How to submit a complaint against the lender?
Consumers may face predatory actions on behalf of lenders or loan brokers. They get high APRs, loan irregularities, pre-payment penalties, hidden fees, fraud, deception, or other problems. First of all, they should try to solve the conflict directly with the company. If there is no way to reach a consensus, it is highly advisable to contact an attorney.
There is a range of federal and state laws that protect the consumer’s financial rights. For instance, any lender is obliged to disclose the rates, fees, terms, and other conditions of lending. If a lender has violated any of the applicable laws, the borrowers can take advantage of the legal remedies.
More than that, the consumers have the rights to complain about lenders to the government or state authorities. We have put together the information about how a borrower can submit a complaint to the appropriate authority. Read and bookmark it for future use.
CFPB – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Submit a complaint here: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/getting-started/
Phone: (855)-411-CFPB or (855)-411-2372
Address: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
PO Box 2900
Clinton, IA 52733-2900
Submit a complaint here: https://www.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/about/consumer-complaint.cfm
Phone: (888)-851-1920
Fax: (877)-888-2520
Address: Federal Reserve Consumer Help
PO Box 1200
Minneapolis, MN 55480
The Office of Thrift Supervision – processes complaints about Federal savings and loans, and also Federal savings banks. Th complaint can be sent by post or fax.
Phone: (800)-842-6929
Fax: (202)-906-7342
Address: Office of Thrift Supervision
Consumer Affairs Division
1700 G Street NW
Washington DC 20552
The Federal Trade Commission – handles complaints regarding most non-bank lenders, such as private lenders, finance companies and credit unions. Submit your complaint through the FTC’s Online Complaint Assistant or contact the FTC directly.
Submit a complaint here: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
Phone: (877)-382-4357
Address: Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington DC 20580
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) – deals with complaints about FDIC-insured state banks which are not members of the Federal Reserve System. Submit a complaint online, or contact the FDIC by mail or phone.
Submit a complaint here: https://www5.fdic.gov/starsmail/
Phone: (877)-275-3342
Address: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Division of Compliance
1730 Pennsylvania Ave
7th Floor
Washington DC 20429
If you have difficulties in contacting your local authorities, here is the contact information relevant to each state.
| State | Institution | Mailing or Fax Address | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Banking Department | State of Alabama, State Banking Department ATTN: Arlene Baldwin P.O. Box 4600 /Montgomery, AL 36103-4600 (334)242-3452 | https://www.banking.alabama.gov/complaint.aspx |
| Alaska | Alaska Division of Banking and Securities | State of Alaska, Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development Division of Banking and Securities P.O. Box 110807 / Juneau, AK 99811-0807 Phone: (888) 925-2521 Fax: (907) 465-1231 | https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/ins/Consumers/Complaints/FileAComplaint.aspx |
| Arizona | Arkansas State Board of Collection Agencies | Division of Check-Cashing Companies, 523 Louisiana Street, Suite 460 Little Rock AR 72201 Phone: (501) 371-1434 Fax: (501) 371-1440 Regulatory Contact: Peggy Matson,, Executive Director | https://www.asbca.org/collection_agencies/index.html#complaints/ |
| California | California Department of Business Oversight | Department of Business Oversight Attn: Consumer Services 1515 K Street, Suite 200 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (866) 275-2677 | https://www.dbo.ca.gov/Consumers/consumer_services.asp |
| Colorado | Colorado Office of the Attorney General | Colorado Office of the Attorney General Address: Uniform Consumer Credit Code, 1525 Sherman St., 5th Fl. Denver CO 80203 Phone: (303) 866-4494 Fax: (303) 866-5691 Regulatory Contact: Laura Udis,, Administrator | https://coag.gov/uccc/complaint |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Department of Banking | Connecticut Department of Banking Address: 260 Constitution Plaza Hartford CT 06103 Phone: (860) 240-8299 Fax: (860) 240-8167 | – |
| Delaware | Office of the State Bank Commissioner’s | (302) 739-4235 | – |
