CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU

INFORMATION COLLECTION REQUEST – SUPPORTING STATEMENT

FOR

GENERIC CLEARANCE FOR CONSUMER COMPLAINT AND 

INFORMATION COLLECTION SYSTEM

(OMB CONTROL NUMBER 3170-XXXX)

TERMS OF CLEARANCE: None.
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

INTRODUCTION

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”), Public Law No. 

111-203, Title X contemplates that the CFPB will facilitate the centralized collection of, monitoring of, 

and response to consumer complaints about consumer financial products or services.1

 Section 1034 of 

the Dodd-Frank Act further contemplates that the CFPB will establish “reasonable procedures to provide

a timely response to consumers” who submit inquiries and complaints against any person that engages 

in offering or providing a consumer product or service.2

 On July 21, 2011, the CFPB began taking these 

actions by launching a system for accepting and processing credit card complaints.3

 Within a year, the 

CFPB broadened its intake to include consumer complaints about mortgages, bank accounts and 

services, vehicle loans and leases, consumer loans, and student loans.4

 As the CFPB expanded its 

capacity to respond to a wider variety of consumer complaints, it became clear that the continuous 

process improvements needed to achieve the goals of efficient consumer complaint response required

an adaptive information collection system. On October 31, 2011, the CFPB proposed a generic clearance

regime5 based on the premise that the multiple information collections required to duly execute the 

CFPB’s consumer response function would benefit from such a streamlined and expedited process. The 

CFPB collects complaint information in a number of subject areas, so the opportunity for pilot testing 

new questions on the Consumer Response Intake Form (Intake Form6

) along with gathering feedback 

through surveys will make it easier to process complaints and to determine how to properly route the 

complaint for handling, e.g., to other federal agencies if appropriate. 

These voluntary information collections interrelate and continually influence one another, directly or 

indirectly. For instance, defective questions or instructions on the Intake Form may be identified 

through reviewing feedback from the Intake Form’s users, or consumers, and other stakeholders such as 

the companies receiving complaints from the CFPB. Recipients of, and respondents to, consumer 

complaints may be interviewed and their responses then inform the development of future frameworks 

for how complaints will be referred to other government entities as appropriate, i.e., “referral 

guidance,” which may, in turn, influence fields, disclaimers, or instructions on the Intake Form. 

Improvements to the Intake Form will promote efficiency, which will benefit both consumers and 

 1 See e.g., Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1013(b)(3), 1021, and 1034, codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5493(b)(3), 

5511, and 5534.

2 See 12 U.S.C. § 5534.

3 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 1505-0236.

4 OMB Control No. 3170-0011 (“Consumer Response Intake Form”). Originally approved as a Department of 

Treasury/Department Offices form (1505-0241), this approved information collection was transferred to the CFPB

on November 21, 2011. ICR Reference Number 201111-3170-004. 

5 The CFPB published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register soliciting public comment. 76 Fed. Reg. 67,128 (Oct. 

31, 2011); see 44 U.S.C. § 3506(c)(2)(A).

6 OMB Control No. 3170-0011. 
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

companies. This relationship between the information collections further supports the use of the 

generic clearance model which allows information collections to be combined as part of an overall, 

streamlined plan. These information collections are presented by the CFPB in the form of an 

“inventory”7 which provides a comprehensive list of the categories and issues from which questions will 

be developed. 

Description of the Current Consumer Response Process

Consumers may submit complaints directly to CFPB using one of several channels: web, phone, mail, or 

fax. After submission, the CFPB Office of Consumer Response (“Consumer Response”) reviews the 

complaints and determines, among other things, whether the complaint appears to identify a company 

within the CFPB’s authority.8

 Consumer Response also collaborates with other regulators. If the 

complaint is more appropriately referred to another regulator, the CFPB makes the complaint available 

to it via a secure web portal or other appropriate means such as end-to-end email encryption. The 

collaborating regulator processes the complaint in accordance with its resolution processes. If the CFPB 

is the more appropriate regulator, Consumer Response forwards the complaint via a secure web portal

or other appropriate means to the appropriate company. The respondent company then reviews the 

complaint and reports to the CFPB the action taken in response to the complaint. Finally, the CFPB 

invites the consumer to review the company’s response by logging into the CFPB’s secure “consumer 

portal” and to indicate whether the consumer disputes the company’s response.

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Circumstances Necessitating the Data Collection

As provided above, under the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB facilitates the centralized collection of, 

monitoring of, and response to complaints and inquiries about consumer financial products or services.9

The tasks of developing new questions and improving upon existing complaint questions along with 

 7 See Generic Clearance Inventory.

8 The Dodd-Frank Act contemplates that the CFPB will establish centralized collections of consumer complaints and 

will facilitate responses to consumer complaints with respect to consumer financial products and services. In 

addition, it has exclusive supervisory authority, and primary enforcement authority, with respect to insured 

depository institutions and credit unions with total assets of more than $10 billion and any of their affiliates for 

purposes of Federal consumer financial law. See Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Section 1013(b)(3), codified at 12 

U.S.C. §5493(b)(3) and Section 1025, codified at 12 U.S.C. § 5515. These Federal consumer financial laws include, 

among others, the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (“CFPA”), enacted as Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act of 

2010; the Consumer Leasing Act of 1976 (15 U.S.C. § 1667 et seq.), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 

1691 et seq.), the Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. § 1666 et seq.), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. §

1692 et seq.), the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 (12 U.S.C. § 2801 et seq.), the Real Estate Settlement 

Procedures Act of 1974 (12 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq.), and the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.).

