How to Submit a CFPB Complaint Against a Bank, Credit Card or Loan Company

Where do you submit a complaint against a bank, credit card or loan company?

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) accepts complaints about consumer financial products and services through its official consumer complaint service.

Select Start a new complaint, identify the financial company and product, describe the problem, and provide supporting documents. The CFPB reviews the submission and generally sends eligible complaints to the company for a response.

The process is free. Online submission usually takes less than 10 minutes when you have the necessary information ready.

Companies generally respond within 15 calendar days. If the response is still in progress, a final response may take up to 60 calendar days. The CFPB helps consumers obtain responses, but it does not guarantee refunds, account corrections or a particular resolution.

What financial problems can you report to the CFPB?

The CFPB's complaint service covers a range of consumer financial products. The appropriate category depends on the company involved and the specific problem.

The CFPB also accepts complaints about certain virtual currency and money services. The product categories available in the live complaint form determine how your issue is classified.

For problems unrelated to consumer financial services, such as an ordinary retail product dispute or a telecommunications service complaint, another agency may be more appropriate.

What if your bank is regulated by another federal agency?

The CFPB routes complaints to financial companies within its complaint program. For banks and credit unions outside its direct supervisory complaint-routing scope, it may refer the complaint to the appropriate federal regulator.

For example, a complaint involving a smaller financial institution may be handled by another banking regulator rather than appearing as a company response in the CFPB's public database.

The CFPB explains that if another government agency is better able to assist, it will forward the complaint and notify you.

You do not need to identify the correct prudential regulator before beginning the CFPB intake process, although a regulator's direct complaint channel may also be available.

Should you contact the financial company first?

The CFPB recommends trying to resolve the problem directly with the financial company before submitting a complaint. Companies can often answer account-specific questions or correct an error without requiring federal complaint routing.

Contact the company's official customer service or dispute department. Explain the issue, identify the transaction or account involved and request a specific correction.

Keep a record of the contact date, representative or department, any reference number, and the company's response. These details help the CFPB and company understand what has already happened.

Important exception: if your complaint concerns inaccurate or incomplete information in a credit report or another consumer report, the CFPB states that federal law requires you to dispute the information directly with the reporting company first.

Other legal protections may have their own deadlines or written-notice requirements. Submitting a CFPB complaint does not automatically replace a formal billing dispute, mortgage servicing notice or other legally required procedure.

If your problem is specifically a mortgage servicing error, see how to send a mortgage servicing notice of error. A formal notice may trigger rights and obligations separate from the CFPB complaint process.

What information should you prepare?

The CFPB recommends submitting a complete, concise account of the problem because consumers generally cannot file a second complaint about the same issue.

Company and account information

• The financial company's full name.
• The product or service involved.
• Relevant account, card or loan details needed to identify the issue.
• The company's contact information if it is not listed in the CFPB form.
• Your name and contact information, including your mailing address.

The CFPB states that a mailing address is required so the company can respond. To create a secure online account, you must provide your name, email address and telephone number.

If the company does not appear in the form's company list, enter its complete contact information. The CFPB will notify you if it cannot forward the complaint to that company.

Transaction evidence and communications

• Dates when the problem began and when you contacted the company.
• Amounts charged, transferred, paid or disputed.
• Account statements or billing notices.
• Loan agreements or payment records relevant to the complaint.
• Emails, letters or secure messages exchanged with the company.
• Relevant screenshots or other evidence.
• Any previous complaint or dispute reference number.

The CFPB's online complaint form allows supporting documents, subject to a 50-page limit. Choose documents that directly support your account rather than uploading unrelated records.

Do not include unnecessary passwords, access codes or sensitive personal information in the free-text description. Use the secure form's designated fields for information the CFPB requests.

How do you file the complaint online?

Start at the official CFPB complaint page.

