau 

to report on the complaints received by the Bureau in the prior year regarding consumer financial products and 

services. “Complaints received” include those sent to companies for a response and those routed to other federal 

agencies as required by Section 1013(b)(3)(A). This report also fulfills the reporting requirements of Fair Credit 

Reporting Act Section 611(e), 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(e).
7 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

2. Complaint Numbers

The Bureau received approximately 352,400 consumer complaints in 2019.10 The Bureau sent 

approximately 285,400 (or 81%) of these complaints to companies for review and response, 

referred 14% of complaints received to other regulatory agencies, and found 5% to be 

incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.3% of complaints were pending with the consumer and 0.4% 

were pending with Bureau (see Figure 1A, Routing Outcomes).

FIGURE 1: COMPLAINT OUTCOMES IN 2019

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

More than 3,200 companies responded to complaints sent to them for review and response by 

the Bureau in 2019. Companies confirmed a commercial relationship with the named consumer 

and provided a substantive response to the consumer and the CFPB (i.e., closed with 

explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, closed with monetary relief) to approximately 

 10 This report excludes some complaints that the Bureau received, including multiple complaints submitted by a given 

consumer on the same issue (i.e., duplicates), whistleblower tips, and complaints the Bureau found were submitted 

without the consumer’s authorization. Complaint data in this report is current as of January 1, 2020. Complaint 

numbers are rounded throughout the report; therefore, numbers and percentages may not sum to sub-totals or 100%.
8 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

257,700 complaints (see Figure 1B, Company Responses). Companies provided an 

administrative response to approximately 7,800 complaints. At the end of 2019, approximately 

15,700 complaints were being reviewed by companies. In 2019, approximately 4,200 

complaints did not receive a timely response. Section 3, Complaint Resolution, provides more 

details about types of company responses. The remainder of Section 2 analyzes all complaints 

received by the Bureau by product and issue, and geographic region. It also compares 

submissions by servicemembers and older consumers to consumer submissions overall.11

 11 “Older consumers” and “servicemembers” are both self-identified. Servicemembers refers to servicemembers, 

veterans, and military families. “Older consumers” refers to consumers who voluntarily reported their age as 62 or 

older.
9 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Products and Services

As shown in Figure 2, credit or consumer reporting, debt collection, credit card, mortgage, and 

checking or savings accounts were the most complained about consumer financial product and 

service categories in 2019. Collectively, these products comprised approximately 89% of all 

complaints the Bureau received.

FIGURE 2: COMPLAINT VOLUME BY FINANCIAL PRODUCT OR SERVICE12

 12 This figure excludes approximately 700 complaints where the consumer did not select a specific consumer financial 

product or service.

2019 2018 vs. 2019

Credit or consumer reporting

Debt collection

Credit card

Mortgage

Checking or savings account

Student loan

Money transfer or service, virtual currency

Vehicle loan or lease

Personal loan

Prepaid card

Payday loan

Credit repair

Title loan

154,500 (44%)

75,200 (21%)

2,100 (0.6%)

1,100 (0.3%)

29,900 (8%)

27,300 (8%)

26,900 (8%)

9,100 (3%)

8,200 (2%)

7,900 (2%)

4,600 (1%)

4,100 (1%)

500 (0.2%)

-12%

23%

10%

59%

10%

-8%

-9%

-3%

-8%

-7%

4%

4%

1%
10 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Geographic Region 

Consumers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia submitted complaints to the Bureau. 

To understand state and regional trends, the Bureau analyzes the geographic distribution of 

complaints after accounting for population differences. Figure 3 shows that, on a per capita 

basis, the Bureau received more complaints from consumers in Washington, D.C. than 

anywhere else in the United States, followed by consumers in Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and 

Delaware. Consumers in South Dakota submitted the fewest complaints of any state per capita.

FIGURE 3: U.S. COMPLAINT SUBMISSIONS PER 100K POPULATION13

 13 Population data is from 2019 U.S. Census data as of July 1, 2019, available at

https://www2.census.gov/programssurveys/popest/tables/2010-2019/state/totals/nst-est2019-01.xlsx.

WY

66

WV

38

WI

54

WA

68

VT

46

VA

98

UT

103

TX

111

TN

89

SD

36

SC

120

RI

77

PA

95

OR

63

OK

51

OH

82

NY

124

NV

179

NM

60

NJ

121

NH

61

NE

39

ND

40

NC

102

MT

47

MS

76

MO

96

MN

55

MI

75

ME

45

MD

125

MA

75

LA

118

KY

47

KS

59

IN

54

IL

97

ID

52

IA

41

HI

64

GA

188

FL

195

DE

143

DC

241

CT

97

CO

81

CA

108

AZ

90

AR

62

AL

103

AK

43

36 241
11 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Servicemembers

Consumer Response and the Bureau’s Office of Servicemember Affairs monitor and analyze 

complaints from servicemembers, veterans, and military families (collectively referred to as 

“servicemembers” in this report). As shown in Figure 4, servicemembers submitted complaints 

about debt collection, mortgages, credit cards and vehicle loans or leases at slightly higher rates 

than non-servicemembers’14 and about credit or consumer reporting and checking or savings 

accounts at slightly lower rates. Section 4 of this report (Complaint Types) analyzes some of 

these differences.

FIGURE 4: COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED BY SERVICEMEMBERS AND NON-SERVICEMEMBERS

 14 Non-servicemembers are defined as those who did not self-identify as a “servicemember.”

Servicemember Non-Servicemember

Credit or consumer reporting

Debt collection

Mortgage

Credit card

Checking or savings account

Vehicle loan or lease

Student loan

Money transfer or service, virtual currency

Personal loan

Prepaid card

Payday loan

Credit repair

Title loan

36%

45%

26%

21%

11%

7%

9%

8%

7%

8%

3%

2%

3%

3%

2%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

0.7%

0.6%

0.5%

0.3%

0.2%

0.1%
12 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Older Consumers

Consumer Response and the Bureau’s Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans 

monitor and analyze complaints from consumers who indicated they were 62 years of age or 

older at the time of submission. As shown in Figure 5, complaints submitted by older consumers 

were less often about credit or consumer reporting, debt collection, and student loans, and more 

often about mortgages, credit cards, and checking or savings accounts than complaints 

submitted by consumers not self-identifying as 62 years of age or older. Section 4 of this report 

(Complaint Types) analyzes some of these differences.
13 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 5: PERCENTAGE OF COMPLAINTS BY PRODUCT AND AGE GROUP15

 15 Consumers who did not provide their age are excluded from this chart. “Under 62” refers to consumers who selfidentified as under the age of 62. When comparing older consumers to their younger counterparts, the Bureau limits 

its analysis to consumers who provided their age when submitting a complaint. Therefore, in these analyses, the 

Bureau excludes complaints where the consumer opted not to disclose their age.

Credit or consumer reporting

Debt collection

Mortgage

Credit card

Checking or savings account

Money transfer or service, virtual currency

Vehicle loan or lease

Personal loan

Prepaid card

Student loan

Payday loan

Credit repair

Title loan

22%

35%

18%

23%

18%

8%

15%

9%

12%

8%

4%

4%

3%

3%

3%

2%

2%

2%

2%

4%

0.7%

0.9%

0.6%

0.5%

0.2%

0.3%

62 or Older Under 62
14 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

3. Complaint Resolution

Companies provided a timely response to approximately 99% of the approximately 285,400 

complaints that the Bureau sent to them for response in 2019. Table 1 shows how companies 

responded. 

Company responses generally include descriptions of steps that have or will be taken, 

communications received from the consumer, any follow-up actions or planned follow-up 

actions, and a categorization of the response. Response category options include “Closed with 

monetary relief,” “Closed with non-monetary relief,” “Closed with explanation,” “In progress,” 

and administrative options. 

The Bureau defines “monetary relief” as objective, measurable, and verifiable monetary relief to 

the consumer as a direct result of the steps that have or will be taken in response to the 

complaint. The Bureau defines “non-monetary relief” as other objective and verifiable relief to 

the consumer as a direct result of the steps that have or will be taken in response to the 

complaint. Examples of non-monetary relief to consumers include: correcting inaccurate data 

provided or reported in consumers’ credit reports; stopping unwanted calls from debt collectors; 

correcting account information; issuing corrected documents; restoring account access; and, 

addressing formerly unmet customer service issues.

“Closed with explanation” indicates that the steps taken by the company in response to the 

complaint included an explanation that was tailored to the individual consumer’s complaint. For 

example, this category is used if the explanation substantively meets the consumer’s desired 

resolution or explains why no further action will be taken. Companies should select “Closed with 

explanation” category when specific, verifiable monetary or non-monetary relief was not 

provided to the consumer in response to issues raised in the complaint.

Companies provide an “Administrative Response” when further review by the Bureau may be 

needed. This includes complaints submitted by unauthorized third parties, complaints that are 

the result of fraud, scams or business identity theft, and complaints where a company cannot 

confirm a commercial relationship with the consumer. 

Section 4 of this report (Complaint Types) provides an analysis of patterns and trends of 

company responses for each product and service.
15 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

TABLE 1: HOW COMPANIES HAVE RESPONDED TO CONSUMER COMPLAINTS16

Financial Product 

or Service

Closed 

with 

monetary 

relief

Closed 

with nonmonetary 

relief

Closed with 

explanation

Administr

-ative 

response

Company 

reviewing

Company 

did not 

provide a 

timely 

response

All 4% 14% 73% 3% 5% 1%

Credit or consumer 

reporting

<1% 20% 69% 3% 7% <1%

Debt collection <1% 10% 81% 1% 3% 4%

Credit card 16% 10% 68% 2% 4% <1%

Mortgage 3% 3% 86% 3% 4% 1%

Checking or 

savings account

18% 3% 68% 3% 5% 2%

Student loan 2% 7% 85% 1% 2% 3%

Money transfer or 

service, virtual 

currency

9% 6% 76% 2% 4% 2%

Vehicle loan or 

lease

4% 6% 83% <1% 4% 2%

Personal loan 5% 5% 75% 4% 4% 6%

Prepaid card 17% 3% 68% 1% 8% 2%

Payday loan 1% 1% 83% 5% 3% 7%

Credit repair 11% 6% 68% 2% 6% 8%

Title loan 3% 11% 74% 1% 4% 7%

 16 Percentages throughout this report may not sum to 100% due to rounding. The Bureau requests that companies 

provide a response to each complaint within 15 calendar days of the complaint being sent to the company. When a 

complaint cannot be closed by the company within 15 calendar days, the company may indicate that work to respond 

to the complaint is “In progress” and provide a final closure response within 60 calendar days of the complaint being 

sent to the company. Responses provided outside the 15- or 60-day timeframe are considered “untimely.”
16 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

4. Complaint Types

Monitoring consumer complaints is one of the Bureau’s primary functions. Complaints provide 

insights into problems consumers experience and can serve as an early indicator of issues in the 

financial marketplace. Complaint analyses support the Bureau’s work to supervise companies, 

enforce federal consumer financial laws, propose rules, and develop tools to empower 

consumers to make informed financial decisions.