9 See supra note 1.
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

related feedback collection to improve the complaint processing system would benefit from the 

streamlined flexibility of the generic clearance process. 

Proposed Generic 

Clearance Information 

Collections

Key Aims of Information Collection

New and Improved 

Complaint Intake Questions

 Receipt of relevant detailed facts from consumers

 Management of data integrity of consumer identification and 

complaint records

 Management of data integrity in subject/respondent company 

identification 

 Assistance to stakeholders in the efficient identification, 

communication, and resolution of complaint issues through early and 

complete data capture 

 Continuing improvement of the intake form user experience

 Reduction in duplication through successful identification and case 

linking

Referral Process 

Improvement Survey

 Collecting data and documentation from responding companies and 

other regulators for purposes of efficient complaint referral and 

response

User Experience and Web 

Portal Feedback

 Gathering insight on stakeholder perceptions of intake and referral 

programming

 Providing early warning of issues with web-based service

 Identifying the need for communications, training, and improvement in 

operations

Complaint Monitoring User

Feedback 

 Collecting data about amount of time spent at different stages of the 

complaint lifecycle

 Providing data in support of CFPB congressional reporting of complaint 

processing outcomes

This generic clearance will facilitate the testing of new, and improvement of existing, questions for the 

Intake Form and needed feedback for process improvement across the complaint lifecycle.10 

 10 See Appendix A, Background: The Generic Clearance Information Collections and the Consumer Response 

System.
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2. Use of Information

Section 1021(c)(2) of the Dodd-Frank Act provides that one of the primary functions of the CFPB is to 

collect, investigate, and respond to consumer complaints. Undertaking these functions underlies the 

core information collection, currently represented by the attached Consumer Assistance Form.

11 This 

generic clearance will allow the CFPB to test and pilot new and improved questions and requests for 

information. Stakeholder feedback will be used by Consumer Response to inform program 

improvements and enhancements as well as establishing their priority. Information collected from 

respondent companies and State agencies will inform referral guidance and programming. 

The “generic clearance inventory”12 provides a comprehensive list of the categories and issues from 

which new questions will be developed or improvements to approved questions will be proposed. This 

generic clearance inventory of topics serves as the source from which information collection data 

questions will be drawn for inclusion in subsequent intake and feedback forms and inquiries. The form 

of questions will include open-ended, closed-ended (e.g., multiple choice), ranked or ordinal, and rating 

(e.g., Likert) types. Examples of collections that will be undertaken under this clearance may include: 

web and telephone based collections, customer comment cards/complaint forms; small discussion 

groups; focus groups of stakeholders; customer satisfaction surveys (e.g., post-transaction surveys; optout web surveys); and in-person observation testing (e.g., website or software usability tests). 

3. Use of Information Technology

The CFPB has created, and will continue to improve, a system that provides consumers and their 

representatives with the ability to submit their complaints electronically, and give companies, federal 

agencies and State users secure web portal access to complaint information. The CFPB will continue to 

use enhancements such as drop down menus, error checks, and auto-completion when possible to 

minimize burden. Stakeholder feedback using web surveys will be continuously solicited to further 

improve the Complaint System.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

This generic clearance information collection request does not seek to duplicate any other Complaint 

System being developed by other Federal or State agencies. The information collections proposed will 

improve the processing of individual consumer complaints and inquiries. The CFPB strives to integrate 

cutting-edge technology, including secure company and government portals, to make the process 

efficient and user-friendly for consumers, companies, and agencies alike. 

5. Efforts to Minimize Burdens on Small Entities

Some small businesses and other small entities may be involved in the proposed information collections. 

For instance, a small business may be hired by a large financial institution to help process consumer 

 11 OMB Control No. 3170-0011.

12 See Generic Clearance Inventory.
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complaints from the CFPB and use the CFPB’s Company Portal to view consumer complaints. However, 

all of the information collections proposed under this generic clearance request are voluntary and are 

not anticipated to burden small businesses significantly. The CFPB will minimize any burden by 

requesting readily available information and using plain, short, easy-to-complete information collection 

instruments.

6. Consequences of Less Frequent Collection and Obstacles to Burden Reduction

The CFPB collection of complaints consumers choose to submit is a primary function of the CFPB under 

section 1021(c)(2) of the Dodd-Frank Act. The submission of such information by consumers using 

piloted complaint forms will be voluntary. Any participation in feedback surveys by stakeholders will be 

voluntary. If the proposed pilot or test collections are not conducted, the CFPB would not be able to 

properly inform and improve the complaint response function, and could not obtain the information 

needed to respond or adjust its processes to meet stakeholder needs. 

