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On your side through life’s financial moments

The CFPB is on your side

We’re the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a U.S. government agency dedicated to making sure you are treated fairly by banks, lenders and other financial institutions.

On this page:

Money topics and key terms

Browse by money topic to find answers to commonly-asked financial questions. Learn the basics, understand key terms, and find ways to take action when you have an issue.

Guides

Shopping for an auto loan? Learn about what questions to ask and how to prepare.

Shopping for your auto loan

Key terms

Understand key terms related to auto loans in English.

Explore key terms

Guides

When choosing and using your bank or credit union account, it’s important to know your options.

Checklist for opening a bank or credit account

Selecting financial products and services


Key terms

Understand key terms related to bank accounts in English.

Explore key terms

Guides

Here are resources to help you manage your credit cards.

Act fast if you can’t pay your credit cards

KEY TERMS

Whether you’re shopping for a new card or managing an existing one, it’s helpful to understand key terms related to credit cards.

Explore key terms

GUIDES

Your credit reports and scores have an impact on your finances. Our resources can help you better understand them, learn how to correct errors, and improve your credit record over time.


KEY TERMS

Understand key terms related to credit reports and scores in English.

Explore key terms

GUIDES

Debt collection issues can be challenging, but you have rights.

Know your rights when a debt collector calls

KEY TERMS

Understand key terms related to debt collection in English.

Explore key terms

KEY TERMS

Losing money or property to fraud and scams can be devastating. Understanding the key terms in English can help you prevent, recognize, and report scams and fraud.

Explore key terms

What to do if you think you've been scammed

If you suspect a scam, there are a few important steps you should take right away.

  1. Contact your local police or sheriff’s office to report the scam.
  2. Contact your state attorney general. Visit the National Association of Attorneys General website for the contact information of each state attorney general.
  3. If the victim is an older person or a person with a disability, contact your local adult protective services agency. You can find your state or local agency that receives and investigates reports of suspected elder financial exploitation by using the online Eldercare Locator or calling (800) 677-1116.
  4. If you or someone you care about is the victim of a fraud, scam or financial exploitation, you can submit a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

Because all scams are different, you might have to reach out to a number of other local, state, and federal agencies depending on your situation. Take a look at this guide on managing someone else’s money for more information on financial exploitation and scams.

GUIDES

You have options for managing your budget and protecting your finances in case of emergency.

GUIDES

Whether you’re thinking of buying a home, or are having trouble paying your mortgage, we have resources to help you every step of the way.


KEY TERMS

Understand key terms related to mortgages in English.

Explore key terms

If you’re sending money to another country, you generally have federal protections.

Learn what you can expect and what rights you have

Sending money abroad

Submit a complaint about a financial product or service

Each week we send more than 10,000 complaints about financial products and services to companies for response. If another agency would be better able to assist, we’ll send it to them and let you know. Most companies respond within 15 days.

See how the complaint process works

Watch this short video to find out what to include in your complaint and what will happen after you submit.

How to submit your complaint

  • Online (in English)
  • Or by phone at (855) 411-2372 for help in English, and 180 other languages. Calls are usually answered in less than 1 minute. Your complaint will be translated to English and sent to the company for response. When the company responds, they typically do so in English, but you can call us to hear a translated response.

Find answers before you start a complaint

We currently accept complaints about:

  • Checking and savings accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Credit repair services
  • Credit reports and other personal consumer reports
  • Debt collection
  • Debt settlement
  • Money transfers, virtual currency, and money services
  • Mortgages
  • Payday loans
  • Personal loans like installment and title loans
  • Prepaid cards
  • Student loans
  • Vehicle loans or leases

If you don't see the product or service you want to complain about listed, check out usa.gov to find other places to submit complaints. It includes ways to submit complaints about phone, internet, and cable companies as well as companies that sell other products and services and more.

If you think you’ve been a victim of scam, there are a few important steps you should take right away.

Have you tried reaching out to the company? Companies can usually answer questions unique to your situation and more specific to the products and services they offer.