The Bureau analyzes complaints in several ways to identify trends and possible consumer harm.

For example, the Bureau monitors complaint volume across multiple categories, such as

product, issue, sub-product, sub-issue, company, and company response, among others. The 

Bureau analyzes complaint volume across time and geography, as well as by self-identified 

characteristics, such as servicemember status and age.

While complaint volume provides important information to the Bureau, it has some limitations. 

The Bureau recognizes that complaint data can often be better understood in the context of 

other data, such as product or service market size and company share. But providing additional 

market context to complaint information requires the Bureau to balance several, sometimes 

competing, considerations. For example, a variety of measures may provide useful context (e.g.,

company size, number of accounts, number of transactions, and company market share), but the 

availability of this market information varies by financial product and service.

Given these and other considerations, the Bureau has not yet identified a universal approach to 

contextualize complaint volume across multiple products, services, and markets for the public 

without imposing a significant burden on companies to provide data. From its engagements 

with stakeholders, the Bureau is aware that the determination about what data are paired with 

complaint information often depends on the question being asked. Nevertheless, because 

context is informative, throughout this section the Bureau references market research when it

provides some useful context for complaint information. 

While complaint volume and context are important, some of the most valuable information is 

found in the narrative text that both consumers and companies provide during the complaint 

process. The Bureau analyzes the narrative text consumers provide in their complaints, 

frequently augmenting traditional qualitative analysis with automated methods.17 Similarly, the 

Bureau analyzes the text companies provide in their responses to consumers and in the 

 17 The Bureau uses a variety of tools and approaches to assist staff when reviewing complaints. This includes 

statistical approaches to understanding large volumes of complaints (e.g., topic modeling) and tools to make 

complaint data easier to filter, sort, and search (e.g., elastic search-based search application).
17 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

documents provided to support their responses. Analyzing text from consumers and companies 

provides a more complete understanding of issues and a clearer idea of how companies respond 

to those issues.

The following sub-sections provide information and analyses of the types of complaints 

consumers submitted to the Bureau in 2019.18 Each sub-section includes an analysis of 

complaints the Bureau received, products consumers complained about, problems they

experienced, and how companies responded.19

Where appropriate, sub-sections include a discussion of how product type and issue selections 

differ for older consumers and servicemembers.20 Figures in this section plot product and issue 

selections made by these specialty populations based on a level of confidence.21

4.1 Credit or consumer reporting

The Bureau received approximately 154,500 credit or consumer reporting complaints in 2019—a 

23% increase from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 143,100 (or 

93%) of these complaints to companies for review and response, referred 4% to other regulatory 

agencies, and found 3% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.2% of credit or consumer 

reporting complaints were pending with the consumer and 0.1% were pending with the Bureau 

(see Figure 6A, Routing Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 97% of credit or consumer reporting complaints sent to 

them for review and response. Companies closed 69% of complaints with an explanation, 20% 

with non-monetary relief, and 0.2% with monetary relief. Companies used an administrative 

response for 3% of complaints. At the end of 2019, 7% of complaints were pending review by the 

 18 Complaint numbers are rounded throughout the report; therefore, numbers and percentages may not sum to subtotals or 100%.

19 The Bureau’s online complaint form is dynamic and, therefore, adjusts based on consumer selections. Some issues 

are not available for certain sub-products (e.g., the issue unable to get your credit report or credit score is not 

available for complaints about other personal consumer reports). A full list of complaint form products, sub-products, 

issues, and sub-issues is available at 

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201704_cfpb_Consumer_Complaint_Form_Product_and_Issue_O

ptions.pdf.

20 Supra note 11. 

21 Figures in this section display 95% confidence intervals, which estimate the true value for the statistic within the 

specialty population. A blue mark indicates that the specialty population submitted that type of complaint at a higher 

rate than the specialty population’s product rate overall. A gold mark indicates that the specialty population 

submitted that type of complaint at a lower rate than the specialty population’s product rate overall. The lines with 

each mark show the confidence interval, with a shorter line reflecting a narrower range of likely values and a longer 

line reflecting a wider range of likely values.
18 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

company. Companies did not provide a timely response for 0.6% of complaints (see Figure 6B, 

Company Responses).

FIGURE 6: CREDIT OR CONSUMER REPORTING COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those credit or consumer reporting complaints 

for which the company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded 

with an explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary 

relief, and closed with monetary relief). In 85% of this subset of credit or consumer reporting 

complaints, consumers reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before 

submitting a complaint to the Bureau.

When submitting credit or consumer reporting complaints, consumers specify whether they are 

complaining about a credit report or some other personal consumer report (e.g., background 

checks, employment screening).22 In 2019, consumers complained about credit reports more 

frequently than other personal consumer reports by a wide margin (see Figure 7).

 22 The Bureau publishes an annual list of consumer reporting companies. This list includes the three nationwide 

credit reporting companies as well as other companies that focus on certain market areas and consumer segments. 

See Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, List of Consumer Reporting Companies (Jan. 2020), available at

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_consumer-reporting-companies-list.pdf.
19 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 7: CREDIT OR CONSUMER REPORTING COMPLAINTS BY TYPE OF REPORT AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For credit 

or consumer reporting complaints, options include: credit monitoring or identity theft 

protection services; improper use of report; incorrect information on report; problem with a 

credit reporting company’s investigation into an existing problem; problem with fraud alerts or 

security freezes; and, unable to get credit report or credit score. The most common issue was 

“incorrect information on your report” (see Figure 8).

FIGURE 8: CREDIT OR CONSUMER REPORTING COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The composition of issues in credit or consumer reporting complaints in 2019 changed 

somewhat as compared with 2018.23 “Incorrect information on your report” made up 64% of 

credit reporting complaints—a 3% increase from 2018—and the total volume increased by more 

than 18,000 complaints. Of the consumers who identified incorrect information on a report as 

their primary issue, most indicated they did not recognize an account on their report. In their 

complaints, consumers frequently indicated they were victims of identity theft. These consumers 

often provided copies of an identity theft affidavit or other documentation. In response, 

 23 The 2018 Consumer Response Annual Report includes a breakdown and analysis of complaint numbers, 

resolution, and types received by the Bureau in 2018. See Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, 2018 Consumer Response 

Annual Report (Mar. 2019), available at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/documents/7331/cfpb_consumerresponse-annual-report_2018.pdf. 

1 square = 1%

Credit reporting

Other personal consumer report

126,000 (99%)

1,500 (1%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

1 square = 1%

Incorrect information on your report

Problem with a company's investigation into an existing issue

Improper use of your report

Unable to get your credit report or credit score

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit monitoring or identity theft protection services

81,700 (64%)

28,600 (22%)

1,100 (0.9%)

11,000 (9%)

2,700 (2%)

2,400 (2%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
20 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

companies often stated that they would block information that resulted from identity theft and 

contact the companies that provided the blocked information. 

Other consumers who complained about incorrect information on a report acknowledged the 

accounts were theirs but disputed specific details, such as the account status or other 

information (e.g., open date, outstanding balance). Consumer reporting companies generally 

responded to these complaints by forwarding the substance of the consumer’s dispute to the 

furnisher of the information for verification. 

Although relatively small in total volume, complaints about fraud alerts and security freezes 

increased about 50%, from 1,600 in 2018 to 2,400 in 2019. This increase may, in part, be related

to actions consumers took in response to the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and 

Consumer Protection Act, which – late in 2018 – provided free security freezes to consumers if a 

consumer directly requested the freeze and provided proper identification. These complaints 

were frequently about difficulties consumers experience when attempting to temporarily lift 

freezes. Other consumers described technical difficulties in adding a freeze or alert to their 

account.

As required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, this report includes information about complaints 

submitted by consumers about nationwide consumer reporting agencies (NCRAs)24 and related 

to incomplete or inaccurate information on their credit report.25 Of the approximately 154,500 

credit or consumer reporting complaints the Bureau received in 2019, consumers submitted 

approximately 110,500 complaints (or 71% of credit or consumer reporting complaints) about 

the three NCRAs: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Nearly 89% of complaints submitted about the NCRAs relate to one of two accuracy issues (i.e., 

incorrect information on report and problem with a company’s investigation into an existing 

issue). For these issues, the Bureau asks the NCRAs whether the consumer submitted a previous 

dispute. The NCRAs responded “yes” 54% of the time.

Tables 2, 3, and 4 provide information about the problems consumers identified when 

submitting credit or consumer reporting complaints. These tables show that consumers 

 24 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(p) (“The term ‘consumer reporting agency that compiles and maintains files on consumers on a 

nationwide basis’ means a consumer reporting agency that regularly engages in the practice of assembling or 

evaluating, and maintaining, for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties bearing on a consumer’s 

credit worthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity, each of the following regarding consumers residing nationwide: 

(1) Public record information; (2) Credit account information from persons who furnish that information regularly 

and in the ordinary course of business.”)

25 Id. § 1681i(e).
21 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

generally complained about the same types of problems, and at similar rates, across all three 

NCRAs.

TABLE 2: COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED ABOUT NATIONWIDE CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES WITH A 

CLOSURE RESPONSE AND ISSUES RELATED TO ACCURACY 

Issue Equifax Experian TransUnion

Incorrect information on your report 21,700 21,800 24,800

Problem with a credit reporting company’s investigation 

into an existing issue 7,900 7,600 8,300

The majority of complaints submitted about NCRAs related to (1) accuracy issues, or (2) 

problems with the process of investigating disputes of accuracy by consumers. The breakdown 

of accuracy-related complaints is similar among the NCRAs (see Table 3).

TABLE 3: SUB-ISSUE PERCENTAGES FOR “INCORRECT INFORMATION ON YOUR REPORT”

Sub-issue Equifax Experian TransUnion

Information belongs to someone else 70% 67% 69%

Account information incorrect 10% 11% 10%

Account status incorrect 9% 10% 9%

Personal information incorrect 5% 6% 5%

Public record information inaccurate 3% 3% 3%

Old information reappears or never goes away 2% 2% 2%

Information is missing that should be on the report 2% 2% 1%

Information is incorrect 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%

Total 100% 100% 100%

The breakdown of investigation-related complaints issues is also similar among the NCRAs (see 

Table 4).
22 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

TABLE 4: SUB-ISSUE PERCENTAGES FOR “PROBLEM WITH A CREDIT REPORTING COMPANY’S 

INVESTIGATION INTO AN EXISTING ISSUE”

Sub-issue Equifax Experian TransUnion

Their investigation did not fix an error on your report 77% 77% 77%

Investigation took more than 30 days 8% 6% 7%

Was not notified of investigation status or results 7% 7% 7%

Difficulty submitting a dispute or getting information 

about a dispute over the phone 6% 6% 5%

Problem with personal statement of dispute 3% 4% 3%

Total 100% 100% 100%

Credit or consumer reporting complaints were the most complained about product by 

servicemembers (see Section 2, Figure 4). Servicemembers rely on accurate credit reporting to 

maintain security clearances, which can be adversely impacted by a history of failing to meet 

their financial obligations, being in excessive debt, or having a high debt-to-income ratio.26

 26 See e.g., Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, WARNO: New security clearance guidelines make it more important than 

ever for servicemembers to monitor their credit (Aug. 20, 2018), available at

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/warno-new-security-clearance-guidelines-make-it-moreimportant-ever-servicemembers-monitor-their-credit/. In 2018, Congress enhanced protections for veterans and, 

specifically, veterans’ credit. See EGRRCPA, supra note 24.
23 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 9: RATE OF SERVICEMEMBER COMPLAINTS FOR ISSUES WITH CREDIT OR CONSUMER 

REPORTING

On average, servicemembers submitted approximately 8% of credit or consumer reporting 

complaints, with a greater percentage complaining about issues relating to active credit 

monitoring, such as issues with prior investigations, access to their reports, or problems with 

credit monitoring services (see Figure 9).