7. Circumstances Requiring Special Information Collection

There are no special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent 

with the guidelines in 5 C.F.R. § 1320(5)(d)(2). 

8. Consultation Outside the Agency

On October 31, 2011, the CFPB published a notice in the Federal Register (“notice”),

13 requesting public 

comment on the proposed generic clearance. The comment period for this notice expired sixty (60)

days later on December 30, 2011.14 Three comments were received, only one of which was responsive. 

Citing an OMB memorandum that mentions generic clearances only in passing, an industry association 

claimed that the generic clearance process is not appropriate for the consumer complaint and inquiry 

intake information collection. The CFPB disagrees. In its memorandum focused solely on generic 

clearances, the OMB explains that generic clearances are appropriate “when (1) the need for and the 

overall practical utility of the data collection can be evaluated in advance, as part of the review of the 

proposed plan, but (2) the agency cannot determine the details of the specific individual collections until 

a later time.”15 These criteria are clearly met here. 

Through this supporting statement, the CFPB provides a plan for information collection related to its 

Complaint System. In an effort to be transparent, the CFPB has appended a comprehensive “generic 

 13 76 Fed. Reg. 67128 (Oct. 31, 2011).

14 Id.

15 Cass R. Sunstein, OMB. Mem., Paperwork Reduction Act – Generic Clearances at 2 (May 28, 2010). All OMB 

memoranda cited in this supporting statement are available at www.whitehouse.gov.
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clearance inventory”16 that identifies the likely consumer protection subjects upon which it will expect 

to collect data over the course of the next three years. 

Not only are the matters herein reasonably identified, should OIRA approve of the generic clearance, the 

CFPB will be required to submit “specific information collections . . . to OMB for review, in accordance 

with the terms of clearance set upon approval of the plan.”17 Should the CFPB propose an information 

collection that falls “outside the scope” of the clearance, OIRA may require the CFPB to go through the 

normal clearance process.18 

The OMB memorandum on generic clearances also notes that generic clearances “can be used for a 

number of information collections, including methodological testing, customer satisfaction surveys, 

focus groups, contests, and website satisfaction surveys.”19 As explained throughout this supporting 

statement, the consumer complaint and inquiry intake information collection will involve these types of 

information collections, among others.

Another commenter provided ideas related to mortgage complaint processing and recommended 

requiring all lenders provide electronic copies of compliance documentation, such as promissory notes 

and allonges, which indicate assignment of interest. The CFPB believes that this comment falls outside 

the scope of this generic clearance request and forwarded the feedback through the appropriate 

channels within the CFPB. 

The third commenter recommended revisions to questions that appear on the Intake Form and 

suggested future iterations of the Intake Form benefit from a comprehensive review by the OMB. Many 

of the commenter’s suggested revisions could be addressed appropriately through the type of testing 

and piloting proposed in this generic clearance request. Furthermore, as indicated above, any 

information collection proposed under this generic clearance will be subject to OMB review. The 

commenter also made recommendations concerning CFPB’s complaint processing procedures such as 

the removal of frivolous complaints from the system and the extension of timeframes during which 

companies may respond to consumer complaints. Notably, these recommendations fall within the 

category of feedback the CFPB hopes to gather through information collections approved by the OMB 

under this proposed generic clearance. However, policy and procedural recommendations are not 

within the scope of the comments requested under the notice and will not be addressed in this 

supporting statement. 

9. Payments or Gifts to Respondents

The proposed information collections do not provide any payment or gift to respondents. 

 16 See Generic Clearance Inventory L.

17 See supra note 15, OMB Mem., Paperwork Reduction Act – Generic Clearances at 3.

18 Id.

19 Id. at 1.
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10. Assurances of Confidentiality

All information collection activities will conform to the requirements for the protection of the 

confidentiality of nonpublic information and personally identifiable information and for data security 

and integrity set forth in federal privacy laws, including the CFPB’s rules (12 C.F.R. § 1070 et seq.) and

the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C § 552a). At the point of information collection, individuals will be provided with 

the CFPB’s Privacy Act statement.

20 The CFPB will implement the appropriate security measures to 

ensure data is safeguarded including the use of locked file storage, confidentiality stamping, restricted 

system access, data encryption, restricted print options and disposal by cross-cut shredding. The 

Complaint System will be fully compliant with the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 

with the security category of “Moderate, Moderate, Low.” 

Section 1057 of the Dodd-Frank Act provides protection for “whistleblowers” who work for covered 

persons or service providers and who experience employer retaliation secondary to their provision of 

information about their employers to the CFPB. The CFPB will take all appropriate steps as permitted by 

law to maintain the confidentiality of such persons when piloting new, or testing to improve existing, 

complaint intake questions about whistleblower status.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

Information collections related to piloting new, or testing to improve existing, complaint intake 

questions may prompt the respondents for sensitive information such as credit card account or other 

financial account numbers only to facilitate complaint resolution and to minimize the burden of followup contact with the respondents. For instance, for credit card inquiries or complaints, certain account 

information such as a credit card number may be the most effective way to accurately identify the 

company. For inquiries directed to the national credit reporting bureaus and other financial services 

providers that use social security numbers as primary identifiers, consumers will be required to provide 

their Social Security Numbers (SSNs) in order to process their complaint.21 Oftentimes, it is the only 

effective way for certain respondents to accurately locate the consumer’s relevant financial information. 

