A CFPB complaint is filed online at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or by phone at (855) 411-2372, and the CFPB forwards it to the bank, credit bureau, debt collector, mortgage servicer, or other financial company you name. The company has 15 days to send a first response and 60 days to send a final one.
Filing takes a few minutes. Whether it works depends on what you did before you filed. A complaint is only as strong as the paper trail behind it.
The CFPB Supervises the Companies That Keep Your Credit File
The CFPB is the federal agency that watches the companies holding your credit data, and the credit bureaus draw more complaints than anyone. Credit or consumer reporting made up about 88% of the roughly 6.6 million complaints the CFPB received in 2025 (CFPB Consumer Response Annual Report, 2025). That volume is why a complaint against a bureau gets read by people who track patterns.
The agency was created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. That law pulled consumer finance oversight together after years of being split across several federal agencies. The CFPB supervises large banks, credit unions, credit bureaus, debt collectors, mortgage servicers, payday lenders, and other consumer finance companies. It also enforces the FCRA, FDCPA, TILA, RESPA, and ECOA.
The complaint database is one of its main tools for consumers. The CFPB does not rule on most single complaints. It uses the data to pick targets for supervision and enforcement, and many exams and enforcement actions start with patterns in that data.
Which Companies Can You File a CFPB Complaint Against?
You can file against any company under the CFPB’s supervision or enforcement power. That includes Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, specialty consumer reporting agencies, debt collectors, payday lenders, banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders and servicers, auto lenders, student loan servicers, prepaid card providers, and money transmitters. Issues range from credit report errors to banking fees.
Some companies fall outside the CFPB’s reach. Auto dealers (other than buy-here-pay-here lots that make their own loans), insurance companies, and some smaller community banks may answer to state or other federal regulators instead. The portal tells you when it sends a complaint to a different regulator.
That happens more than people expect. Of about 387,400 debt collection complaints in 2025, the CFPB sent 79% to companies and referred 15% to other agencies (CFPB Consumer Response Annual Report, 2025). If yours gets referred, you may need to file with a state attorney general or an industry regulator too.
Contact the Company and Gather Documents Before You File
Try the company first, and keep proof that you did. A complaint filed as your opening move often gets a form reply that sends you back to the same customer service line you skipped. Customer service is often the reason people end up at the CFPB at all.
“Dissatisfied by the port customer support engagement. It’s quite obvious they are overwhelmed by too many complaints.” That was Kim W., in a 1-star Trustpilot review of Credit Karma dated July 8, 2026.
When a support line fails you like that, your dated notes turn into evidence. Before you open the portal, pull these together:
- Account numbers. Every account the problem touches, at every company involved.
- Dates and names. When you called or wrote, and who you spoke to.
- Your letters. Copies of any dispute letters, with the date each one was mailed.
- Their replies. Statements, letters, emails, and any “verified” result from a bureau.
- Your ask. One sentence on what a fair fix looks like.
For a credit report error, the first step is a written dispute with the bureau. Here is how to dispute a credit report error in 2026.
How to File a CFPB Complaint Online in Five Steps
The online form walks you through five steps, and most people finish in one sitting. Start at consumerfinance.gov/complaint, or call (855) 411-2372 if you would rather file by phone.
- Create an account. Give your name, email, phone number, and a password so you can log back in later.
- Pick the product. Choose the category, such as credit reporting, debt collection, mortgage, credit card, or bank account.
- Pick the issue and tell the story. Choose the specific problem, such as incorrect information on your report or an attempt to collect a debt you don’t owe. Then write what happened.
- State your resolution. Say what you want the company to do.
- Name the company and submit. Pick the company, add account details, attach your documents, review, and send.
The written story is the most important part. Say what happened, when it happened, what you did to fix it, and what you want now. A clear, dated account gets stronger answers than a vague one. You get a confirmation number to track the case through the end.