Complaints submitted by older consumers were less likely to be about credit or consumer 

reporting when compared to consumers under 62 years old. Approximately 22% of complaints 

submitted by older consumers were credit or consumer reporting complaints, compared to 35% 

submitted by consumers under 62 years old (see Section 2, Figure 5). 
24 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 10: RATE OF OLDER AMERICAN COMPLAINTS FOR ISSUES WITH CREDIT OR CONSUMER 

REPORTING

Older consumers also complained about different consumer reporting issues than consumers 

under 62 years old. Older consumers comprised approximately 11% of credit or consumer 

reporting complaints and tended to raise issues about monitoring their credit (see Figure 10). 

For example, older consumers submitted more than 31% of complaints about being unable to 

get their credit report or score and 22% of complaints about credit monitoring and identity theft 

protection services. By contrast, older consumers submitted approximately 10% of complaints 

about incorrect information.
25 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

4.2 Debt collection

The Bureau received approximately 75,200 debt collection complaints in 2019—an 8% decrease 

from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 47,000 (or 63%) of these 

complaints to companies for review and response, referred 29% to other regulatory agencies, 

and found 7% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 1% of debt collection complaints were 

pending with the consumer and 1% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 11A, Routing 

Outcomes).

Consumers can submit complaints about creditors collecting their own debts (i.e., first-party 

collectors) or companies collecting debt on behalf of others, such as creditors or businesses (i.e., 

third-party collectors).27 When the Bureau received debt collection complaints about companies 

where it was not the primary federal regulator (e.g., a mobile phone or Internet service 

provider), it referred the complaints to other regulatory agencies—most often, the Federal Trade 

Commission.

Companies responded to approximately 94% of debt collection complaints sent to them for 

review and response. Companies closed 81% of complaints with an explanation, 10% with nonmonetary relief, and 0.7% with monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 

1% of complaints. At the end of 2019, 3% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 4% of complaints (see Figure 11B, Company 

Responses).

 27 See Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Mar. 2020) (“The third-party debt collection 

market is a $12.7 billion industry that employs nearly 123,000 people across approximately 7,800 collection agencies 

in the United States. The debt collection industry affects millions of Americans. According to the Bureau’s Consumer 

Credit Panel, about 28 percent of consumers with a credit file have a third-party collection trade line listed.”) 

(citations omitted).
26 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 11: DEBT COLLECTION COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those debt collection complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 85% of this subset of debt collection complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting debt collection complaints, consumers specify the type of debt. Options 

include: auto debt, credit card debt, federal student loan debt, medical debt, mortgage debt,

payday loan debt, private student loan debt, “other” debt (e.g., phone bill, health club 

membership, utilities), and debt that is not known.28 In 2019, “other” debt and credit card debt

were the most complained about debt types (see Figure 12).

 28 The Bureau’s complaint form requires consumers to select the type of debt from a list of options, including “I don’t 

know.” See supra note 19.
27 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 12: DEBT COLLECTION COMPLAINTS BY TYPE OF DEBT AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For debt 

collection complaints, options include: attempts to collect debt not owed; communication 

tactics; false statements or representation; threatened to contact someone or share information 

improperly; took or threatened to take negative or legal action; and, written notification about 

debt. The most common issue was “attempts to collect debt not owed” (see Figure 13).

FIGURE 13: DEBT COLLECTION COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The composition of issues in debt collection complaints in 2019 changed somewhat from 2018.

In particular, “attempts to collect debt not owed” increased its share of complaints by 

approximately 5%. This increase in share was partly due to a small increase in complaint volume

about debts not owed and larger decreases in other issues. Consumers who complained that they 

1 square = 1%

Other debt

Credit card debt

I do not know

Medical debt

Auto debt

Payday loan debt

Mortgage debt

Federal student loan debt

Private student loan debt

11,800 (27%)

10,200 (24%)

9,300 (22%)

7,000 (16%)

1,400 (3%)

1,100 (3%)

900 (2%)

700 (2%)

600 (1%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

1 square = 1%

Attempts to collect debt not owed

Written notification about debt

Communication tactics

Took or threatened to take negative or legal action

False statements or representation

Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly

21,300 (49%)

8,700 (20%)

4,500 (10%)

3,900 (9%)

3,700 (9%)

1,100 (3%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
28 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

do not owe the debt in question frequently report that the debt is not theirs, resulted from 

identity theft, was paid, or was discharged in bankruptcy and is no longer owed. Complaints 

about attempts to collect debt resulting from identity theft saw the greatest year-over-year 

increase and has been increasing in prevalence for several years. These complaints often involve 

consumers reporting that they have negative marks on their credit reports and requesting 

companies remove the negative marks. In response to these complaints, third-party collectors 

often state that they will initiate an investigation into the purported fraud, detail the documents 

needed to process a dispute, return the account to the first party, or discontinue collection 

attempts entirely.

Complaints involving written notifications about debt are the second-most common issue 

identified by consumers; however, this issue had the greatest decrease in the number of 

complaints from 2018 to 2019. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires collectors, within 

five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of 

the debt, to provide the consumer with a written notice informing them, among other things, of 

their right to dispute, unless this information is contained in the initial communication or the 

consumer has paid the debt.29 Most consumers who complain about written notifications report 

they have not received enough information to verify the debt. Some consumers complain that 

they did not receive a notice of their right to dispute, while others report that the notification did 

not disclose it was an attempt to collect a debt. Collectors often responded by providing copies of 

documents and providing information about their collection efforts.

Consumers often simultaneously raise credit reporting concerns in their debt collection 

complaints to the Bureau. These consumers frequently express concerns about negative 

information being reported to credit reporting companies and, consequently, the effect the 

negative information has on their credit score. Consumers often describe having a debt on their 

credit report, and some state that they first learned of a debt when reviewing their report. In a 

recent report, the Bureau found that over one in four consumers had a third-party collections 

tradeline on their file.30

Approximately 10% of debt collection complaints were about communication tactics. In these 

complaints, frequent or repeated calls—be it several calls placed in short succession or repeated 

calls over a longer time period—was the most common issue identified by consumers. Some 

consumers reported having previously requested that the collector stop calling, which was later 

 29 15 U.S.C. §1692g(a).

30 Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, Market Snapshot: Third Party Debt Collections Tradeline Reporting (Jul. 2019) at 5, 

available at https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201907_cfpb_third-party-debt-collections_report.pdf

(“As of Q2 2018, over one in four consumers in the sample had a third-party collections tradeline on their file. 

Between Q2 2004 and Q2 2018, the percentage of consumers in the sample with a third-party collections tradeline on 

their file never went below 27% or above 34%.”).
29 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

ignored. In addition to the frequency of calls, consumers complained about the quality of 

interactions once they were on the phone with a debt collector. For example, consumers 

described collectors who were rude or aggressive. In these situations, consumers often escalated 

the issue and requested that the debt collector connect them with a supervisor.

Debt collection was the second-most complained about product by servicemembers and made 

up a greater share of complaints for servicemembers than for non-servicemembers (see Section 

2, Figure 4).31 On average, servicemembers submitted approximately 12% of debt collection 

complaints with a greater percentage complaining about debts relating to student loans and 

mortgages (see Figure 14).

FIGURE 14: RATE OF SERVICEMEMBER COMPLAINTS FOR SUBPRODUCTS OF DEBT COLLECTION

A greater share of complaints about debt collectors taking or threatening to take legal action and 

making false statements or representations were submitted by servicemembers (see Figure 15).

 31 This is consistent with other Bureau findings. See Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, Financial Well-Being of Veterans

(Apr. 2019) at 2, available at https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_osa_financial-well-beingamericans_report.pdf (“veterans, like other U.S. adults, have financial experiences that are negatively associated with 

financial well-being, like ... being contacted by a debt collector.”).
30 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 15: RATE OF SERVICEMEMBER COMPLAINTS FOR ISSUES OF DEBT COLLECTION

In contrast, debt collection comprised a smaller percentage of complaints for older consumers 

than for consumers under 62 years old. Older consumers complained about debt collection at 

the same rate as mortgage—18% in both product categories (see Section 2, Figure 5). Within 

debt collection complaints, a greater percentage of older consumers complained about debts 

related to mortgage (see Figure 16), which is consistent with higher homeownership rates 

among older consumers.32

 32 See U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Residential Vacancies And Homeownership, Fourth Quarter 2019, available 

at https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/files/currenthvspress.pdf (“The fourth quarter 2019 homeownership rate 

was highest for those householders ages 65 years and over (79.0 percent) and lowest for those householders under 35 

years of age (37.6 percent).”).
31 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 16: OLDER CONSUMER RATE OF DEBT TYPES COMPARED TO PERCENTAGE OF DEBT 

COLLECTION COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED BY OLDER CONSUMERS

4.3 Credit cards

The Bureau received approximately 29,900 credit card complaints in 2019—a 4% increase from 

2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 24,400 (or 82%) of these 

complaints to companies for review and response, referred 15% to other regulatory agencies, 

and found 3% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.4% of credit card complaints were pending 

with the consumer and 0.5% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 17A, Routing Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 97% of credit card complaints sent to them for review 

and response. Companies closed 68% of complaints with an explanation, 16% with monetary 

relief, and 10% with non-monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 2% of 

complaints. At the end of 2019, 4% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 0.5% of complaints (see Figure 17B, Company 

Responses).
32 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 17: CREDIT CARD COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those credit card complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 94% of this subset of credit card complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting credit card complaints, consumers specify whether they are complaining 

about a general-purpose credit card (or charge card) or a store credit card. In 2019, consumers 

complained about general-purpose credit cards more frequently than store credit cards (see 

Figure 18).

FIGURE 18: CREDIT CARD COMPLAINTS BY TYPE AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

1 square = 1%

General-purpose credit card or charge card

Store credit card

18,700 (82%)

4,100 (18%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
33 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For credit 

card complaints, options include: advertising and marketing, including promotional offers; 

closing credit card account; fees or interest; getting a credit card; other features, terms, or 

problems; problem when making payments; problem with a credit report or credit score; 

problem with a purchase shown on a statement; trouble using card; and, struggling to pay bill. 