Consumers’ SSNs, along with other sensitive financial account identifiers, will be held in an encrypted 

system for their protection.

The CFPB is tasked with enforcing certain Federal laws that are intended to ensure fair, equitable, and 

nondiscriminatory access to credit, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”).22 ECOA 

prohibits unlawful discrimination by any creditor against an applicant in a credit transaction based on

race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age.23 ECOA also prohibits such unlawful 

 20 See Intake Form, page 4.

21 Social security number collection was approved as part of the Consumer Response Intake Form, OMB Control 

No. 3170-0011, and similar discussion appears in the statement in support of OMB Control No. 3170-0011.

22 See e.g., Dodd-Frank Act, Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, §§ 1002(12)(D), 1021(b)(2), 1024(c), 1025(c). 

23 15 U.S.C. § 1691(a).
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discrimination by a creditor based on the fact that all or part of the applicant’s income derives from any 

public assistance program or based upon the applicant’s good faith exercise of any right under the 

Consumer Credit Protection Act. For these reasons, the piloting of new, or testing to improve existing, 

complaint intake questions, may inquire about possible discrimination based upon these factors.

12. Estimated Burden of Information Collection

Type of Information

Collection

Estimated 

Number of 

Respondents

Average Burden 

Hours per Intake

Estimated Total 

Annual Burden 

Hours 

Requested

Testing New and Improved Complaint Intake Questions

Web Complaint and Inquiry 

Intake (Testing and Piloting

New Questions)

2,500,000 7 minutes 291,600

Paper/Telephone Complaint 

and Inquiry Intake (Testing 

and Piloting New 

Questions)

750,000 10 minutes 125,000

Stakeholder Feedback

User Experience and Web 

Portal Feedback

10,000 5 minutes 830

Complaint Referral Process 

Improvement Feedback

Survey

5,000 5 minutes 415

Complaint Monitoring User 

Feedback Survey

5,000 5 minutes 415

Totals: 3,270,000 //////////////////// 418,260

The methods of information collection within each category include burdens associated with telephonic 

interview, web-based collection, surveys, and focus groups. Respondents will include individual 
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consumers and their representatives, State agencies,24 companies that are the subject of consumer 

complaints, and companies responding to consumer complaints.

13. Estimated Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents

There will be no annualized capital or start-up costs for the respondents to collect and submit this 

information.

14. Estimated Cost to the Federal Government

The CFPB incurs operational costs to develop, implement, and support cost-effective technology 

solutions for all information collections such as pilot forms and surveys. Costs will be included in the 

documentation provided to OMB for each collection for which we will seek approval under this generic

plan.

15. Program Changes or Adjustments

This is a new generic plan. 

16. Plans for Tabulation, Statistical Analysis, and Publication

Data collected through the piloting of new, or testing to improve existing, complaint intake questions; 

and feedback collections will be analyzed and may be provided in annual reports to be issued by the 

CFPB to Congress. In particular, under Section 1013(b)(3)(c) of the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB provides 

reports to Congress containing information and analysis about complaint numbers, types, and where

applicable, resolution. The CFPB may publish trend reports based on aggregate data in summaries, 

reports, and briefings. Presentations of analyses may include frequency, classification, and crosstabulation across consumer financial products or services, demographic and economic characteristics, 

and financial management behavior. 

a) Public Disclosure of Consumer Complaint Data

In July 2012, the CFPB issued a report that described the CFPB’s policy to publicly disclose 

information related to credit card complaints as follows:

Information about consumer complaints is now available to the public, following the CFPB’s 

launch of a public Consumer Complaint Database on June 19, 2012. The database is populated 

by credit card complaints received by the CFPB on or after June 1, 2012 and contains certain 

individual complaint-level data collected by the CFPB, including the type of complaint, the date 

of submission, the consumer’s zip code, and the company that the complaint concerns. The 

database also includes information about the actions taken on a complaint – whether the 

company’s response was timely, how the company responded, and whether the consumer 

 24 See infra note 28.
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disputed the company’s response. The database does not include confidential information about 

consumers’ identities.25

After considering comments from interested stakeholders, the CFPB finalized its policy for disclosing 

data through its Consumer Complaint Database to include other consumer financial products or 

services, such as mortgage-related products.26

17. Display of Expiration Date

The expiration dates for OMB approval will be displayed or otherwise provided to respondents for all 

information collections proposed.

18. Exceptions to the Certification Requirement 

The CFPB is not requesting any exceptions to the certification requirement. 

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

This information collection does not employ statistical methods. Due to the limitations of the proposed 

voluntary information collections, most importantly the absence of randomized sample selections, the 

responses will not be representative of any larger group. Because any aggregate results of the proposed 

information collections will not be statistically valid representations of a larger group, and are not meant 

to be, statistical methods cannot reduce or improve the accuracy of results.