Your Complaint Moves Through Five Stages After You File
Once you hit submit, the CFPB routes your complaint fast. It forwarded 97% of complaints to companies within a day or less in 2025 (CFPB Consumer Response Annual Report, 2025). From there the company’s clock starts, and you get notice at each stage.
| Stage | What happens | Clock |
|---|---|---|
| 1. You submit | Your story, documents, and ask go in through the portal | Same day |
| 2. CFPB routes it | Sent to the company, or to another regulator if it’s theirs | Usually within a day |
| 3. First response | A real answer, a request for more facts, or “under review” | 15 days |
| 4. Final response | The company closes out the matter | 60 days from receipt |
| 5. Your feedback | You say whether the answer fixed the problem | 60 days after final response |
Companies that keep getting flagged for weak answers draw more CFPB attention. A pattern of unresponsive or unfair handling can lead to enforcement.
How to Track Your Complaint and the Company’s Response
You track everything by logging back into the account you made at step 1. The portal shows where your complaint stands, what the company said, and when your feedback window closes. Keep your confirmation number handy for any call or letter about the case.
Save each piece as it arrives. Download your complaint, the company’s answer, and your feedback as PDFs. If the case ends up with a lawyer, that exchange shows you tried to settle it before going to court.
Your Complaint Ends Up in a Public Database, Stripped of Your Name
Your complaint becomes part of the CFPB’s public Consumer Complaint Database, with your personal details removed. The CFPB only publishes complaints it sent to a company, and only after the company responds or 15 days pass. Complaints referred to other regulators never appear there.
The written story is public only if you agree to share it. Fewer people say yes each year. Among credit reporting complainants, the share who let the CFPB publish their story fell from 47.3% in 2017 to 19.0% in 2025, based on our own read of that database.
The public record is the part of a complaint that outlasts your case. Regulators, reporters, and other consumers can all see which companies draw which complaints.
The CFPB Cannot Order a Bureau to Delete a Tradeline
The CFPB does not order relief for one person in most cases. It cannot force a credit bureau to delete a tradeline, make a debt collector settle, or order a bank to refund a fee. The complaint is a way to document the problem and push the company to answer. It is no court.
If you want money or a ruling on an FCRA violation, that happens in state or federal court, often with a consumer protection lawyer. Here is whether you can sue a credit bureau under the FCRA.
The CFPB also gives no legal advice. Its reviewers are not lawyers, and they won’t tell you whether a company broke a specific law. You supply the facts, the CFPB tracks the answer, and your complaint becomes one piece of evidence in any case that follows.
File After the Company Has Already Failed You
A CFPB complaint works best as the step after a failed direct request. That is how most people already use it. About 90% of consumers who complained about a nationwide bureau said they had disputed the problem with the bureau first (CFPB FCRA Section 611(e) report, December 2025).
Say you filed a Section 611 dispute and got back a bare “verified.” Or you called a mortgage servicer and never heard back. With your records attached, the complaint becomes a formal record that the company failed at first contact.
Complaints also help with repeat problems you can’t fix alone. The same error coming back dispute after dispute, a collector ignoring validation requests, and a servicer misapplying payments all fit. CFPB attention often gets a fuller answer than a support line would.
| Your situation | Do this first | Then complain about |
|---|---|---|
| Credit report error | Written Section 611 dispute with the bureau | The bureau or the furnisher |
| Collector won’t prove the debt | Written debt validation request | The debt collector |
| Servicer misapplied a payment | Written notice of error under Regulation X | The mortgage servicer |
| Surprise bank fee | Written request to the bank’s customer service | The bank |
Credit Reporting Complaints Should Name the Bureau or the Furnisher
File against the bureau when its investigation failed you, and against the furnisher when the bad data started with them. Errors are common. The FTC’s national accuracy study found one in five consumers had an error on at least one of their three credit reports (FTC, 2013).
In our own read of the data, 3,482,718 complaints under “Incorrect information on your report” were recorded in the CFPB’s public Consumer Complaint Database from July 2025 through June 2026. Of those, 66.9% said the information belonged to someone else, 18.4% said account information was incorrect, and 8.7% said account status was incorrect. These are unverified consumer allegations, and the CFPB does not confirm the facts alleged.
A bureau complaint fits best after a Section 611 dispute came back with a bad verification, the bureau called your dispute frivolous, or it missed the 30-day window the FCRA sets (Fair Credit Reporting Act, Section 611). A bureau that just repeats the furnisher’s word can break the law, since both must run a reasonable, independent investigation (FCRA Section 611(a)(1)(A) and Section 623(b); Cushman v. Trans Union, 3d Cir. 1997). The CFPB pressed that point when it sued Experian in January 2025, alleging sham reinvestigations. Here is whose side the bureaus are actually on.
