One of the best tools now available to consumers is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, of the CFPB. The CFPB was created in response to the economic failure of 2008. Part of the Bureau’s responsibility is to oversee and assist the FTC in handling complaints to the credit reporting agencies. Filing a complaint with the CFPB is a great way to obtain resolution when the credit reporting agencies are not being compliant or helping you in the best way possible. In this article, I will explain how to file a CFPB complaint.
A Step by Step Guide on How to File a CFPB Complaint
The first step is to go to the website for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is located at ConsumerFinance.gov.
After going to the website, click on Submit a Complaint, which will take you to the following screen:
At the following screen, you will click on the type of complaint you are looking to file. In our example, it will be for Credit Reporting (since most of you will be here for credit repair). Once you click on Credit Reporting, it will ask you for the type of complaint you are looking to file.
After selecting the type of dispute, it will ask for more information.
After selecting the exact type of dispute, you will then be able to enter complete information, up to 3000 words, explaining the issue and what your complaint is. Once you enter in the complaint, you will be required to select the company you have the issue with, and then enter in your personal information.
After you enter your information, you will be taken to the following screen, where you can determine what you want the resolution to be. In my situation, I asked for deletion based on FCRA violations, but you can choose what is applicable to your issue.
Once you hit continue, it will ask you to verify all information. Once you verify your information, it will send you to a confirmation screen
After you receive your confirmation on the website, it will generate an email and send that to you as well. Keep this for your records! The CFPB will make every effort to reach out to the company in question, and you should receive an update from the CFPB within 15 days.
The CFPB works similar to the BBB, but they have direct access to resources and governmental money that the BBB does not. I have had great success using the CFPB, and I hope you are able to have success as well!
This article was last updated on August 30, 2022