1. Choose Start a new complaint. Follow the secure online intake process.
2. Create an account or sign in. Provide the requested contact details.
3. Select the financial product. Choose the category that best describes your bank account, card, loan, mortgage or other financial service.
4. Select the problem. Identify the issue that most closely matches your experience.
5. Explain what happened. Describe the facts in chronological order, including key dates, amounts and previous attempts to resolve the issue.
6. State the outcome you want. Explain the correction, explanation, account action or other response you believe would be fair.
7. Attach supporting documents. Add relevant records within the form's limits.
8. Identify the company. Select it from the available list or provide complete company contact details.
9. Confirm your contact information. Supply the mailing address and other information required for the company to respond.
10. Review and submit. Check that the complaint is complete before final submission.

After submission, save the complaint number and use the CFPB's secure portal to follow the case.

For an official explanation of what happens next, read how the CFPB complaint process works.

What should you say in the complaint description?

A useful complaint explains the problem without speculation, identifies the financial company and states the specific resolution requested.

Organize your description around four questions:

1. What financial product or service is involved?
2. What did the company do or fail to do?
3. When did the problem occur, and what evidence supports your account?
4. What have you already requested, and what resolution are you seeking?

Example: disputed credit card charge

Suppose a cardholder identifies a charge they believe is incorrect. They contact the issuer, explain the problem and receive a response that does not resolve the dispute.

A CFPB complaint could identify the issuer, the charge date and amount, the previous dispute reference number, the issuer's response and the correction requested.

The cardholder should attach relevant statements and correspondence. They should also preserve any rights under the separate credit card billing-error dispute process, because a CFPB complaint does not replace a legally required notice.

The same structure works for an unexplained bank fee, loan payment posting error or mortgage servicing problem. The facts and supporting records should match the specific issue.

Is submitting a CFPB complaint free, and is there a deadline?

Submitting a CFPB consumer complaint is free. The CFPB's online intake process usually takes less than 10 minutes when the necessary information is ready.

The CFPB's general complaint guidance does not establish one universal filing deadline covering every financial product and dispute.

However, the underlying issue may be subject to separate federal or state deadlines. Credit card billing errors, electronic fund transfer errors, credit reporting disputes and mortgage servicing issues can involve specific notice, investigation or legal time limits.

Do not wait for a CFPB company response before taking a time-sensitive dispute action. If a deadline applies to your financial problem, use the required dispute or notice process separately and promptly.

The CFPB complaint system is designed to obtain and track company responses. It is not a substitute for a lawsuit, arbitration demand, formal statutory dispute or other legal remedy.

How long does the company have to respond?

The CFPB explains that companies generally respond to forwarded complaints within 15 calendar days.

If the company cannot provide a final response immediately, it may indicate that its response is in progress and provide a final response within 60 calendar days.

These are complaint-process expectations, not promises that the company will agree with your position.

To monitor the case, use the CFPB complaint process page and its Check the status link to access the secure consumer portal.

The CFPB sends updates and notifies you when the company responds. Keep your complaint identification number for reference.

How does the CFPB handle the complaint?

The CFPB describes a five-stage consumer complaint process.

1. Complaint submission and routing

After you submit the complaint, the CFPB reviews it and determines whether to send it to the financial company.

If another government agency is better positioned to assist, the CFPB may forward the complaint to that agency and notify you.

2. Company response

The company reviews the facts, may contact you for additional information and provides a response addressing the complaint.

Depending on the circumstances, the company may explain its actions, correct an error, provide monetary or non-monetary relief, or state why it disagrees with the complaint.

A response does not necessarily mean the company admits wrongdoing or that the CFPB has determined a legal violation occurred.

3. Public complaint information

The CFPB publishes eligible complaint information in its Consumer Complaint Database after the company responds or after 15 days, whichever occurs first.

The database does not publish information directly identifying consumers, such as their names, contact details, account numbers or supporting documents.

Your personal narrative is published only if you consent to sharing it publicly, and the CFPB takes steps to remove identifying information.

See the official CFPB complaint data and privacy explanation.

4. Consumer review and feedback

When the company responds, the CFPB notifies you and makes the response available through the complaint process.

You have 60 days to provide feedback about the company's response.

Use this opportunity to explain whether the company addressed the problem and whether any promised correction actually occurred.

The CFPB uses consumer feedback to understand company responses and identify broader problems in financial markets.

What if the company refuses to correct the issue?