| Washington DC | Federal Trade Commission | – | https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ |
| Florida | Office of the Attorney General of Florida | Phone: 1-866-966-7226 (toll-free inside Florida) 850-414-3600 (in Florida) 850-414-3990 (outside Florida) | https://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/Main/60FD9BD8FA71A5B185256CD1005EE5C5/ |
| Georgia | Georgia Governor’s Office | Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s Office Consumer services Division 2 M.L.K. Jr. Drive West Tower, suite 716 Atlanta, GA 30334 Fax: (404) 657-8542 | https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#&panel1-1 |
| Hawaii | Consumer Resource Center | The Consumer Resource Center, 235 South Beretania Street, 9th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, | https://portal.ehawaii.gov/ |
| Idaho | Idaho Department of Finance | 800 Park Blvd. Suite 200 Boise, Idaho 83712 Telephone: (208) 332-8000 Toll Free in Idaho: (888) 346-3378 | https://www.finance.idaho.gov/ |
| Illinois | Illinois Attorney General’s (AG) office, Consumer Protection Division | Office of the Illinois Attorney General Consumer Protection Division 100 West Randolph Street Chicago, Illinois 60601 | https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/filecomplaint.html |
| Indiana | Indiana Department of Financial Institutions | – | https://www.in.gov/dfi// |
| Iowa | Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division | 515-281-5926 | https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/file-a-consumer-complaint/ |
| Kansas | Kansas Attorney General Office | – | https://www.ksag.org/page/file-a-consumer-complaint |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions | – | https://kfi.ky.gov/complaint/Pages/financial.aspx |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions | Office of Financial Institutions Post Office Box 94095 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095 | https://www.ofi.state.la.us/complaints.htm |
| Maine | Bureau of Financial Institutions | Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions Consumer Outreach Program 36 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0036 | https://www.state.me.us/pfr/financialinstitutions/complaint.htm |
| Maryland | Commissioner of Financial Regulation | Commissioner of Financial Regulation, Attention Complaint Unit 500 North Calvert Street, Suite 402 Baltimore, Maryland 21202 | https://dllr.maryland.gov/finance/consumers/consumerfaqs.shtml#complaint |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (Massachusetts Division of Banks) | Ten Park Plaza, Suite 5170 Boston, MA 02116 Consumer Hotline: (617) 973-8787 or 888-283-3757 toll free (MA only) Main Office Fax: (617) 973-8799 | https://www.mass.gov/ocabr/utility/contact-info-at-oca.html |
| Michigan | Michigan’s Office of Financial and Insurance Services | Office of Financial and Insurance Services P.O. Box 30020 Lansing, MI 48909 | https://www.michigan.gov/lara |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Commerce | State of Minnesota Department of Commerce Division of Financial Institutions 85 7th Place East, Suite 500 St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-2198 | – |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection | Consumer Protection Division Office of the Attorney General P.O. Box 22947 Jackson, Mississippi 39225-2947 More information is available via telephone at (601) 359-4230 or (800) 281-4418 in Mississippi. Telefax is also available at (601) 359-4231 | – |
| Missouri | Missouri Division of Finance | Missouri Division of Finance P. O. Box 716 Jefferson City, Missouri 65102-0716 Phone: 573-751-3242 Fax: 573-751-9192 | https://insurance.mo.gov/finance/complaintform.php/ |
| Montana | Division of Banking and Financial Institutions | State of Montana Department of Administration Division of Banking and Financial Institutions 301 South Park, Suite 316 P.O. Box 200546 Helena, MT 59620-0546 | – |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance, Financial Institutions | P.O. Box 95006, Lincoln NE 68509-5006 | https://www.ndbf.ne.gov/consumers/complaint.shtml |