 25 Consumer Response Annual Report of the CFPB, available at

http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201303_cfpb_Consumer-Response-Annual-Report-to-Congress.pdf. See also

Disclosure of Complaint Data, 78 Fed. Reg. 21218 (April 10, 2013); Disclosure of Certain Credit Card Complaint 

Data, 77 Fed. Reg. 37558 (June 22, 2012).

26 78 Fed. Reg. 21218, available at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/04/10/2013-07569/disclosureof-consumer-complaint-data.
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Appendices – Quick Reference Table

The following appendices represent the elements that make up the various proposed information 

collections under this generic clearance proposal, and a high level overview of the hundreds of 

questions included in the attached Generic Clearance Inventory that may be piloted or used in surveys 

over the next three years.

Appendix Topic Key Aims of Collection

A Background: Generic 

Clearance Information 

Collections and Consumer 

Response System

 An overview of the Consumer Response Complaint 

System

B Consumer Profile and 

Consumer Response 

Authority

 Management of data integrity of consumer 

identification and complaint records

 Reduction in duplication through successful 

identification and case linking

C Complaint Respondent

Profile

 Management of data integrity of subject/respondent 

company identification 

 Obtain data and documentation from consumer for 

purposes of efficient validation of accuracy and 

referral

D Financial Transaction or 

Activity at Issue

 Assistance to stakeholders in the efficient 

identification, communication, and resolution of 

complaint issues through early and complete data 

capture 

E Accessibility and 

Preferences

 Calculation of program coverage, utilization, and 

availability of services

 Calculating program retention

F Instructions, Disclaimers, 

and Privacy Statement

 Continuing improvement of the intake form user 

experience 
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Appendix A

Background: The Generic Clearance Information Collections and the Consumer Response 

Complaint System

A review of the Consumer Response Complaint System (“Complaint System”) reveals four interconnected information collections: the core collection of initial intake and ancillary collections related 

to referral; feedback gathering; and performance monitoring. The four interrelated information 

collections under this new generic clearance may be summarized as follows: 

Piloting New and Improved Complaint Intake Questions: As part of its core function, Consumer 

Response accepts inquiries and complaints from consumers and their third party 

representatives and collects the supportive information and records needed to process 

complaints. Consumer Response also screens complaints for appropriate referral as described 

below. Currently, Consumer Response uses variations of the standard Intake Form27 to process 

consumer complaints, inquiries, and feedback. Under a generic clearance, the CFPB could 

pretest or pilot new questions or requests for supportive evidence prior to requesting, or 

requesting the revision of, a permanent collection.

Complaint Referral Process Improvement Feedback: In order to route complaints to companies 

and to federal and State agencies,

28 Consumer Response may collect ancillary information from 

these entities to make process improvements which, in turn, facilitate appropriate provision of

access to complaint information via secure web portals and other means. 

User Experience and Web Portal Feedback: In order to inform process improvement of the 

Complaint System, continuous communication with stakeholders, such as consumers who 

submit complaints, companies responding to complaints, and agencies receiving complaint 

referrals, is needed. This feedback collection will help the CFPB evaluate the effect and utility of 

technological processes, monitor “current state” performance, and identify potential service 

enhancements. The collection of feedback also will assist the CFPB in its implementation and 

maintenance of multiple, web-based complaint sharing channels, such as its portals (described 

above), and will support the development of referral guidance.

Complaint Monitoring Feedback: The CFPB is generally tasked by the Dodd-Frank Act with the 

responsibility for overseeing the timeliness of the consumer inquiry and complaint response 

 27 OMB Control No. 3170-0011.

28 The term “State” is defined in Section 1002 of the Dodd-Frank Act and means “any State, territory, or possession 

of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the United States Virgin Islands or any federally recognized 

Indian tribe”. 12 U.S.C. § 5481(27). For purposes of the Complaint System, “State agencies” or “State agency” 

means any agency, authority, or instrumentality of a State (including political subdivisions of States), such as state 

banking agencies, attorneys general offices, consumer protection agencies, insurance commissions, and securities 

commissions, as well as the officials, employees, agents, and contractors thereof.
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process29 and for providing reports to Congress about consumer complaints, which facilitate 

congressional oversight.30 Feedback will be collected from companies and State agencies to 

determine relevant complaint status.

Information Collection: New and Improved Complaint Intake Questions

Consumer inquiry and complaint intake is the core component of the proposed generic clearance 

package. Currently, the CFPB uses the approved set of collection questions associated with the Intake 

Form.31 Under a generic clearance, the CFPB could pilot individual collections that facilitate iterative 

testing such as testing alternative question wording.32 As an example, the CFPB could pilot new Intake 

Form questions to gain insight on how to best help consumers identify the type of credit card they are 

complaining about in their credit card complaints. For instance, sole proprietors or small business 

owners may have difficulty distinguishing between their business credit cards and personal credit cards 

when submitting their credit card complaints.33 The distinction becomes important to the CFPB when 

 29 See Dodd-Frank Act, Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Section 1034, codified at 12 U.S.C. § 5534.

30 See Dodd-Frank Act, Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Section 1013(b)(3)(C), codified at 12 U.S.C. § 5493(b)(3)(C).