The most common issue was “problem with a purchase shown on your statement” (see Figure 

19).

FIGURE 19: CREDIT CARD COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The process for disputing transactions—sometimes resulting in a “chargeback”—continued to be 

a frequent problem for consumers who selected “problem with a purchase shown on your 

statement.” These complaints involved issues related to transactions initiated by the consumer 

and to unauthorized transactions such as those resulting from fraud or identity theft. In these 

complaints, consumers frequently stated that the disputed transactions were not refunded,

despite providing proof that the transactions were not authorized, or that there was a problem 

with the purchased goods or services. In response to these complaints, some consumers received

refunds of these transactions, but companies most often reaffirmed their original decision not to 

refund the transaction.

1 square = 1%

Problem with a purchase shown on your statement

Other features, terms, or problems

Fees or interest

Getting a credit card

Problem when making payments

Closing your account

Problem with a credit report or credit score

Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers

Trouble using your card

Struggling to pay your bill

6,000 (27%)

3,000 (13%)

2,800 (12%)

2,400 (11%)

2,300 (10%)

1,800 (8%)

1,400 (6%)

1,400 (6%)

1,000 (4%)

500 (2%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
34 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Consumers also identified issues related to rewards programs. Consumers complained they were 

unable to redeem advertised benefits, such as statement credits, after meeting program terms. 

Some consumers mentioned receiving contradictory information from customer service 

representatives about card rewards and other benefits. Companies frequently stated that the 

consumer did not meet the program terms and requirements but sometimes did credit 

consumers for rewards benefits.

Consumers submitted approximately 14% more complaints in the “getting a credit card” issue 

category in 2019 than 2018. Many of these consumers expressed frustration with their denial 

because they believed their applications should have been approved based on their credit 

history.33 Although some of these consumers expressed an awareness of a credit score, they did

not usually express a clear understanding of the variety of scores and scoring models available.34

In their responses, companies generally indicated that consumers were denied based on 

information on their credit report. 

Approximately, 15% of complaints submitted by older consumers were credit card complaints, 

compared to 8% submitted by consumers under 62 years old (see Section 2 Figure 5). Older 

consumers comprised approximately 26% of credit card complaints. On average, older 

consumers were much less likely to submit complaints related to struggling to pay their bill and 

were more likely to submit complaints about transactions and fees (see Figure 20).35

 33 Many financial institutions now offer free credit score access to their customers. This increased access to credit 

reports and scores may partially explain why consumers experience frustration when they are denied credit. The 

Bureau published a list of institutions and other sources for free credit reports and scores. See Consumer Fin. Prot. 

Bureau, Where to find access to one of your credit scores, available at

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/bcfp_find-free-access-to-credit-score_05-2018.pdf. 

34 See e.g., Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Knowledge about Credit Scores has Steadily Declined over 

the Past Eight Years (Jun. 2019), available at https://consumerfed.org/press_release/consumer-knowledge-aboutcredit-scores-has-steadily-declined-over-the-past-eight-years/ (suggesting knowledge of credit scores declined even 

as access remained relatively constant). 

35 See Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y., Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit (Q4 2019) (Feb. 2020), 

available at 

https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/interactives/householdcredit/data/xls/HHD_C_Report_2019Q4.xlsx

(credit card users aged 60-69 had the lowest rates of balances transitioning to 90 days delinquency in all 4 quarters of 

2019).
35 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 20: OLDER CONSUMER ISSUE RATE COMPARED TO PERCENTAGE OF CREDIT CARD 

COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED BY OLDER AMERICANS

4.4 Mortgages

The Bureau received approximately 27,300 mortgage complaints in 2019—a 9% decrease from 

2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 23,300 (or 85%) of these 

complaints to companies for review and response, referred 10% to other regulatory agencies, 

and found 4% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.3% of mortgage complaints were pending 

with the consumer and 0.4% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 21A, Routing 

Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 97% of mortgage complaints sent to them for review 

and response. Companies closed 86% of complaints with an explanation, 3% with non-monetary 

relief, and 3% with monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 3% of 

complaints. At the end of 2019, 4% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 1% of complaints (see Figure 21B, Company 

Responses).
36 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 21: MORTGAGE COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those mortgage complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 95% of this subset of mortgage complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting mortgage complaints, consumers specify the type of mortgage. Options 

include: conventional home mortgage, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage, home 

equity loan or line of credit (HELOC), reverse mortgage, Veterans Administration (VA) 

mortgage, and other types of mortgages. In 2019, conventional home mortgages were the most 

complained about mortgage type (see Figure 22).
37 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 22: MORTGAGE COMPLAINTS BY TYPE AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For 

mortgage complaints, options include: applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing 

mortgage; closing on a mortgage; problem with a credit or consumer report; struggling to pay 

mortgage; and, trouble during payment process. The most common issue was “trouble during 

payment process” (see Figure 23).

Americans owe more than $9.9 trillion in mortgage and HELOC debt, making mortgage the 

largest consumer debt market in the United States. Through the third quarter of 2019, more 

than $1.3 trillion in new mortgage debt was originated, including both new originations and 

refinancing of existing debt.36

FIGURE 23: MORTGAGE COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

 36 See id.

1 square = 1% Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

Conventional home mortgage

FHA mortgage

Other type of mortgage

Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)

VA mortgage

Reverse mortgage

13,300 (62%)

3,200 (15%)

2,000 (9%)

1,400 (6%)

1,200 (6%)

300 (1%)

1 square = 1%

Trouble during payment process

Struggling to pay mortgage

Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage

Closing on a mortgage

Problem with a credit report or credit score

10,700 (50%)

6,300 (29%)

2,200 (10%)

1,600 (7%)

600 (3%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
38 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

The composition of issues in mortgage changed somewhat in 2019 compared to 2018. Although 

“trouble during the payment process” and “struggling to pay mortgage” continue to be the most 

common issues, mortgage complaint volume overall decreased 9% in 2019—driven largely by a 

23% decrease in the “struggling to pay mortgage” category.

Consumers raised a variety of payment-related issues in the approximately 50% of complaints 

about trouble during the payment process. These issues included improper application of funds, 

failure to credit funds to the account, and excessive fees charged to the loan, among others. For 

example, consumers reported late fees being assessed to their accounts despite payments having 

been made on or before the loan’s monthly grace period. Some consumers reported that 

additional monies paid above the monthly payment amount due were not applied as intended 

and that they encountered difficulty when contacting their servicer to address their concerns. 

Typically, in their responses to consumers, servicers included a payment history and responded 

to concerns about potential negative reporting to credit reporting companies.

As in 2018, consumers continued to raise issues involving their escrow accounts. Some issues 

reported by consumers include servicers denying consumer requests to close an escrow account; 

discrepancies with escrow analysis statements reflecting shortages; and discrepancies in 

accounting of escrow contributions. For example, consumers continued to raise concerns with 

increased monthly mortgage payments as a result of an escrow shortage. Some consumers 

challenged the amount identified by the servicer as deficient because they reported not having 

an increase to their homeowner’s insurance or property taxes. In response, servicers often 

included a payment history detailing payments to, and disbursements, from the escrow account.

Consumers who submitted complaints about struggling to pay their mortgage often reported 

issues related to the loss mitigation process. Some consumers reported that, although they met 

all the requirements in applying for a loan modification, they were still denied for reasons that 

appeared unreasonable. Other consumers complained about extended delays in receiving a 

decision on their loss mitigation application. Servicers responded including a reason for the 

denial of loss mitigation or providing the consumer with requirements and documents needed to 

proceed with processing the application.

In complaints submitted about applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage, 

consumers identified several issues, including lengthy application and approval processes and 

unauthorized credit inquiries. Other consumers reported changes in terms that were not 

disclosed timely—some that involved the lender refusing to honor rate lock agreements after 

delays in the application process. In response to these types of complaints, servicers typically 

provided the consumer with a timeline of the consumer’s loan application process and denied 

changing terms without disclosure to, and acknowledgement by, the consumer.
39 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

In 2019, consumers submitted complaints about Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) 

financing in both the mortgage and consumer loan product categories.37 The volume of PACErelated complaints was low. In the limited number of complaints received and sent to a company 

for a response, consumers raised concerns about unclear terms that resulted in costlier loans or 

difficulties related to the transfer of properties encumbered by PACE loans. 

Similar to 2018, mortgage product differences among servicemembers and older consumers 

mirror the availability of these products in their respective communities. Servicemembers 

submitted approximately 14% of mortgage complaints. VA mortgages, which make up 6% of the 

mortgage complaint volume, were submitted overwhelmingly by consumers who self-identified 

as a servicemember (see Figure 24).38

FIGURE 24: RATE OF SERVICEMEMBER COMPLAINTS FOR SUBPRODUCTS OF MORTGAGE

In 2019, the issues servicemembers identified in their mortgage complaints were associated with 

financial well-being, which is consistent with other analyses and findings published by the 

Bureau. 39 For example, although servicemembers submitted 14% of mortgage complaints, 

 37 PACE, also known in some states as “HERO loans,” is a mechanism that provides consumers funding for energy 

efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation projects. Unlike typical consumer products, PACE financing is 

repaid as an assessment on consumers’ property tax bill. In 2018, Congress instructed the Bureau to prescribe certain 

regulations related to PACE financing. See EGRRCPA, supra note 24.

38 VA mortgage eligibility is limited to servicemembers. Servicemember status is an optional field. For some intake 

channels, this field is not available (e.g., a consumer who mails a complaint may not reference their servicemembers 

status). The 13% of VA loan complaints that come from non-servicemembers may include some servicemembers who 

did not provide their servicemember status.

39 See e.g., Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, supra note 32 at 2 (“The analysis found that a number of socioeconomic 

characteristics are associated with positive financial well-being. The strongest associations were with higher 

education, age, physical health, and homeownership.”).
40 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

servicemembers submitted 17% of complaints related to closing on a home and only 11% of 

complaints related to struggling to pay (see Figure 25).

FIGURE 25: RATE OF SERVICEMEMBER COMPLAINTS FOR ISSUES OF MORTGAGE

Older consumers submitted 31% of mortgage complaints. Reverse mortgages, which make up 1% 

of the mortgage complaint volume, were submitted overwhelmingly by consumers who selfidentified being 62 years old or older (see Figure 26).40

FIGURE 26: RATE OF OLDER CONSUMER COMPLAINTS FOR SUBPRODUCTS OF MORTGAGE

 40 Similar to VA mortgages for servicemembers, reverse mortgages have eligibility requirements that limit the 

product to homeowners who are at least 62 years old. See 24 CFR § 206.33. As with servicemember status, providing 

age information is optional.
41 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

4.5 Checking or savings account

The Bureau received approximately 26,900 checking or savings account complaints in 2019—a 

4% increase from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 22,500 (or 

84%) of these complaints to companies for review and response, referred 11% to other 

regulatory agencies, and found 5% to be incomplete. Of the 11% of checking or savings account 

complaints referred to other agencies, most were complaints submitted about credit unions and 

other depository institutions with less than $10 billion in assets. At the end of 2019, 0.3% of 

checking or savings account complaints were pending with the consumer and 0.3% were 

pending with the Bureau (see Figure 27A, Routing Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 96% of checking or savings account complaints sent to 

them for review and response. Companies closed 68% of complaints with an explanation, 18% 

with monetary relief, and 3% with non-monetary relief. Companies used an administrative 

response for 3% of complaints. At the end of 2019, 5% of complaints were pending review by the 

company. Companies did not provide a timely response for 2% of complaints (see Figure 27B, 

Company Responses).

