CFPB complaint portal changes spark debate over consumer access

(InvestigateTV) — Changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) complaint portal are drawing sharp disagreement, with consumer advocates warning they could discourage some people from filing complaints, while industry leaders say the system needs guardrails to prevent abuse.

The CFPB’s complaint portal is meant to give people a place to report problems with financial companies, including credit bureaus. But some advocates say new messages added to that process could make it harder for people trying to file a complaint.

“With the Trump administration, they’ve really tried to gut and sideline the Consumer Bureau, and it’s been terrible,” said Chi Chi Wu, director of consumer reporting and data advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC).

Wu said the change involves multiple screens before consumers can file a complaint.

“The change is they put in not one, not two, but multiple screens before you can file a complaint, telling consumers that if they have a complaint against the credit bureaus, that they have to file a dispute with the credit bureaus first and wait for that to be resolved before they can file a complaint with the CFPB,” Wu said.

Wu said that language could leave some people thinking they cannot file a CFPB complaint until they take other steps first.

Industry leaders see it differently.

Dan Smith, president and CEO of the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA), said the system is being flooded with complaints he argues are not legitimate.

“What consumers are doing is using the complaint portal in an attempt to wash their credits right, but inundating the system with millions of complaints,” Smith said. “And we see data as high as 95% of those complaints are not legitimate dispute requests.”

The CDIA has pushed for changes to the portal, saying the CFPB should do more to screen out complaints it believes are inaccurate or tied to credit repair abuse.

The CFPB sent a statement defending the change, saying: “By reminding people of the legal process to fix or investigate their credit, we’re able to help more people.”

The agency also said that, by law, people reporting inaccuracies on a credit report first have to report it to a credit reporting agency before the CFPB can open an investigation.

Consumer advocates say people should still document their problems and file complaints if they believe their rights were violated.