Bank, credit, and securities complaints | USAGov (2024)

Learn where to file a complaint about banking and investment products, retirement plans, and the companies and professionals that offer them.

File a complaint about a financial institution

To report problems with your bank, financial institution, lender, or broker:

  • Contact the branch manager, the customer service hotline, or the institution's website.
    • Use this sample complaint letter as a guide to help you explain the problem and how you want the bank to fix it.
    • Provide copies of receipts, checks, or other proof of the transaction.

File banking and credit complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

If contacting your bank directly does not help, visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint page to:

  • See which specific banking and credit services and products you can complain about through the CFPB
  • Understand the complaint process
  • Find out what documents and information you need to include with your complaint
  • Start the complaint filing process

File a complaint about securities and retirement plans

You can complain to state and federal regulators about investment securities such as stocks and bonds, retirement plans, and the companies that deal in them.

Investment securities

Retirement and pension plans

LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023

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Bank, credit, and securities complaints | USAGov (2024)

FAQs

Bank, credit, and securities complaints | USAGov? ›

File banking and credit complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If contacting your bank directly does not help, visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint page to: See which specific banking and credit services and products you can complain about through the CFPB.

Do banks take CFPB complaints seriously? ›

The complaints may be vague and unsupported but banks have to take them seriously, he said. If the CFPB decides to take an enforcement action based on complaints, legal costs for banks defending action can be tens of millions of dollars a month.

Does filing a complaint with the FTC do anything? ›

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

Does filing a complaint with the FCC do anything? ›

We do not resolve individual complaints on these issues and you will not receive status emails about your complaint. However, the collective data we receive helps us keep a pulse on what consumers are experiencing, may lead to investigations and serves as a deterrent to the companies we regulate.

What kind of complaints does the FDIC handle? ›

The FDIC National Center for Consumer and Depositor Assistance is responsible for investigating all types of consumer complaints about FDIC-supervised institutions and responding to consumer inquiries about consumer laws and regulations. You may call and speak to a Consumer Affairs Specialist about your concerns.

Does reporting to the CFPB do anything? ›

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

What is a CFPB violation? ›

When a financial institution, individual, or other entity subject to the CFPB's authority breaks the law, the CFPB may take enforcement action against them. In certain cases, the CFPB may partner with other federal, state, or local agencies to investigate the wrongdoing and coordinate the enforcement action.

What are examples of FTC violations? ›

These cases can involve fraud, scams, identity theft, false advertising, privacy violations, anti-competitive behavior and more. The Legal Library has detailed information about cases we have brought in federal court or through our internal administrative process, called an adjudicative proceeding.

What are three of the six types of complaints you can make to the FCC? ›

If you want to file a consumer complaint about the issue you are experiencing, go to consumercomplaints.fcc.gov and choose from the six category buttons under File a Complaint (TV, phone, Internet, radio, emergency communications, access for people with disabilities).

What are the three unfair business practices that concern the FTC the most? ›

  • Consumer injury. Unjustified consumer injury is the primary focus of the FTC Act, and the most important of the three S&H criteria. ...
  • Violation of public policy. ...
  • Unethical or unscrupulous conduct.

Who should you first contact with a consumer complaint? ›

California Attorney General's Office. File a complaint online at http://oag.ca.gov/. The Better Business Bureau. Go to www.bbb.org, or consult your phone directory for a local office.

What is an example of a violation of the FCC? ›

It is a violation of federal law to air obscene programming at any time. It is also a violation of federal law to broadcast indecent or profane programming during certain hours.

What happens if you get reported to the FCC? ›

Certain complaints are shared internally or referred to other agencies. When all required information has been gathered for billing or service complaints, the FCC sends your complaint to the service provider. The provider is required to respond in writing to the complaint within 30 days of receipt of the complaint.

Who holds banks accountable? ›

The regulatory agencies primarily responsible for supervising the internal operations of commercial banks and administering the state and federal banking laws applicable to commercial banks in the United States include the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the FDIC and the ...

Where to complain about a bank in the USA? ›

File banking and credit complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If contacting your bank directly does not help, visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint page to: See which specific banking and credit services and products you can complain about through the CFPB.

What are 3 things not insured by FDIC? ›

The FDIC does not insure:
  • Stock Investments.
  • Bond Investments.
  • Mutual Funds.
  • Crypto Assets.
  • Life Insurance Policies.
  • Annuities.
  • Municipal Securities.
  • Safe Deposit Boxes or their contents.
Apr 1, 2024

What authority does the CFPB have over banks? ›

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

How effective is the CFPB? ›

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

Can the CFPB get your money back? ›

If you're having trouble with a credit card, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB online or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372). If you're not satisfied with the merchant's response, you may be able to dispute the charge with your credit card company and have the charge reversed. This is sometimes called a chargeback.

Which bank has most complaints? ›

America's Worst Banks at a Glance
BankTotal complaintsComplaints per $1 billion deposited
Wells Fargo117,17384.43
Citibank85,462113.08
Bank of America128,40467.47
Capital One83,945225.88
6 more rows
Apr 23, 2024

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