31 OMB Control No. 3170-0011.

32 OMB Mem. M-11-07, Facilitating Scientific Research by Streamlining the Paperwork Reduction Act Process (Dec. 

9, 2010)(“Agencies. . . have found it beneficial to obtain a generic clearance . . . to facilitate iterative rounds of 

testing. These experiments included tests of alternative question wording.”).

33 See Report to the Congress on the Use of Credit Cards by Small Businesses and the Credit Card Market for Small 

Businesses, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, May 2010, available at 

http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/conferences/sbc_smallbusinesscredit.pdf.

Consumer 

completes Intake 

Form

Consumer 

Response reviews 

complaint

Consumer 

Response routes 

complaint to 

Company or other 

Regulator

Consumer reviews 

Company response 

Consumer 

Response 

investigates 

complaints

CFPB publishes 

complaint 

information

Figure 1. Consumer inquiries and complaints make up the core information collection and drive the CFPB’s 

consumer complaint handling process.
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determining how to appropriately process the complaint, since the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), 15 U.S.C. 

§ 1601 et seq., applies more generally to personal credit cards than to business credit cards. Under a 

generic clearance, the CFPB could test alternative language and determine how to best prompt sole 

proprietors to identify more clearly the type of credit card at issue in their complaint. 

As explained by the CFPB in its Annual Report of the CFPB pursuant to Section 1017(e)(4) of the DoddFrank Act (“July 2012 Annual Report of the CFPB”), the CFPB generally has relied on the consumer’s

characterizations of his or her complaint to identify its nature through the selection of various complaint 

categories and issues.34 For example, one consumer might choose to categorize a problem as a billing 

dispute, while another might identify the same issue as a concern with the increase of an interest rate. 

The CFPB continually evaluates consumers’ use of the categories on the Intake Form with the goals of 

developing user-friendly questions while achieving some consistency in consumers’ complaint 

categorization for ease of reporting. Prior to launch of a permanent collection, the CFPB could pretest or 

pilot a preliminary Intake Form and review consumers’ responses to proposed issue categories for 

understandability and user-friendliness. The CFPB cannot predict with certainty whether changes in the 

consumer financial products or services market will require revisions of the Intake Form, but this 

clearance package provides the generic elements upon which any pilot-testing would be based. The

CFPB proposes a system that allows for construction of questions as needed from a pre-approved 

inventory35 of categories and issues. 

 34 Annual Report of the CFPB pursuant to Section 1017(e)(4) of the Dodd-Frank Act, July 2012, available at 

http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201207_cfpb_report_annual-to-house-appropriations-committee.pdf.

35 See Generic Clearance Inventory.
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

Information Collection: Referral Process Improvement Survey

Figure 2. Feedback from stakeholders informs Consumer Response’s processes for referral and facilitates efficient 

operational level design.

One of the primary functions of the CFPB is “responding to consumer complaints.”36 This consumer 

response function necessarily relies upon the referral by the CFPB of consumer complaints to the 

appropriate respondents (i.e., companies). The primary model for delivery of complaints to companies 

has been via a secure web portal (“Company Portal”). Through this generic clearance request, the CFPB 

could begin to streamline the collection of important feedback from companies that would help verify 

point-of-contact information, confirm company relationships with other entities that may be named in 

complaints relating to those companies, and refine procedures to ensure efficient referral. For instance, 

some companies use trade or business names that are different from their legal names. Other 

companies may use third party servicers to provide support for billing or other consumer transaction 

processing. These service providers may, in turn, use company names, addresses, and phone numbers 

that are different from the companies with whom they contract. Consumers sometimes are not aware 

of the difference between servicers and the companies that hire them, and will provide the CFPB with 

the contact information of third party servicers in their complaint forms. This generic clearance request, 

among other things, will support collecting information from companies and their third party service 

providers to help refer complaints correctly and efficiently.

As noted above, the CFPB may refer complaints to other regulators and agencies as appropriate.37 In 

some cases, consumer complaints reveal issues of interest to State enforcement authorities. The DoddFrank Act permits CFPB referral of consumer complaints to State agencies that demonstrate the 

technological capacity to receive the complaints and the ability to take measures necessary to protect 

 36 See Dodd-Frank Act, Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X , Section 1021(c)(2), 12 U.S.C. §5511(c)(2). 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.

37 See e.g., Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Section 1013(b)(3), codified at 12 U.S.C. §5493(b)(3).

Consumer 

completes Intake 

Form

Consumer 

Response reviews 

complaint

Consumer 

Response routes 

complaint to 

Company or other 

Regulator

Consumer reviews 

Company response 

Consumer 

Response 

investigates 

complaints

CFPB publishes 

complaint 

experiences of 

consumers
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

and secure personal information.38 Under a generic clearance, the CFPB could streamline the gathering 

of feedback from States to help develop criteria for appropriate State referral and inform a survey of 

State agency functional capacity to receive referrals (e.g., operational capacity to conform to federal 

privacy and data security laws). For instance, under this generic clearance, the CFPB could collect 

information about a State’s ability to maintain consumer complaint data in a secure manner, in a space 

with access limited to authorized personnel. 

