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Resolving Consumer Complaints If your complaint is against a state bank, you may submit your complaint with the banking If you have a credit card, a deposit account, or a department of the state where it is chartered. loan, at some point in your life you may have an You can find a directory of state banking issue with a lender, financial institution, or departments at credit card company. Sometimes the company hwww.csbs.org/about/what/pages/directory. is liable and sometimes you are, but regardless aspx. The Federal Reserve and the Federal of who’s ultimately responsible, the process of Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) each pursuing a resolution could test the patience of supervise some state banks. To submit a a saint. complaint to the Federal Reserve, call (888) 851-1920 or go to: www.federal Although dealing with these issues is often reserveconsumerhelp.gov. To submit a frustrating, it is important that you keep your complaint to the FDIC, call (877) 275-3342 or go cool and systematically work with customer to: www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp. service to resolve your complaint. Usually, your financial institution can resolve your issue, but If you can’t figure out whether your bank has a when they can't your next step will likely be to state or national charter, submit your complaint contact a government agency. to the CFPB or Federal Reserve, they will help you identify the appropriate federal banking The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, also regulator and refer you complaint to that known as the CFPB, was established by agency. Congress to protect consumers by carrying out Federal consumer financial laws. One of their For financial products complaints that don’t duties is to take consumer complaints on involve banks or credit unions, you may contact financial products and help the parties reach a the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at resolution. To file a complaint on a bank, a (877)382-4357 or credit union, or a nonbank financial institution www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov. The FTC, the call the CFPB at (855) 411-2372 or go to: nation's consumer protection agency, collects www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint. complaints about companies, business practices, and identity theft. You may also You may also submit complaints against a credit submit complaints about businesses, including union or bank to the state or federal financial products, to the Better Business government agency that supervises them. Call Bureau (BBB), a non-governmental entity, at your bank or credit union to find out whether www.bbb.org or call your local BBB. they have a state or national charter. If they are state chartered, ask them which state—you If you think your complaint involves financial will need to know that to submit a complaint to fraud or crime, immediately contact local law their state supervisor. enforcement. You may also contact the Attorney General of your state. If the incident The National Credit Union Administration happened in another state, find that state’s (NCUA) takes complaints against any credit Attorneys General here: union, whether state or nationally chartered at http://www.naag.org/current-attorneys- (800) 755-1030 or www.mycreditunion.gov. For general.php. a state chartered credit union, you may also submit your complaint to the state credit union There are limits to what these agencies can do. in the state where they are chartered. You can They are unable to resolve contract disputes or find a list of state credit union regulators here: undocumented factual disputes between a http://cuna.org/gov_affairs/state_affairs/regulato customer and a bank. In these cases, you need rs.html. to contact an attorney. They cannot investigate matters that are the subject of a pending To submit a complaint against a national bank, lawsuit. Additionally, they are unable to resolve contact the Office of the Comptroller of the complaints about customer service or Currency at (800) 613-6743 or disagreements over specific policies and www.helpwithmybank.gov. Not all nationally procedures not addressed by state or federal chartered banks are large, but all of the largest law or regulation. banks are nationally chartered. Although complaints can’t be completely avoided, prevention is best accomplished This article is not intended as legal advice with the through knowledge. Before you open an understanding that the association is not engaged in account, take out a loan, or apply for credit, rendering specific legal, accounting, or other professional services. Each state has specific laws make sure you understand it. If you don’t governing the creation and use of a power of attorney. understand it, obtain consumer assistance If specific expert assistance is required, the services of before you sign on the dotted line. a competent, professional person should be sought.

Provided as a public service by the member banks of the Community Bankers Association of Oklahoma.