FIGURE 27: CHECKING OR SAVINGS ACCOUNT COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those checking or savings account complaints for 

which the company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded 
42 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

with an explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary 

relief, and closed with monetary relief). In 96% of this subset of checking or savings account 

complaints, consumers reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before 

submitting a complaint to the Bureau.

When submitting checking or savings account complaints, consumers specify the type of 

product. Options include: checking account, savings account, certificate of deposit (CD), and 

other banking product or service. In 2019, checking account was the most complained about 

product type (see Figure 28). Although ownership rates of checking and savings accounts are 

similar, it is not surprising that checking accounts are the subject of more complaints as they are 

used for everyday transacting—a frequent issue raised by consumers in complaints.

FIGURE 28: CHECKING OR SAVINGS ACCOUNT COMPLAINTS BY TYPE OF PRODUCT OR SERVICE AND 

OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For 

checking or savings account complaints, options include: closing an account; opening an 

account; managing an account; problem caused by funds being low; problem with a lender or 

other company charging your account; and, problem with credit report or credit score. The most 

common issue was “managing an account” (see Figure 29).

1 square = 1%

Checking account

Other banking product or service

Savings account

CD (Certificate of Deposit)

15,400 (76%)

2,700 (13%)

1,500 (7%)

600 (3%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
43 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 29: CHECKING OR SAVINGS ACCOUNT COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The composition of issues in checking or savings account complaints in 2019 was similar to the 

composition in 2018. Of the consumers who identified managing an account as their primary 

issue, many reported issues with depositing and withdrawing funds. Consumers complained of 

an inability to access their funds, financial institutions placing holds on deposits, and 

discrepancies between when institutions told them funds would be released and when the funds 

were actually made available. 

Consumers who submitted complaints about problems caused by funds being low received 

monetary relief at a greater rate than consumers who submitted complaints about other issues. 

Complaints in this category often involved the assessment of overdraft fees. Consumers 

identified several different situations for which they believed that the overdraft fees should not 

have been assessed. For example, some consumers claimed that the institution paid transactions 

on their behalf when they were not enrolled in an overdraft protection program, and others 

claimed that multiple overdraft fees were charged because of the transaction posting order.

Companies frequently refunded these fees, but generally stated they were providing the refund 

as a courtesy, not because of errors in how the fees were assessed. 

Some consumers complained about issues encountered when utilizing their financial 

institution’s mobile banking app, especially when making deposits. Consumers reported missing 

funds, miscalculation of deposits, and large holds placed on deposited checks—including 

routinely deposited payroll checks. In response to these complaints, some financial institutions 

refer consumers to deposit agreements, accounts disclosures, and Regulation CC guidelines or 

noted that holds are placed on certain deposited items to reduce the risk of loss to the bank and 

its customers.

Unauthorized transactions, including transactions that may be related to fraudulent activity,

continue to be a common cause of complaints. These complaints frequently concerned

difficulties encountered during the claims process. Some consumers complained about 

1 square = 1%

Managing an account

Closing an account

Opening an account

Problem with a lender or other company

charging your account

Problem caused by your funds being low

Problem with a credit report or credit score

12,900 (64%)

2,300 (12%)

1,900 (10%)

1,600 (8%)

1,300 (7%)

100 (0.7%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
44 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

duplicative documentation requests and the issuance—and subsequent reversal—of provisional 

credits. In response to these complaints, companies frequently notified consumers that the 

original investigation was correct and that no error had occurred. In some instances, companies 

reconsidered earlier decisions and returned funds to the consumer. 

An increasing number of complaints also involved claims by consumers that companies did not 

credit consumers with promotions (e.g., cash bonuses) related to opening an account. In 

response to these complaints, many companies indicated that consumers failed to meet one or 

more of the promotional requirements.

Approximately 12% of complaints submitted by older consumers were checking or savings 

complaints, compared to 9% submitted by consumers under 62 years old (see Section 2, Figure 

5). Although older consumers comprised approximately 24% of checking or savings complaints, 

they made up a greater share of complaints about savings accounts and other banking products 

(see Figure 30). The concentration of older consumers in complaints about CDs was particularly 

pronounced at more than 67%. These differences likely reflect the differences in overall rate of 

ownership of these products by age.

FIGURE 30: OLDER CONSUMER RATE OF PRODUCT TYPES COMPARED TO PERCENTAGE OF CHECKING 

OR SAVINGS ACCOUNT COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED BY OLDER CONSUMERS

4.6 Student loans

The Bureau received approximately 9,100 student loan complaints in 2019—a 12% decrease 

from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). 41 The Bureau sent approximately 7,300 (or 80%) of these 

 41 Before consumers can submit student loan complaints to the Bureau, the Bureau’s complaint form requires them to 

select the type of student loan. When consumers select federal student loan and an issue related to financial aid 

eligibility or related to receiving money from a federal student loan, the Bureau directs consumers to the Department 

of Education.
45 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

complaints to companies for review and response, referred 11% to other regulatory agencies, and 

found 8% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.8% of student loan complaints were pending 

with the consumer and 0.5% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 31A, Routing Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 96% of student loan complaints sent to them for review 

and response. Companies closed 85% of complaints with an explanation, 7% with non-monetary 

relief, and 2% with monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 1% of 

complaints. At the end of 2019, 2% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 3% of complaints (see Figure 31B, Company 

Responses).

FIGURE 31: STUDENT LOAN COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those student loan complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 91% of this subset of student loan complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting student loan complaints, consumers specify whether they are complaining 

about a federal student loan or a private student loan. In 2019, consumers complained about 

federal student loans more frequently than private student loans (see Figure 32).
46 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Americans owe more than $1.6 trillion in student loan debt, making student loans the second 

largest debt market in the United States behind mortgage.42 This market is predominantly 

comprised of federal student loans issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education, 

which has $1.5 trillion in outstanding loans.43

FIGURE 32: STUDENT LOAN COMPLAINTS BY TYPE OF LOAN AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For student 

loans, options include: dealing with a lender or servicer; getting a loan; problem with a credit or 

consumer report; and, struggling to repay a loan.44 The most common issue was “dealing with 

your lender or servicer” (see Figure 33).

 42 See Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), Consumer Credit – G.19, Nov. 2019 (updated Jan. 8, 

2020), available at https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/.

43 See also Federal Student Aid Portfolio Summary (2019-Q4), available at

https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/fsawg/datacenter/library/PortfolioSummary.xls (last accessed Feb. 6, 

2020).

44 See supra note 41.

1 square = 1% Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

Federal student loan

Private student loan

4,600 (68%)

2,200 (32%)
47 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 33: STUDENT LOAN COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The composition of issues in student loan complaints in 2019 was similar to the composition in 

2018. Borrowers submitted federal student loan complaints to the Bureau at twice the rate of

private student loan complaints, and approximately two-thirds of borrowers identified dealing 

with their lender or servicer as the issue that best describes their problem. In complaints about 

servicing issues, federal student loan borrowers most often raised issues about receiving 

incorrect or incomplete information about their loan, whereas private student loan borrowers

most often raised issues about trouble with how payments were handled. The prevalence of 

federal student loan borrowers’ complaints about receiving information may be explained, in 

part, by the wide range of federal payment and forgiveness programs, and their corresponding 

requirements.

Both federal and private student loan borrowers report problems when their loan is transferred 

from one servicer to another. Although this issue seems more common in federal student loans, 

the problems manifesting from servicing transfers are similar for consumers regardless of loan 

type. These problems include difficulties in obtaining information about their loan, accessing 

servicers’ websites, and submitting automatic payments. 

Like in 2018, loan affordability was a common issue raised by student loan borrowers. Unlike 

most private student loan borrowers, federal borrowers may have available several incomedriven repayment (IDR) plans to reduce financial distress that can result in affordable monthly 

payments with some borrowers paying as little as $0 per month. The use of these IDR plans has 

increased significantly in recent years.45 To take advantage of IDR payment plans, borrowers 

need to complete applications based on their income. These applications typically ask for 

information about a borrower’s annual income, family size, and outstanding federal student loan 

debt and can be completed free of charge. 

 45 See Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, Data Point: Borrower Experiences on Income-Driven Repayment (Nov. 2019) at 

2, available at https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_data-point_borrower-experiences-on-IDR.pdf.

1 square = 1% Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Struggling to repay your loan

Problem with a credit report or credit score

Getting a loan

4,600 (67%)

1,600 (24%)

500 (7%)

100 (2%)
48 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Once enrolled in an IDR plan, borrowers must recertify this information annually. Borrowers 

reported difficulties completing their annual certifications. Some consumers described not 

receiving notices notifying them of the certification deadline. Other borrowers described 

submitting their certification, but not receiving approval because of missing information. This 

missing information was often related to the borrower’s or their spouse’s income. Some 

servicers informed borrowers that documents, such as paystubs, were needed to evaluate 

whether the borrower’s circumstances had changed from the prior year. In some circumstances, 

servicers adjusted the payment amounts following receipt of a borrower’s paystub.

Borrowers sometimes express that IDR plans and related paperwork are confusing, and some 

borrowers have turned to student loan debt relief companies that offer to assist borrowers with 

applications for IDR plans. Many of these companies charge a processing fee—generally several 

hundred dollars—for services that could be completed by the borrower for free.46 According to 

borrowers, some of these companies advertise claims of loan forgiveness through fictitious 

government programs.47 Borrowers describe originally believing that these companies were 

affiliated with the Department of Education and becoming frustrated when their payments are 

not applied as anticipated to their student loans. The volume of complaints submitted against 

these companies is relatively small compared to complaints submitted against student loan 

servicers.

Federal student loan borrowers continue to submit complaints about the Public Service Loan 

Forgiveness (PSLF) program.48 This appears to be an increasingly common topic raised by 

borrowers, and the trend may continue as the first groups of borrowers become eligible and 

apply for forgiveness.49 In their complaints to the Bureau, borrowers report that their servicers 

are inaccurately calculating the number of qualifying payments, and that requests for servicer 

review of qualifying payments are not timely addressed. Indeed, some borrowers report that 

servicers estimate it will take a year to calculate the total number of qualifying payments.

 46 Borrowers can apply for an Income-Driven Repayment by visiting Federal Student Aid, available at

https://studentaid.gov/app/ibrInstructions.action.