Information Collection: User Experience and Web Portal Feedback

The information collections described in this supporting statement enable the CFPB to collect 

information to, for example, establish the identities of stakeholders, such as consumer complainants, 

responding companies, and agencies receiving complaint referrals. A generic clearance would facilitate 

stakeholder feedback throughout the entire consumer response lifecycle to ensure the technical 

solutions are in line with CFPB’s mission to assist consumers in addressing their complaints effectively, 

efficiently, and with ease. 

Surveying consumers would allow measurement of consumers’ attitudes toward the consumer response 

process and permit immediate reaction to identified deficiencies. Continuous engagement with 

companies and States would provide insight into emerging operational issues or areas of concern, such 

as needed technical training, and support preliminary research for portal design improvement.39 

Intelligence gathered from qualitative surveys, and limited types of customer satisfaction quantitative 

surveys, of stakeholders under a generic clearance would help the CFPB understand stakeholder needs 

 38 See Dodd-Frank Act, Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Section 1013(b)(3)(D), codified at 12 U.S.C. 

§ 5493(b)(3)(D)(“[T]he [CFPB] shall share consumer complaint information with . . . . State agencies, subject to the 

standards applicable to Federal agencies for protection of the confidentiality of personally identifiable information 

and for data security and integrity.); see, e.g., 5 USC § 552a (the “Privacy Act”).

39 See screenshots.

Feedback

Complaint Lifecycle

Figure 3. From the filing of a consumer complaint to final disposition, stakeholder feedback helps the CFPB find ways to 

improve existing processes and make the complaint system as efficient, effective, and easy-to-use as possible. 
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

and expectations, evaluate performance in relation to key performance indicators, and expedite 

innovative technical solutions. 

Information Collection: Complaint Monitoring

In carrying out its duties under the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB’s Complaint System monitors the amount 

of time spent at different stages of the complaint lifecycle.40 Moreover, by statute, the CFPB specifically 

monitors complaints by servicemembers and their families and any responses thereto.41 In monitoring 

company responses to complaints, the CFPB would benefit from learning more about companies’ 

internal complaint management processes. Any such information collections would rely heavily on 

voluntary self-reporting by the companies themselves. Under a generic clearance, the CFPB could, for 

example, interview these companies,42 especially those who have an interest in timely and accurate 

referral,43 and evaluate how time is spent resolving consumer complaints routed by the CFPB through 

the Company Portal.

Moreover, under the Dodd Frank Act, the CFPB presents reports to Congress about the numbers, types, 

and, where applicable, resolutions of consumer complaints.44 This proposed collection will facilitate 

accurate accounting of the quantity, nature, and subject matters of concern to Congress. For instance, 

 40 See e.g., Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1013(b)(3) and 1034, codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5493(b)(3) and 5534.

41 See Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Section 1013(e)(1)(B), 12 U.S.C. § 5493(e)(1)(B).

42 Self-regulatory organizations and advocacy groups are examples of potential stakeholders in private industry.

43 Section 1034(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act requires that companies subject to supervision and primary enforcement 

by the CFPB pursuant to Section 1025 of the Act provide a timely response to the CFPB regarding consumer 

complaints.

44 See section 1013(b)(3)(C), 12 U.S.C. § 5493(b)(3)(C).

Figure 4. The CFPB monitors the timeliness of stakeholder consumer complaint management and facilitates oversight 

of the consumer response function through reporting.

Oversight

Complaint Lifecycle
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the CFPB may share individual consumer complaints with the States.

45 States that meet the statutory 

criteria to receive such complaints will be encouraged to share information on complaint resolution. 

These voluntary reports from the States will, in turn, support the CFPB’s reports to Congress mentioned 

above.

 45 See section 1013(b)(3)(B), 12 U.S.C. § 5493(b)(3)(B).
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Appendix B: Consumer Profile and Consumer Response Authority

Consumer (and authorized third party representative) demographic information is used to identify the 

consumer within the Consumer Response System and to aid identification by respondents and agencies 

in receipt of referrals. In addition to demographic questions, additional questions are asked to help 

CFPB determine the appropriate way to process the consumer’s complaint. The proposed information 

may include: 

• Consumer demographics

 Full name

 Billing address

 Mailing address

 State of legal residence

 Social Security Number

 Driver’s license number

 Date of birth

 Telephone number

 Email address

 Cell phone number

 Short Messaging Service (SMS) number

 FAX

 Username

 Biography

 Facebook profile URL

 Title 

 Employer/organization

 Marital status

• Servicemember or veteran status

 Active, inactive, or veteran status

 Branch

 Rank

 Date of discharge 

• Dependency status information

 Servicemember spousal or dependent status

 Date of birth

 Marital status

 Emancipated minor status

• Third party representative information
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

 Proof of authorization (e.g., retainer, power of attorney, letter of interest)

 Full name

 Mailing address

 Email address

 Phone number

 Username

 Representative type (e.g., Congressional, Legal Aid, Fee for Service, attorney)

 Relationship Type (e.g., friend, family member)