A furnisher complaint fits when a creditor or collector verified a disputed item without real review under FCRA Section 623, kept reporting bad data after a dispute, or re-aged an account. The CFPB has brought enforcement actions against several major furnishers for reporting failures, and complaint data fed into them. Here is how direct furnisher disputes work under Section 623.
Debt Collection Complaints Build the Record for an FDCPA Case
A debt collection complaint is your written record of FDCPA violations. The law gives you the right to demand that a collector validate a debt and to dispute one it can’t verify (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 1977). Common violations include contact after a validation request, threats to sue on time-barred debt, calls at bad hours or places, contacting your employer or family, and lies about the debt’s legal status.
That record supports any FDCPA lawsuit you bring later. The law lets you sue for statutory damages up to $1,000 plus actual damages and attorney’s fees. Run through the FDCPA violations checklist.
The CFPB’s Regulation F, in effect since 2021, added disclosure rules for time-barred debt and limits on how often collectors can contact you. You can raise Regulation F violations in a complaint and use them as evidence later. Log every contact, then use the complaint to put it on the record.
Mortgage Servicing Complaints Start With a Written Notice of Error
Send your servicer a written notice of error before you file. Under RESPA’s Regulation X, servicers must answer those notices within 30 days. If the answer falls short, a CFPB complaint puts the failure on the record.
Typical problems include misapplied payments, no loan modification options, bad foreclosure timing, escrow errors, and servicers ignoring forbearance or loss mitigation deals.
These complaints often get fuller answers than other kinds. Servicers face detailed federal rules and real enforcement risk from CFPB supervision. A servicer that misapplied a payment or ignored a qualified written request has clear exposure, and the complaint often moves faster than the servicer’s own channels.
File With Your State Attorney General When State Law Applies
Many state attorneys general take complaints against financial companies, alongside or in place of a CFPB complaint. A state complaint helps most when state law is involved, such as state UDAP statutes, state debt collector licensing, or state credit reporting rules. State attorneys general have brought major actions on their own and with the CFPB.
If you file in both places, keep the story, the documents, and the ask the same. The two processes run separately, and a finding in one does not decide the other. Filing both makes sense when the problem crosses federal and state law.
Two Mistakes Weaken Most CFPB Complaints
The biggest mistake is filing first and asking the company second. The CFPB sends the complaint on, and the company routes it through the same dispute or support channel you would have used anyway. A complaint lands harder after the company has failed a direct request.
The second mistake is a vague or angry story. The strongest complaints say what happened, when, what you asked for, what the company did, and what you want now. Dated, sourced facts beat emotional language and broad accusations every time.
What to Do After the Company Sends Its Final Response
Use your 60-day feedback window, and be specific. This is your chance to flag answers that just recite policy, dodge the real question, or close the case with no reason given. Dated feedback that names what the company skipped helps CFPB supervisors more than general frustration, and it becomes part of the public summary.
If the answer fixes the problem, the case closes. If it doesn’t, you have options. You can file with your state attorney general and attach the CFPB response. You can file a new CFPB complaint that frames the issue differently or targets another party, such as the furnisher instead of the bureau. Or you can go to court under the private right of action that applies.
Save the whole exchange as PDFs. Lawyers handling FCRA, FDCPA, or RESPA cases often use it to show you tried to settle things first. It can also support a claim for willful violation under FCRA Section 616, which allows punitive damages on top of the statutory floor.
Which Dispute Tool Builds the Paper Trail a CFPB Complaint Needs?