47 For a discussion on student loan debt relief scams, see e.g., Annual Report of the CFPB Private Education Loan 

Ombudsman 2019 (Oct. 15, 2019) at 33-36, available at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/researchreports/annual-report-cfpb-private-education-loan-ombudsman-2019/. 

48 The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program forgives the remainder of a borrower’s federal Direct Loan balance 

after the borrower has made 120 qualifying payments (10 years) under a qualifying payment plan while working fulltime for a qualifying public service employer. See 34 CFR § 685.219.

49 In 2007, Congress passed into law the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which authorized the Public Service 

Loan Forgiveness program. See Pub. L. 110-84 (2007). The first borrowers became eligible to apply for forgiveness in 

late 2017—ten years after passage of the Act.
49 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

4.7 Money transfers, money services, and 

virtual currencies

The Bureau received approximately 8,200 money transfer, money service, and virtual currency 

(collectively referred to as “money services” in this section) complaints in 2019—a 1% increase 

from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 5,200 (or 63%) of these 

complaints to companies for review and response, referred 28% to other regulatory agencies, 

and found 8% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.7% of money services complaints were 

pending with the consumer and 0.7% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 34A, Routing 

Outcomes). 

Companies responded to approximately 95% of money services complaints sent to them for 

review and response. Companies closed 76% of complaints with an explanation, 9% with 

monetary relief, and 6% with non-monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response 

for 2% of complaints. At the end of 2019, 4% of complaints were pending review by the 

company. Companies did not provide a timely response for 2% of complaints (see Figure 34B, 

Company Responses).

FIGURE 34: MONEY TRANSFER OR SERVICE, AND VIRTUAL CURRENCY COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those money services complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 
50 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 93% of this subset of money services complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting money services complaints, consumers specify the type of product. Options 

include: check cashing service; debt settlement; domestic (U.S.) money transfer; foreign 

currency exchange; international money transfer; mobile or digital wallet; money order; refund 

anticipation check; traveler's check or cashier's check; and, virtual currency. In 2019, mobile or 

digital wallet money transfers was the most complained about type of product (see Figure 35).

The composition of products within money services changed significantly from 2018 to 2019. 

Virtual currency complaints declined significantly from approximately 23% of money transfer or 

service complaints in 2018 to only 10% in 2019 and mobile and digital wallet complaints 

surpassed domestic money transfer complaints for the first time.
51 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 35: MONEY TRANSFER OR SERVICE, AND VIRTUAL CURRENCY COMPLAINTS BY TYPE AND 

OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For 

complaints about money services, options include: confusing or misleading advertising and 

marketing; confusing or missing disclosures; fraud or scam; incorrect exchange rate; lost or 

stolen check; lost or stolen money order; managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet 

account; money was not available when promised; other transaction problem; other service 

problem; overdraft, savings, or rewards features; problem adding money; problem with 

customer service; unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem; unexpected or other 

fees; and, wrong amount charged or received. The most common issue was “fraud or scam”

followed by “other transaction problem” (see Figure 36).

1 square = 1% Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

Mobile or digital wallet

Domestic (US) money transfer

International money transfer

Virtual currency

Traveler's check or cashier's check

Debt settlement

Money order

Check cashing service

Foreign currency exchange

Refund anticipation check

1,500 (33%)

1,400 (30%)

800 (16%)

500 (10%)

50 (0.9%)

100 (3%)

100 (2%)

100 (2%)

100 (2%)

100 (1%)
52 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 36: MONEY TRANSFER OR SERVICE, AND VIRTUAL CURRENCY COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND 

OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The composition of issues in money services changed somewhat in 2019 compared to 2018. 

Approximately 38% of money services complaints involved fraudulent activity, which is a 

notable increase from the roughly 27% of consumers that selected “fraud or scam” in 2018. 

Along with traditional money transfer providers, which have walk-in locations to send and 

receive money, these complaints increasingly include complaints about mobile- or online-only 

payments services companies. Two scams in particular—involving payments for alleged rental 

units and concert tickets—increased in frequency. Mobile and online payment services providers

often responded that their payments service is only intended for the consumer to transfer funds 

with those whom they trust, such as friends and family members. These complaints suggest that 

consumers do not always understand how protections apply when using different payment 

methods. 

1 square = 1% Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

Fraud or scam

Other transaction problem

Money was not available when promised

Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem

Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account

Confusing or missing disclosures

Other service problem

Problem with customer service

Unexpected or other fees

Wrong amount charged or received

Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing

Problem adding money

Lost or stolen money order

Lost or stolen check

Incorrect exchange rate

Overdraft, savings, or rewards features

1,800 (38%)

800 (17%)

500 (10%)

40 (0.8%)

30 (0.7%)

30 (0.7%)

10 (0.2%)

10 (0.1%)

400 (9%)

400 (8%)

200 (4%)

200 (3%)

100 (3%)

100 (3%)

100 (2%)

100 (1%)
53 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Consumers using mobile or online payments services also sometimes claimed that their 

accounts were hacked or otherwise compromised, and that funds were removed without their 

authorization. Companies generally responded to claims that transactions were not authorized 

by describing their investigation and providing relevant information about the transfer or 

transaction. In a number of complaints, companies ultimately reconsidered prior decisions, 

especially when consumers provided additional details or documentation for their claims. 

For both bank, and non-bank providers of remittance transfers, consumer complaints often 

involved transaction problems. Frequently these problems involved delays in the delivery of 

funds or failure to deliver the funds at all. Companies responded with a variety of reasons for 

these problems, including other compliance considerations (e.g., compliance with government 

sanctions, the Office of Foreign Asset Control), and technical difficulties.

Consumers identify debt settlement in a small number of money service complaints. Many debt 

settlement complaints involved student loans. For example, many complaints involved 

companies providing a variety of services adjacent to the servicing of student loans, including 

document preparation for payment plans, loan consolidation and debt settlement. Many 

consumers claimed that these companies did not provide the promised services. Section 4.6 

(Student Loans) includes more information on these and similar companies.

4.8 Vehicle loans or lease

The Bureau received approximately 7,900 vehicle loan or lease complaints in 2019—a 3% 

decrease from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 5,500 (or 70%) of 

these complaints to companies for review and response, referred 24% to other regulatory 

agencies, and found 5% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.6% of vehicle loan or lease 

complaints were pending with the consumer and 0.7% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 

37A, Routing Outcomes).

Some consumers submit complaints about vehicle dealerships. The Bureau generally does not 

send vehicle loan or lease complaints to vehicle dealerships unless the dealer retains motor 

vehicle installment sales contracts (often known as “buy here, pay here” dealers).

Companies responded to approximately 96% of vehicle loan or lease complaints sent to them for 

review and response. Companies closed 83% of complaints with an explanation, 6% with nonmonetary relief, and 4% with monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 

0.9% of complaints. At the end of 2019, 4% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 2% of complaints (see Figure 37B, Company 

Responses).
54 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 37: VEHICLE LOAN OR LEASE COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those vehicle loan or lease complaints for which 

the company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 93% of this subset of vehicle loan or lease complaints, 

consumers reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a 

complaint to the Bureau.

Consumers who submit vehicle loan or lease complaints specify whether they are complaining 

about a vehicle loan or lease. In 2019, consumers complained about vehicle loans more 

frequently than vehicle leases (see Figure 38).

Americans owe more than $1.1 trillion in vehicle loan debt, making vehicle loans the third 

largest consumer debt market in the United States behind mortgage and student loans.50

 50 See Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), supra note 43. This market includes loans for 

passenger cars and other vehicles (e.g., minivans, sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks for personal use), but excludes 

loans for boats, motorcycles, and recreational vehicles.
55 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 38: VEHICLE LOAN OR LEASE COMPLAINTS BY TYPE AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For vehicle loan 

or lease complaints, options include: getting a loan or lease; managing the loan or lease; 

problems at the end of the loan or lease; problem with credit report or credit score; and, 

struggling to pay loan. The most common issue was “managing the loan or lease” (see Figure 

39).

FIGURE 39: VEHICLE LOAN OR LEASE COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The composition of issues in vehicle loan or lease complaints in 2019 was similar to the 

composition in 2018. Consumers submitted complaints overwhelmingly about the loan product 

category, and managing a loan or lease remains the most commonly identified issue. In 

complaints about managing a loan or lease, consumers most often raised issues involving 

billing. For example, consumers reported problems with payment processing that led to late 

fees, adverse credit reporting, or both. Like 2018, some of these issues were related to automatic 

or online payment systems. In response to these complaints, some servicers acknowledged the 

error and worked with consumers to resolve the problems.

The volume of vehicle complaints related to struggling to make payments is steady year-overyear. Of the 18% of consumers who identified this as their primary issue, some reported entering 

into payment arrangements with their servicer. Even with these payment arrangements, 

consumers reported that their vehicle had been repossessed, which ultimately resulted in 

additional fees.

1 square = 1%

Loan

Lease

4,300 (83%)

900 (17%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

1 square = 1%

Managing the loan or lease

Problems at the end of the loan or lease

Struggling to pay your loan

Problem with a credit report or credit score

Getting a loan or lease

1,800 (35%)

1,100 (21%)

900 (18%)

800 (15%)

600 (11%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
56 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Approximately 15% of consumers who submitted a vehicle loan or lease complaint identified a 

problem with their credit report or score. In these complaints, consumers most frequently 

described having hard inquiries (i.e., credit inquiries that will likely affect consumers’ credit 

scores) made without their explicit permission. In response to these complaints, some 

companies requested that the credit reporting company remove the inquiry.

Some consumers who submitted complaints about getting a loan or lease reported confusion 

stemming from ambiguous or unclear advertisements. When responding to these 

advertisements, consumers were surprised to learn that the terms—such as a low interest rate—

were different from what was advertised. Some companies responded to these complaints by 

explaining to the consumer that they were ineligible or the characteristics of the vehicle, such as 

the make and model, made it ineligible for the promotion.

4.9 Personal loans

The Bureau received approximately 4,600 personal loan complaints in 2019—a 10% increase 

from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 2,900 (or 62%) of these 

complaints to companies for review and response, referred 30% to other regulatory agencies, 

and found 6% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.7% of personal loan complaints were 

pending with the consumer and 1% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 40A, Routing 

Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 92% of personal loan complaints sent to them for 

review and response. Companies closed 75% of complaints with an explanation, 5% with nonmonetary relief, and 5% with monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 

4% of complaints. At the end of 2019, 4% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 6% of complaints (see Figure 40B, Company 

Responses).
57 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 40: PERSONAL LOAN COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those personal loan complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 89% of this subset of personal complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting personal loan complaints, consumers specify whether they obtained the loan 

online or at a store (in person). In 2019, consumers complained about personal loans obtained 

online more than personal loans obtained at a store (see Figure 41).

FIGURE 41: PERSONAL LOAN COMPLAINTS BY LOAN SOURCE AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

1 square = 1% Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

Online

In person or at a store

Not stated

1,000 (43%)

900 (37%)

500 (21%)
58 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

When submitting personal loan complaints, consumers specify the type of product. Options 

include: installment loan, personal line of credit, or pawn loan. In 2019, installment loans were 

the most complained about type of personal loan product (see Figure 42).