 Organization web site URL

 Licensure or certification

• Processing information

 Whistleblower or tipster status

 Anonymity request

 “Do not send to company” request

 Non-consumer status

 Business purpose product or service

 Duplication (CFPB or other regulator complaint number or other ID number)

 Prior or pending litigation

 Legal representation

 Fraud, exigent circumstances or imminent harm
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

Appendix C: Complaint Respondent Profile

The CFPB generally has relied on the consumer’s identification of the company that is the subject of the 

complaint. However, CFPB’s experience to date suggests that consumers may often misunderstand 

relationships between third party vendors and the companies they serve or may identify multiple 

companies. The CFPB will consider other elements that may be supplied by the consumer to help 

identify the subject of their complaint. The proposed information may include: 

• Company or vendor name

• Company or vendor registration

• Company or vendor type

• Physical office address

• Business mailing address

• Contact email

• Phone number

• Website

• Organizational biography

• Images of financial product

• Employee information
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

Appendix D: Financial Transaction or Activity at Issue

The CFPB generally has relied on the consumer’s characterization of the consumer financial products or 

services at issue in their complaint. However, the CFPB’s experience to date suggests that consumers 

may often have differing interpretations of the financial transaction or activity at issue. The CFPB will 

consider elements that can be provided by the consumer which will help CFPB identify the issues raised 

in consumer complaints. The proposed information may include: 

• Time of event

• Report of loss

• Tangible property

 Physical location

 Description

 Image

• Other property identifiers

 Account number

 Account contact information

 Loan number

 Credit card number

 Policy number

 Customer or client number

 Social Security Number as account number

 Image of pre-paid card or certification of interest 

• Billing information

 Accountholder name

 Name of authorized user of account 

 Billing address

• Correspondence with company

• Consumer financial product or service (see inventory)

• Specific circumstances surrounding the event
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

Appendix E: Accessibility and Preferences

The CFPB accepts complaints through its website and by telephone, mail, email, fax, and referral from 

other regulators and strives to improve the availability and accessibility of the Intake Form and related 

intake processes by gathering feedback. Furthermore, the CFPB aims to meet the needs of the 

consumers’ with disabilities or language barriers. Related collections would include requests for

information related to Complaint System accessibility and preferences:

• General Communication Preferences

 Email

 SMS

 Phone

 Mail

 TTY/TDD

• Time to contact

 Morning, early afternoon, late afternoon

• Emergency communication, alerts, and notifications (e.g., data breach)

 Email

 SMS

 Phone

 Mail

 TTY/TDD

• Preferred language (spoken or written)

• Vision-, hearing-, speech-impairment

• Third party or media publication release

• Referral to representative or non-governmental entity

• Interview release agreement

• Accessibility of Intake Form (e.g., How did you learn about the CFPB’s complaint form?)

• Consumer market demographics (voluntary)

 Financial transaction or activity at issue

 Household use of consumer financial products and services

 Knowledge of credit report availability
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Generic Clearance for CFPB’s Consumer Complaint System

Appendix F: Instructions, Disclaimers and Privacy Statement

The CFPB will ensure information collection instruments and processes developed from the generic 

clearance package are comprehensible, succinct, provide clear and conspicuous instructions, and enable 

users to easily identify CFPB’s privacy practices. Relevant guidance may include:

• Disclaimers

 Inability of the CFPB’s Office of Consumer Response to act as court of law or as lawyer on 

individual’s behalf

 Inability of the CFPB’s Office of Consumer Response to provide legal advice

 Inability of the CFPB’s Office of Consumer Response to intervene in active litigation or 

overturn issues resolved by the courts

• Privacy Act Statement46

• Authorizations

 Publish complaint on public database

 Refer and forward complaint to another state or federal agency

 Process referral to CFPB from another state or federal agency

 Obtain and access confidential financial information

 46 Currently, the Privacy Act Statement that appears on the Intake Form provides:

The information you provide will permit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to respond to your complaint or 

inquiry about companies and services we supervise. Information about your complaint or inquiry (including your 

personally identifiable information) may be shared:

· with the entity that is the subject of your complaint;

· with third parties as necessary to get information relevant to resolving a complaint;

· with a court, a party in litigation, a magistrate, an adjudicative body or administrative tribunal in the 

course of a proceeding, or the Department of Justice;

· with other federal or state agencies or regulatory authorities for enforcement and statutory purposes; and

· with contractors, agents, and others authorized by the CFPB to receive this information.

We may also share your complaint or inquiry (but not your personally identifiable information) with the public 

through a public complaint database.

You are not required to file a complaint or share any identifying information, including your Social Security number, 

and you may withdraw your complaint at any time. However, if you do not include the requested information, the 

CFPB may not be able to act on your complaint.
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List of Supplemental Documents

Description

Intake Form, OMB 3170-0111 (Paper (E1) and Web (E2))

Public Comment, Letter from the American Bankers Association, December 30, 

2011.

Public Comment, Letter from Prospect Mortgage, December 30, 2011.

Public Comment, Letter from American Financial Services Association (AFSA), 

March 21, 2012.

Sample Complaint Web Portal Access, Screenshots

Generic Clearance Inventory (950+ information collection fields)