Written by Shereefat Balogun, Regulatory Compliance Counsel
On January 28, 2016, the CFPB released its Monthly Complaint Report for December 2015, which provides a high-level snapshot of trends in consumer complaints. It is important to keep in mind that credit unions under $10 billion are not included in the Consumer Complaint Database, which forms the basis of the monthly reports. Notwithstanding, the reports can be a useful tool, as they can help credit unions evaluate which products and services are more problematic and thus, should be addressed in order to avoid or mitigate regulatory risks.
As of January 1, 2016, the CFPB has handled about 790,000 consumer complaints, including approximately 20,3000 complaints in December 2015. The Report notes that:
- Complaints related to prepaid products rose from 138 complaints between October- December 2014 to 459 complaints between October-December 2015, representing a 233% increase;
- For the 28th consecutive month, the CFPB handled more complaints about debt collection than any other type of complaint. Debt collection complaints represented about 31% of complaints in December 2015.
- Debt collection, mortgage, and credit reporting complaints continue to be the top three most-complained-about consumer financial products and services, which together represented 68% of all complaints submitted in December 2015.
- Equifax, Transunion, and Experian were the most-complained-about companies for August-October 2015.
As stated previously, credit unions under $10 billion are not included in the Consumer Complaint Database. Rather, the CFPB will forward any complaints from these credit unions to NCUA, and credit unions will need to follow NCUA's procedures for responding to member complaints.
You can view the CFPB’s Monthly Complaint Report here: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201601_cfpb_monthly-complaint-report-vol-7.pdf
You can view the CFPB’s Consumer Complaint Database here: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaintdatabase/
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MLA Database Update. As NAFCU reported earlier this week, DMDC agreed to extend the deadline to seek direct access to the MLA database until February 15, 2016. Those credit unions who express interest in the direct connect option will receive a questionnaire in a response email. DMDC set a February 19, 2016 deadline for interested credit unions to complete and return this questionnaire. If you have any questions about this deadline or the database, please email Brandy Bruyere, NAFCU’s Director of Regulatory Compliance, [email protected].
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