FIGURE 42: PERSONAL LOAN COMPLAINTS BY TYPE AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For 

personal loan complaints, options are: can't contact lender or servicer; charged unexpected fee 

or interest; credit limit changed; getting the loan; getting a line of credit; problem with a credit 

report or score; problem with additional add-on product or services; problem with cash 

advance; problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan; problem when making 

payments, and struggling to pay loan. The most common issue was “charged fees or interest you 

didn’t expect” (see Figure 43).

1 square = 1%

Installment loan

Personal line of credit

Pawn loan

1,700 (68%)

800 (32%)

3 (0.1%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
59 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 43: PERSONAL LOAN COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The composition of issues in personal loan complaints in 2019 was similar to the composition in 

2018. Personal loan complaints involve a range of loan products that consumers use for a variety 

of purposes. Some loan products have relatively small principal amounts—often used for 

temporary expenses or budget shortfalls and generally issued by non-bank lenders. Other loan 

products involve larger principal amounts for longer terms and are generally issued by both 

bank and non-bank lenders. Consumers who use these products mention a range of uses for the 

funds, such as home improvement and debt consolidation. Personal loan complaints also 

include another group of loans that involve the financing of specific goods, such as solar panels, 

furniture, or other personal property. Section 4.3 (Mortgage) includes a discussion of PACE 

financing complaints, which are sometimes submitted in the personal loan product category. 

For complaints with the issue of “charged fees or interest you didn’t expect,” many consumers 

expressed dissatisfaction with high interest rates and fees. Some stated that their loan balance 

did not decrease—or, in some instances, increased—despite the payment being made on time. 

Others asserted that their loans violated state usury laws. Still others stated that they did not 

realize the full cost of credit at the time that they entered into the loan agreement. In response to 

these complaints, companies frequently indicated that the consumer had received loan 

disclosures and provided an acknowledgement of agreement with the terms of the loan. 

1 square = 1% Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

Charged fees or interest you didn't expect

Problem when making payments

Struggling to pay your loan

Getting the loan

Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan

Problem with a credit report or credit score

Getting a line of credit

Problem with additional add-on products or services

Credit limit changed

Problem with cash advance

Can't contact lender or servicer

Received a loan you didn't apply for

600 (24%)

500 (20%)

300 (14%)

300 (10%)

200 (10%)

20 (0.9%)

20 (0.7%)

200 (9%)

200 (7%)

100 (4%)

1 (0%)

1 (0%)
60 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Company responses also often stated that the loan complied with all state and federal laws or 

federal and tribal laws, depending upon the status of the lender.

4.10 Prepaid cards

The Bureau received approximately 4,100 prepaid card complaints in 2019—a 59% increase 

from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 1,900 (or 46%) of these 

complaints to companies for review and response, referred 46% to other regulatory agencies, 

and found 7% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.9% of prepaid card complaints were 

pending with the consumer and 0.9% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 44A, Routing 

Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 95% of prepaid card complaints sent to them for review 

and response. Companies closed 68% of complaints with an explanation, 17% with monetary 

relief, and 3% with non-monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 1% of 

complaints. At the end of 2019, 8% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 2% of complaints (see Figure 44B, Company 

Responses).

FIGURE 44: PREPAID CARD COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses
61 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those prepaid card complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 95% of this subset of prepaid card complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting prepaid card complaints, consumers specify the type of product. Options 

include: general-purpose prepaid card; gift card; government benefit card; payroll card; and, 

student prepaid card. In 2019, general-purpose prepaid cards were the most complained about 

prepaid product type (see Figure 45).

FIGURE 45: PREPAID COMPLAINTS BY TYPE OF CARD AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For prepaid 

card complaints, options include: advertising; problem getting a card or closing an account; 

problem with a purchase or transfer; problem with overdraft; trouble using the card; and, 

unexpected or other fees. The most common issue was “problem with a purchase or transfer”

(see Figure 46).

1 square = 1%

General-purpose prepaid

card

Government benefit card

Payroll card

Gift card

Student prepaid card

900 (55%)

600 (33%)

100 (6%)

100 (6%)

1 (0.1%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
62 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 46: PREPAID COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

The Bureau’s Prepaid Card Rule became effective on April 1, 2019.51 Coinciding with the 

effective date, the Bureau released a host of educational materials to inform the public about the 

new rule.52 While the rule does not appear to have significantly altered the breakdown of issues 

selected by consumers, the overall volume of complaints increased from approximately 2,600 

complaints to more than 3,900. This increase may be explained, in part, by increased awareness 

around prepaid cards and the protections (e.g., error resolution requirements) now available to 

consumers.

An increasing number of complaints involved government benefits in 2019. As in previous years, 

many of these complaints involved attempts to correct problems that arose from transactions 

that the consumer claimed were unauthorized or fraudulent. Frequently consumers provided 

detailed information and requested that companies reconsider prior decisions. Companies 

frequently included a description of their investigation and provided reasons that a disputed 

transaction was approved or denied.

4.11 Payday loans

The Bureau received approximately 2,100 payday loan complaints in 2019—an 8% decrease 

from 2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 1,300 (or 60%) of these 

complaints to companies for review and response, referred 32% to other regulatory agencies, 

and found 7% to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.6% of payday loan complaints were 

 51 See Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, CFPB Finalizes Changes to Prepaid Accounts Rule (Jan. 2018), available at 

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-finalizes-changes-prepaid-accounts-rule/. 

52 See e.g., Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, PREPAID CARDS AND OTHER PREPAID ACCOUNTS, available at

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/prepaid-cards/ (last visited Feb. 12, 2020). 

1 square = 1%

Problem with a purchase or transfer

Trouble using the card

Problem getting a card or closing an account

Unexpected or other fees

Advertising

Problem with overdraft

600 (38%)

400 (24%)

300 (18%)

300 (16%)

10 (0.5%)

100 (3%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
63 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

pending with the consumer and 0.6% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 47A, Routing 

Outcome).

Companies responded to approximately 91% of payday loan complaints sent to them for review 

and response. Companies closed 83% of complaints with an explanation, 1% with monetary 

relief, and 1% with non-monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 5% of 

complaints. At the end of 2019, 3% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 7% of complaints (see Figure 47B, Company 

Responses).

FIGURE 47: PAYDAY LOAN COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those payday loan complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 84% of this subset of payday loan complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting payday loan complaints, consumers specify whether they obtained the loan 

online or at a store (in person). In 2019, consumers complained about payday loans obtained 

online more than payday loans obtained at a store (see Figure 48).
64 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 48: PAYDAY LOAN COMPLAINTS BY LOAN SOURCE AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers also identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For payday 

loan complaints, options include: cannot contact lender or servicer; cannot stop withdrawals 

from bank account; charged unexpected fees or interest; loan payment was not credited to 

account; money was taken from bank account on the wrong day or for the wrong amount; 

problem with a credit report or credit score; problem with the payoff process at the end of the 

loan; received a loan consumer did not apply for; struggling to pay loan; and, was approved for a 

loan, but didn't receive the money. The most common issue was “charged fees or interest you 

didn’t expect” (see Figure 49).

FIGURE 49: PAYDAY LOAN COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers continued to express concerns about the affordability of their payday loans. Some 

consumers requested that lenders work with them to create affordable installment repayment 

1 square = 1% Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief

Online

In person or at a store

Not stated

700 (61%)

300 (28%)

100 (11%)

1 square = 1%

Charged fees or interest you didn't expect

Struggling to pay your loan

Can't stop withdrawals from your bank account

Received a loan you didn't apply for

Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan

Can't contact lender or servicer

Money was taken from your bank account on the wrong

day or for the wrong amount

Problem with a credit report or credit score

Loan payment wasn't credited to your account

Was approved for a loan, but didn't receive the money

300 (26%)

300 (25%)

100 (8%)

100 (8%)

100 (7%)

100 (7%)

100 (5%)

100 (5%)

100 (5%)

40 (3%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
65 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

plans so that they could stop rolling over loans. In response to these requests, some companies 

appeared to offer the consumer installment repayment options.

Consumers submitted a number of complaints about attempts to revoke automated clearing 

house (ACH) authorizations. Some consumers also complained about payments that occurred 

after they believed that ACH authorizations had been successfully revoked. Some consumers 

also claimed that companies refused to revoke authorizations or provided misleading 

information about the process for revoking the authorization during customer service 

interactions. Consumers described attempts to revoke authorizations using a variety of 

channels, including phone, email, and mail. 

Consumers also continued to complain about collection tactics for payday loans. Contact of third 

parties, especially the borrower’s employer, is a common concern for consumers. Consumers 

also expressed frustration with the timing and frequency of the contacts and described some of 

the contacts as harassing.

4.12 Credit repair

The Bureau received approximately 1,100 credit repair complaints in 2019—a 10% increase from 

2018 (see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 500 (or 47%) of these complaints 

to companies for review and response, referred 40% to other regulatory agencies, and found 12% 

to be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0.5% of credit repair complaints were pending with the 

consumer and 0.7% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 50A, Routing Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 91% of credit repair complaints sent to them for review 

and response. Companies closed 68% of complaints with an explanation, 11% with monetary 

relief, and 6% with non-monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 2% of 

complaints. At the end of 2019, 6% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

Companies did not provide a timely response for 8% of complaints (see Figure 50B, Company 

Responses).
66 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 50: CREDIT REPAIR COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those credit repair complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 79% of this subset of credit repair complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

Consumers identify the issue that best describes the problem they experienced. For credit repair 

complaints, options include: confusing or misleading advertising or marketing; confusing or 

missing disclosures; excessive fees; fraud or scam; problem with customer service; and, 

unexpected or other fees. The most common issue was “fraud or scam” (see Figure 51).
67 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 51: CREDIT REPAIR COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Consumers do not readily distinguish between credit repair services, credit monitoring services, 

and new products that are marketed towards improving consumers’ credit scores (e.g. Experian 

Boost or UltraFICO). Consequently, consumers sometimes submit complaints about credit 

monitoring services and score increasing products, such as those offered by the NCRAs, as credit 

repair complaints. For both credit monitoring and credit repair services, consumers frequently 

complain about difficulties they have in cancelling subscription-based services and sometimes 

take issue with the quality of the services. 

For complaints submitted against credit repair companies, consumers frequently claim that they 

did not receive promised benefits, that services were substandard, or that services were not 

provided. Consumers also took issue with aggressive sales tactics, promotional offers that were 

not honored, and unexpected or unexplained fees.

4.13 Title loans

The Bureau received approximately 530 title loan complaints in 2019—a 7% decrease from 2018 

(see Section 2, Figure 2). The Bureau sent approximately 370 (or 70%) of these complaints to 

companies for review and response, referred 24% to other regulatory agencies, and found 6% to 

be incomplete. At the end of 2019, 0% of title loan complaints were pending with the consumer 

and 0.8% were pending with the Bureau (see Figure 52A, Routing Outcomes).