A CFPB complaint about your credit report is strongest when you can show dated disputes to each bureau, and dispute tools differ on whether you ever see those letters. Here is how the main options compare on price, what you get for this job, and which bureaus they reach.
| Tool | What you pay | What that buys | Bureaus | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreditRefresh | $49.99/mo, no setup fee, cancel anytime. Mail letters yourself free, or pay RushMail per letter | A signed FCRA letter per flagged item, each mailing date logged | All three | 4.3 (9 reviews) |
| Dispute Beast | From $49.99/mo for required monitoring. Mail letters yourself free, or pay Sprint Mail per letter | AI-drafted dispute letters with credit monitoring bundled in | All three | 4.2 (2,067 reviews) |
| DisputeBee | $49/mo personal, $129/mo business | Letter templates you print, mail, and track yourself | All three | 3.2 (68 reviews) |
| The Credit People | $99/mo standard, $119/mo premium, or $599 for 6 months | Staff dispute for you; you don’t see or approve each letter | All three | 1.7 (17 reviews) |
| Lexington Law | $139.95/mo, invoiced at the end of each service period | Law firm disputes for you; letters are not shown to you | All three | 3.2 (624 reviews) |
| Credit Karma | Free, paid for by lender referrals | Free monitoring; Direct Dispute reaches TransUnion only, no letters drafted | TransUnion | 1.1 (912 reviews) |
Every price is that company’s own published rate, read off that company’s own site on September 15, 2026. Trustpilot scores and review counts as published on September 24, 2026.
How CreditRefresh Logs Every Dispute to All Three Bureaus Before You Escalate
A CFPB complaint about your credit report leans on proof that you disputed first, and CreditRefresh builds that proof for Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It scans all three reports, flags items that look inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable, or too old to report, and drafts an FCRA letter for each one you pick. You review and sign every letter before it goes out, and each mailing date is logged against the 30-day investigation window.
Our members bring real workloads. Mailed dispute rounds average 23.6 disputed bureau-level items, according to CreditRefresh’s September 18, 2026 analysis of paying-member data. In that same extract, 2.3% of disputed bureau-level items in mailed rounds had a recorded outcome. Within that subset, 47.9% were no longer reported on a newer pull of the same bureau, while 52.1% remained reported with a changed balance, status or negative flag.
Refresh Monitoring costs $49.99 a month with no setup fee, no per-dispute charge, and no contract. Mail letters yourself, or hand a round to RushMail for a small per-letter fee. If a bureau stonewalls you, your dated record is ready to attach to a CFPB complaint.
It is backed by our 100% money-back guarantee: members who work the full program and see no bureau score rise above where they started can claim back every Refresh Monitoring payment. It is a refund promise, never a score promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a CFPB complaint against a credit repair company?
Yes. Over the three years to September 10, 2026, 4,217 complaints were recorded under “Credit repair services” in the CFPB’s public database, and the top issues included services not delivered and upfront fees. The Credit Repair Organizations Act bars these firms from charging before they do the work.
What happens if the CFPB sends my complaint to another regulator?
The other agency handles it, and the complaint won’t appear in the CFPB’s public database. Keep your confirmation number and follow up with that agency directly.
Can I file a CFPB complaint about a debt that isn’t mine?
Yes. Choose debt collection, then the issue for attempts to collect a debt not owed. Attach your validation request and any reply so the collector has to address the proof.
What should I attach to a CFPB complaint about my credit report?
Attach copies of your dispute letters with mailing dates, the bureau’s results, and the report pages showing the error. Dated letters show the bureau already had its chance to investigate.
What does it mean if a deleted item is reinserted on my report?
Reinsertion means a bureau put back an item it had removed, which FCRA Section 611(a)(5)(B) regulates. If it happens, note the dates and include them in your complaint against the bureau.
Do I need a lawyer to file a CFPB complaint?
No, anyone can file. A lawyer is worth calling before or after filing if you want to know whether a company broke a specific law, since CFPB reviewers can’t tell you that.
Will the company I complain about see what I wrote?
Yes. The CFPB forwards your story and attachments to the company so it can answer, which is why a clear, dated account matters.
Results may vary. No specific outcome is guaranteed. This is general information about the CFPB complaint process, not legal advice. The CFPB does not order individual relief in most cases and does not adjudicate consumer disputes. Consumers facing significant FCRA, FDCPA, or RESPA violations should consult a licensed consumer protection attorney in addition to filing complaints with the CFPB and any relevant state regulators.
CreditRefresh builds the dated, signed dispute record a CFPB complaint needs, for $49.99 a month with no setup fee and cancel anytime. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee.
