Banking and Finance Law Daily Wrap Up, CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU—Consumer complaints to CFPB soar, led by credit reporting issues, (Apr 2, 2026)

By Steven Melendez

The number of complaints more than doubled to 6,635,400, which the agency says is due in part to consumers receiving AI assistance in filing.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau received 6,635,400 complaints from consumers in 2025, more than double the amount it received the previous year, according to the CFPB’s Consumer Response Annual Report. This continues a trend of significant annual growth in complaints received, which the agency attributes in part to the use of artificial intelligence tools for generating complaints.

“It is important to highlight that 2025 is the latest in a series of years with unprecedentedly high complaint volumes,” the report said. “For example, the Bureau received approximately 1,657,600 complaints in 2023 and 3,187,900 complaints in 2024.”

Of the complaints received in 2025, about 90 percent were sent to more than 4,000 companies for review, 3 percent were referred to other regulatory agencies, and 7 percent were deemed not actionable by the Bureau. Companies confirmed relationships with the aggrieved consumers and closed about 5,416,600 complaints with explanation or relief, according to the report.

The vast majority of the complaints, about 88 percent of the total number received, dealt with credit or consumer reporting issues.

Another 6 percent dealt with debt collection, and roughly 2 percent dealt with credit cards, another 2 percent with checking or savings accounts, and another 2 percent with money transfer or virtual currency issues. The number dealing with credit or consumer reporting rose by 115 percent to 5,806,800 complaints over the previous year. Debt collection complaints rose by 86 percent to 387,400, while complaints dealing with money transfer or virtual currency complaints rose by 275 percent to 102,900.

Credit and consumer reporting complaints. Of the credit or consumer reporting complaints, companies responded to 99.9 percent of those sent for review by the CFPB. In 88 percent of those complaints, consumers reported they had first tried to resolve their issues with the company. Companies closed 51 percent of such complaints with an explanation, 40 percent with non-monetary relief, and 0.02 percent with monetary relief, according to the report. The most common complaint category was “incomplete information on your report,” which applied to 59 percent of consumer reporting complaints, while another 23 percent referred to improper use of a report and 18 percent to issues with a company’s investigation into a reported issue.

Consumers sometimes submit multiple complaints related to reporting issues, including complaints about the nationwide consumer reporting agencies (NCRAs)—TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian—as well as complaints about the companies that furnished data to them. The CFPB received roughly 5,102,800 consumer or credit reporting agencies about the NCRAs, according to the report. The Bureau's process allows for submission of complaints about up to four companies at a time.

Causes of the rise include third-parties like credit repair organizations using the complaint process, as well as advice from personal finance influencers on platforms like TikTok, according to the report. New AI systems also make it easier to generate complaints.

“All of these factors continue to remain relevant to the dramatic growth in complaint volume,” according to the report. “The CFPB is exploring ways to institute reforms to align the complaint process with the statutory requirements under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), increase efficiency, and enhance the utility of the data to the marketplace.”

Already, the agency has updated its complaint system to direct consumers to file a dispute with the consumer reporting agencies before opening a CFPB complaint. It also plans to add “new authentication measures that root out malignant actors and fraudulent complaints,” according to the report.

Credit cards. The CFPB received roughly 114,100 credit card-related complaints in 2025, sending 83 percent to companies for review and referring 14 percent to other agencies. The remaining 3 percent were found not to be actionable. Roughly 90 percent of complaints were about general-purpose credit cards, while about 10 percent were about store credit cards. The most common complaint types involved problems with a credit report or score issue which were 28 percent of complaints, while 22 percent were about problems with a purchase, 12 percent were about getting a credit card, and 9 percent were about fees and interest.

“Consumers reported being dissatisfied with customer service interactions,” according to the report. “They reported being transferred multiple times to other associates or departments and receiving inconsistent information from company representatives. They experienced extended wait times, disconnected calls, and repeated calls necessary to report issues.”

Some also reported issues with difficulties using rewards programs, which companies in some cases addressed and some cases attributed to customer misunderstanding of the programs.

Companies responded to 99.6 percent of referred credit card complaints, closing 63 percent with an explanation, 12 percent with monetary relief, and 19 percent with non-monetary relief.

Checking and savings. The CFPB received approximately 104,200 checking or savings complaints in 2025. Roughly 82 percent were sent to companies for review, while 15 percent were referred to other agencies and 3 percent found not to be actionable. Roughly 84 percent involved checking accounts, 7 percent involved savings accounts, 2 percent involved certificates of deposit, and 8 percent involved other banking products or services.

“The most common complaint was about deposits and withdrawals,” according to the report. “Many of these complaints involve fraudulent—or fraudulently induced—withdrawals.”

As with credit cards, some customers also complained about customer service issues. Consumers also complained about holds placed on deposited funds and issues with unexpected overdraft fees.

Money transfer and virtual currency. The CFPB received about 102,900 complaints related to money transfer or service and virtual currency issues, referring about 83 percent to companies for review and 15 percent to other agencies. Domestic money transfer was the most complained about product subcategory, involving 69 percent of complaints, while 20 percent dealt with mobile or digital wallets, 6 percent with virtual currency, 3 percent with international money transfers, and 1 percent with money orders, traveler’s checks, or cashier’s checks.

Common complaints included issues with alleged fraud and scams. “Consumers often criticized weak security, lack of verification, and company inaction to recover stolen funds,” according to the report. “In response, companies often denied liability for losses stemming from scams, citing their terms of service documents and user negligence.”

RegulatoryActivity: BankingOperations CFPB ChecksElectronicTransfers ConsumerCredit CreditDebitGiftCards CrimesOffenses DebtCollection FairCreditReporting GCNNews Loans Mortgages UDAAP