Companies responded to approximately 90% of title loan complaints sent to them for review and 

response. Companies closed 74% of complaints with an explanation, 11% with non-monetary 

relief, and 3% with monetary relief. Companies used an administrative response for 1% of 

complaints. At the end of 2019, 4% of complaints were pending review by the company. 

1 square = 1%

Fraud or scam

Problem with customer service

Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing

Unexpected or other fees

Confusing or missing disclosures

Excessive fees

200 (36%)

100 (19%)

100 (17%)

100 (13%)

50 (10%)

30 (6%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
68 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Companies did not provide a timely response for 7% of complaints (see Figure 52B, Company 

Responses).

FIGURE 52: TITLE LOAN COMPLAINTS BY OUTCOMES

A. Routing Outcomes B. Company Responses

The remainder of this analysis focuses only on those title loan complaints for which the 

company confirmed a commercial relationship with the consumer and responded with an 

explanation or relief (i.e., complaints closed with explanation, closed with non-monetary relief, 

and closed with monetary relief). In 91% of this subset of title loan complaints, consumers 

reported first attempting to resolve their issue with the company before submitting a complaint 

to the Bureau.

When submitting title loan complaints, consumers identify the issue that best describes the 

problem they experienced. For title loans, options include: cannot contact lender or servicer; 

cannot stop withdrawals from bank account; charged unexpected fees or interest; loan payment 

was not credited to account; money was taken from bank account on the wrong day or for the 

wrong amount; problem with a credit or consumer report; problem with the payoff process at 

the end of the loan; received a loan consumer did not apply for; struggling to pay loan; vehicle 

was damaged or destroyed the vehicle; vehicle was repossessed or sold the vehicle; and, was 

approved for a loan, but did not receive money. The most common issue was “charged fees or 

interest you didn’t expect” (see Figure 53).
69 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

FIGURE 53: TITLE LOAN COMPLAINTS BY ISSUES AND OUTCOMES

Complaints closed with explanation or relief in 2019 Company responses

Like 2018, over one-quarter of consumers who submitted a title loan complaint identified 

unexpected fees or interest as their primary issue. In some of these complaints, consumers 

claimed that the interest being charged exceeds the allowable amount under their state’s usury 

laws. In response to these complaints, companies generally asserted that the loan met 

compliance with all applicable laws—both federal and state. Some companies, however, as a 

courtesy to their customers, allowed consumers to cancel the loan.

Nearly one-fifth of consumers who submitted a title loan complaint identified struggling to pay 

their loans as their primary issue. In these complaints, consumers described being in precarious

financial situations—e.g., fixed income, recently lost a job, disabled, etc.—and having turned to 

title loans to pay living expenses. They sometimes admitted, and often described situations that 

suggest, that they did not understand the terms of the loan or the consequences of default. In 

response to these complaints, companies often denied any wrongdoing.

1 square = 1%

Charged fees or interest you didn't expect

Struggling to pay your loan

Problem with the payoff process at the end of the

loan

Vehicle was repossessed or sold the vehicle

Can't contact lender or servicer

Vehicle was damaged or destroyed the vehicle

Loan payment wasn't credited to your account

Problem with a credit report or credit score

Received a loan you didn't apply for

Was approved for a loan, but didn't receive money

Money was taken from your bank account on the

wrong day or for the wrong amount

100 (26%)

100 (19%)

40 (12%)

40 (11%)

3 (0.9%)

30 (8%)

20 (6%)

20 (6%)

10 (4%)

10 (4%)

10 (3%)

Closed with explanation Closed with monetary relief Closed with non-monetary relief
70 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

5. Conclusion

In 2019, Consumer Response continued to assess the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of 

company responses, and ensure that the Bureau and other regulators have useful information 

about consumer complaints concerning financial products and services. Complaints help the 

Bureau in its work to regulate consumer financial products and services under existing federal 

consumer financial laws, enforce those laws judiciously, and educate and empower consumers 

to make better-informed financial decisions to reach their own life goals.
71 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Appendix

TABLE 5: TOTAL COMPLAINTS BY CONSUMER’S LOCATION AND PRODUCT IN 2019

Consumer’s 

Location

Checking or savingsCredit cardCredit or consumer reportingCredit repairDebt collectionMoney transfer or service, virtual currencyMortgagePayday loanPersonal loanPrepaid cardStudent loanTitle loanVehicle loan or leaseGrand Total

Alabama 218 253 2,708 16 1,070 77 279 39 90 70 112 4 103 5,051

Alaska 20 39 89 4 89 5 45 1 5 3 12 1 3 318

American 

Samoa 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

Arizona 565 629 2,121 16 1,786 178 660 45 89 84 172 15 207 6,576

Arkansas 101 135 817 10 446 42 124 8 30 38 65 1 57 1,878

California 3,807 4,141 17,715 107 8,696 1,183 3,843 205 555 542 878 104 993 42,841

Colorado 376 466 1,697 13 1,078 126 464 26 71 63 191 9 103 4,689

Connecticut 434 376 1,280 10 561 84 370 6 58 48 129 2 82 3,447

Delaware 117 143 539 6 310 26 144 14 14 9 35 0 31 1,390

District of 

Columbia 159 197 610 9 342 55 171 8 27 9 71 4 35 1,702

Florida 2,264 2,669 23,992 116 7,569 604 2,510 166 305 286 632 34 766 41,986
72 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Consumer’s 

Location

Checking or savingsCredit cardCredit or consumer reportingCredit repairDebt collectionMoney transfer or service, virtual currencyMortgagePayday loanPersonal loanPrepaid cardStudent loanTitle loanVehicle loan or leaseGrand Total

Georgia 1,066 1,172 10,659 45 4,233 308 1,261 57 211 163 324 33 377 19,927

Guam 8 5 8 1 5 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 34

Hawaii 51 106 417 3 169 14 84 5 16 5 26 0 8 904

Idaho 54 78 350 1 254 15 82 7 24 9 38 0 17 930

Illinois 1,181 1,021 5,604 31 2,286 264 900 66 158 113 354 20 250 12,276

Indiana 267 289 1,346 17 947 86 268 49 62 62 144 3 85 3,636

Iowa 71 136 435 6 367 31 99 16 18 30 61 0 35 1,308

Kansas 102 153 622 7 502 35 94 16 33 33 58 2 46 1,705

Kentucky 160 165 701 3 598 46 173 29 36 48 88 3 46 2,100

Louisiana 197 232 3,154 24 1,100 94 275 49 84 52 91 18 110 5,484

Maine 63 81 128 4 156 16 63 3 6 11 42 1 26 601

Marshall 

Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

Maryland 685 759 2,688 29 1,606 195 906 44 96 92 236 15 195 7,566

Massachusetts 597 833 1,508 19 943 135 634 22 65 65 210 5 134 5,185

Michigan 578 678 2,774 36 1,943 167 579 54 120 96 249 18 156 7,457

Minnesota 285 367 1,100 11 652 94 261 16 50 46 144 3 77 3,116

Mississippi 136 123 1,040 10 546 33 132 18 62 33 76 7 45 2,264

Missouri 310 306 3,157 14 1,280 77 269 44 79 65 153 10 118 5,890

Montana 41 40 164 2 133 9 49 7 6 8 22 0 16 497

Nebraska 71 94 173 3 231 24 71 3 11 12 34 2 16 747

Nevada 413 447 2,569 17 1,237 91 347 25 64 61 103 4 115 5,506
73 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Consumer’s 

Location

Checking or savingsCredit cardCredit or consumer reportingCredit repairDebt collectionMoney transfer or service, virtual currencyMortgagePayday loanPersonal loanPrepaid cardStudent loanTitle loanVehicle loan or leaseGrand Total

New 

Hampshire 74 85 223 3 205 26 109 6 13 11 47 3 22 830

New Jersey 941 1,150 4,272 35 2,015 229 1,153 68 126 102 284 14 311 10,725

New Mexico 88 105 410 9 358 24 117 15 30 20 59 2 27 1,268

New York 2,180 2,618 11,553 89 3,889 639 1,606 27 198 248 650 20 442 24,198

North Carolina 679 791 5,312 27 2,114 184 762 35 139 107 249 12 285 10,712

North Dakota 22 30 113 2 80 9 18 4 3 4 14 0 5 306

Northern 

Mariana Islands 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

Ohio 698 925 3,877 31 2,332 278 586 87 133 124 332 19 203 9,631

Oklahoma 120 148 583 8 661 44 180 24 49 47 76 4 74 2,022

Oregon 281 379 604 11 656 131 271 23 67 56 151 2 38 2,676

Pennsylvania 990 1,098 5,440 45 2,322 260 896 64 136 138 407 13 281 12,141

Puerto Rico 55 94 377 6 173 13 104 0 10 8 14 1 20 876

Rhode Island 88 95 283 1 176 12 90 3 9 12 30 1 19 820

South Carolina 305 282 2,886 22 1,744 76 330 86 111 53 130 8 130 6,176

South Dakota 26 49 84 3 66 12 23 5 9 5 24 1 8 315

Tennessee 416 338 2,812 19 1,361 109 443 70 108 80 138 9 133 6,046

Texas 1,736 1,955 14,525 100 9,072 561 1,820 260 386 256 576 51 706 32,051

U.S. Armed 

Forces –

Americas

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

U.S. Armed 

Forces –

Europe

7 8 27 0 24 2 3 0 1 0 7 1 4 84
74 BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Consumer’s 

Location

Checking or savingsCredit cardCredit or consumer reportingCredit repairDebt collectionMoney transfer or service, virtual currencyMortgagePayday loanPersonal loanPrepaid cardStudent loanTitle loanVehicle loan or leaseGrand Total

U.S. Armed 

Forces –

Middle East

0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

U.S. Armed 

Forces –

Pacific

9 9 21 1 25 3 5 2 0 0 2 0 3 80

United States 

Minor Outlying 

Islands

5 3 8 0 6 5 4 0 2 2 2 0 0 37

Unspecified 2,131 1,446 2,966 58 1,977 988 1,560 147 301 425 452 27 426 13,016

US Virgin 

Islands 6 6 16 0 6 2 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 42

Utah 134 182 2,037 11 539 44 168 13 30 31 60 5 40 3,296

Vermont 28 62 45 0 54 11 47 1 4 8 20 1 6 288

Virginia 682 860 3,001 32 1,940 198 847 64 152 89 253 9 227 8,373

Washington 509 571 1,562 7 1,205 137 636 54 80 69 223 2 122 5,193

West Virginia 66 71 198 1 180 20 59 2 15 15 27 3 22 682

Wisconsin 219 370 969 10 813 74 279 32 58 65 140 4 82 3,120

Wyoming 14 24 164 0 101 14 42 0 5 2 5 1 8 381

Total53 26,906 29,887 154,541 1,121 75,229 8,222 27,321 2,140 4,621 4,135 9,124 531 7,896 352,406

 53 Total column includes approximately 700 complaints where no specific consumer financial product was selected by consumers.