A CFPB complaint can help obtain a documented company response, but it does not guarantee a particular result.

If the company disagrees with your complaint, review its explanation carefully and compare it with your account records and previous communications.

You can provide feedback through the CFPB process within 60 days after the company responds. The CFPB's complaint feedback process is not a formal appeal that automatically overturns the company's decision.

Consider the next action that applies to the underlying dispute, such as:

• Using an applicable formal billing-error or electronic fund transfer dispute process.
• Sending a required written mortgage servicing notice.
• Contacting the appropriate state or federal financial regulator.
• Seeking assistance from a qualified consumer attorney or legal aid organization.
• Reviewing any arbitration, court or other dispute resolution rights that apply.

Do not assume that filing another CFPB complaint about the same issue is the correct remedy. The CFPB states that consumers generally cannot submit a second complaint about the same problem.

If the dispute concerns federal student loan servicing, a related guide explains how to file a student loan servicing complaint.

Can you file a CFPB complaint for someone else?

Yes, but the consumer must know about and authorize the submission.

The CFPB states that companies respond to complaints submitted by the consumer or an authorized representative. A financial company may require signed written authorization before discussing the consumer's account with another person.

If you submit a complaint on someone else's behalf, create your own CFPB account when instructed, identify your relationship to the consumer and provide the consumer's contact information in the designated section.

Attach proof of authorization when appropriate. An attorney, family member, trustee, power of attorney holder, housing counselor or other representative should select the relationship category that accurately describes their role.

For a parent or legal guardian, the CFPB provides specific account-creation instructions that differ from the general representative process.

The consumer generally accesses the company response through their own account. The representative may not receive the response directly because of privacy requirements.

Read the official representative complaint instructions before submitting for another person.

Can you contact the CFPB without using the online form?

The CFPB provides telephone assistance for consumers who have questions about financial products or need help with its complaint service.

Call 855-411-CFPB (855-411-2372). TTY/TDD users can call 855-729-2372.

The CFPB's published contact hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.

Consult the official CFPB contact page for current assistance details.

Online submission is particularly useful when you need to attach supporting documents and track the complaint through the secure portal.

What mistakes can prevent an effective company response?

• Leaving out the correct company name: identify the financial institution or servicer responsible for the issue.
• Providing an incomplete mailing address: the CFPB requires an address so the company can respond.
• Writing an unclear complaint: include a factual timeline, key amounts and the correction requested.
• Omitting important evidence: attach the relevant statements, notices and correspondence within the 50-page limit.
• Submitting a credit reporting complaint before disputing with the reporting company: complete the required direct dispute first.
• Filing for someone without authorization: disclose the representative relationship and provide consent when needed.
• Assuming the CFPB complaint preserves other legal deadlines: use the applicable formal dispute procedure separately.
• Expecting an automatic refund: the complaint process seeks a company response but does not guarantee relief.
• Submitting multiple complaints about the same problem: prepare one complete complaint because the CFPB generally does not accept a second complaint on the same issue.

Keep the complaint number, company response and records of any correction or reimbursement. If the company promises an action, verify that it was completed rather than relying only on the written response.

Will your financial complaint become public?

The CFPB publishes eligible complaint data to help the public understand consumer financial problems and how companies respond.

Published data may include the financial product, issue, company, state, submission date and response category.

The CFPB does not publish directly identifying personal information, such as consumer names, account numbers, Social Security numbers or supporting documents.

A written narrative about your experience is published only when you opt in. The CFPB applies procedures intended to remove identifying information before publishing a consenting consumer's narrative.

The complaint and supporting information may be shared with the company and appropriate government agencies for the purposes described in the CFPB's privacy and complaint program guidance.

For details, consult how the CFPB shares complaint data.

Where should you go next?

Start with the official CFPB consumer complaint form. Prepare the company name, relevant dates and amounts, a clear explanation and supporting records before beginning.

After submission, follow the complaint status and review the company response. Use the CFPB feedback process if the response does not adequately address your concerns.

If your financial problem involves an immediate legal deadline or an unauthorized transaction, pursue the applicable dispute or protective action without waiting for the CFPB complaint process to finish.