Or, you can search for answers (in English) to consumers’ most frequently asked financial questions.

Before calling, write down what happened:

  • Include important dates, amounts, and communications you’ve had with the company
  • Provide complete contact information for the company. If we can’t send the complaint to that company, we’ll let you know what you can do next.

Over the phone you will need to: 

  • Set up an account with your name, email address, and phone number 
  • Select the product and issue you're complaining about from a list
  • Tell us whether you tried to fix the issue with the company resolution
  • Tell us whether you tried to fix the issue with the company
  • Identify the company you're complaining about
  • Provide your address
  • Acknowledge that the information you provide is true and that you understand that the CFPB cannot act as my lawyer, a court of law, or a financial advisor.


You will also have the option—but are not required—to provide your account and demographic information

  • We’ll share your complaint with the company so it can review and respond to the issues you’ve described.
  • If we can’t send your complaint to the company for response, we’ll send it to another federal agency and let you know.
  • The CFPB takes a privacy-first approach when it comes to your personal information. Therefore, your information is only available to certain local, state, and federal agencies that oversee consumer finance law and sign a confidentiality and data security agreement for access.

Your complaint goes through several steps that help you get a response and help us identify problems in the marketplace.

1. Complaint submitted

You submit a complaint, or another government agency forwards your complaint to us. You will receive email updates and can check the status of your complaint.

2. Route

We'll send your complaint directly to the company so it can review the issues in your complaint. If we find that another government agency would be better able to assist, we will send your complaint to them and let you know.

3. Company response

The company will communicate with you as needed and respond to the issues in your complaint. Companies generally respond in 15 days. In some cases, the company will let you know their response is in progress and provide a final response in 60 days.

4. Complaint published

We publish information about your complaint (without information that directly identifies you) in our public Consumer Complaint Database. With your consent we also publish your description of what happened, after taking steps to remove personal information. Learn more about how we share complaint data.

5. Consumer review

We will let you know when the company responds. You’ll be able to review the company’s response and will have 60 days to provide feedback about the company's response.

If you suspect a scam, there are a few important steps you should take right away.

  1. Contact your local police or sheriff’s office to report the scam.
  2. Contact your state attorney general. Visit the National Association of Attorneys General website for the contact information of each state attorney general.
  3. If the victim is an older person or a person with a disability, contact your local adult protective services agency. You can find your state or local agency that receives and investigates reports of suspected elder financial exploitation by using the online Eldercare Locator or calling (800) 677-1116.
  4. If you or someone you care about is the victim of a fraud, scam or financial exploitation, you can submit a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

Because all scams are different, you might have to reach out to a number of other local, state, and federal agencies depending on your situation. Take a look at this guide on managing someone else’s money for more information on financial exploitation and scams.

Testimonials

Below are stories of how people like you were helped by the CFPB's submit a complaint process. You speaking up gives us important insight into the issues you face as a consumer.

“I can’t even tell you the number of times I’ve cried over my finances. I contacted the CFPB because I really needed someone else on my side. There’s nothing that I was doing with this private student loan service that was changing anything, and I was stuck in a position that felt hopeless to me. So, for me, it was all about finding someone that could actually make a difference … anytime I hear about people having trouble with other issues, I definitely point them in the direction of the CFPB.”

– Dani

"I lost an apartment because of the bankruptcy still showing in my credit. After the ten years when the bankruptcy was supposed to be gone, I tried again for another apartment but before applying I wanted to make sure it was gone and it was still there. So I contacted them. I emailed them. I made several phone calls and they were not taking care of the issue … I thought about contacting the Better Business Bureau and they told me I should call the CFPB, and I was like let me try and I called and I was really surprised how quickly they took care of the issue. Within two weeks, everything was finalized, like a letter saying its gone and everything has been resolved from both parties. I like that there is a government agency at the federal level like the CFPB that will respond and will protect us consumers from, sometimes abusive behavior from financial institutions."

– Jorge