| Nevada | Bureau of Consumer Protection | 555 E. Washington Ave., Suite 3900, Las Vegas, NV 89101. | https://www.consumeraction.gov/nevada.shtml |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Department of Justice | Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau, 33 Capitol St., Concord NH 03301. You can contact the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau at (603) 271-3641 | https://www.egov.nh.gov/consumercomplaint/ |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Office of Consumer Protection | Call 973) 504-6200 | https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/ |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Office of the Attorney General | Santa Fe: 408 Galisteo Street, Villagra Building, Santa Fe New Mexico 87501 or P.O. Drawer 1508, Santa Fe NM 87504-1508. Albuquerque: 111 Lomas NW, Ste 300, Albuquerque, NM 87102. Las Cruces: 201 N. Church St., Ste. 315, Las Cruces, NM 88001. For more info call 1-800-678-1508. | https://www.nmag.gov/office/Divisions/CP/complaint.aspx |
| New York | Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection | Consumer hotline is 800-771-7755 | https://www.ag.ny.gov/bureaus/consumer_frauds/filing_a_consumer_complaint.html |
| North Carolina | State of North Carolina Department of Justice | 9001 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-9001 | – |
| North Dakota | Department of Financial Institutions | Consumer Protection Division Office of Attorney General Gateway Professional Center 1050 E Interstate Ave Suite 200 Bismarck, ND 58503-5574 If you require additional information, contact the DFI at (701) 328-9933. | https://www.nd.gov/dfi/forms/index.html |
| Ohio | Ohio Attorney General’s | Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray 30 E. Broad St., 17th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 | https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/ |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit | Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit : 4545 North Lincoln Boulevard, Suite 164 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105-3403 Phone: (405) 521-3653 | Fax: (405) 521-6740 In-state Consumer Hotline: (800) 448-4904 | https://www.ok.gov/okdocc/ |
| Oregon | Division of Finance and Corporate Securities | PO Box 14480, Salem, OR 97309-0405. 03-947-7862 | https://www4.cbs.state.or.us/ex/dfcs/complaint/index.cfm |
| Pennsylvania | – | You can contact an attorney licensed to practice there | https://www.lawyers.com/Fair-Lending/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/law-firms.html |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation Division of Banking | State of Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation Division of Banking 1511 Pontiac Avenue, Bldg 69-2 Cranston, RI 02920 | https://www.dbr.state.ri.us/divisions/banking_securities/complaint.php |
| South Carolina | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions | Consumer Finance Division: South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions Consumer Finance Division P.O. Box 11905 Columbia SC 29211 Phone: (803) 734-2020 Fax: (803) 734-2025 Department of Consumer Affairs 3600 Forest Drive, 3rd Floor Phone: (803) 734-4200 Toll-free: (800) 922-1594 Fax: (803) 734-4286 | https://www.scconsumer.gov/complaint_services.htm |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Division of Banking | 217 1/2 West Missouri Avenue Pierre SD 57501 Phone: (605) 773-3421 Fax: (605) 773-5367 | https://www.state.sd.us/drr2/forms/Banking/non-E1949V1-ConsumerComplaint.pdf |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions Consumer Resources Division 414 Union Street, Suite 1000 Nashville, Tennessee 37219 Phone: 1-800-778-4215 Fax: (615) 253-7794 | https://www.tennessee.gov/tdfi/crd/complaintprocess.html |
| Texas | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Address: 2601 N. Lamar Blvd. Austin TX 78705 Phone: (512) 936-7600 Fax: (512) 936-7610 | https://occc.texas.gov/pages/consumer/assistance/cmlt.pdf |
| Utah | Utah DFI | – | https://dfi.utah.gov/resources/helpful-links/file-a-complaint/ |
| Virginia | Bureau of Financial Institutions | – | https://www.scc.virginia.gov/bfi/complain.aspx/ |
| Vermont | Department of Banking | – | http://www.dfr.vermont.gov/banking/consumer-resources/file-complaint/ |
| Washington | Department of Financial Service | 360-902-8811 or 1-877-RING DFI (1-877-746-4334) | https://www.dfi.wa.gov/consumers/file-complaint/consumer-services |
| Wisconsin | Department of Financial Institutions | – | https://www.dfi.wa.gov/consumers/file-complaint/consumer-services |
| Wyoming | Department of Audit’s Division of Banking, as Non-Depository Financial Services | Wyoming Division of Banking Uniform Consumer Credit Code Herschler Building, 3 East 122 West 25th Street Cheyenne, WY 82002 Telephone number 1-307-777-7797 | – |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Division of Banking | West Virginia Division of Banking One Players Club Drive Suite 300 Charleston, WV 25311-1638 Phone: (304) 558-2294 Fax: (304) 558-0442 | https://www.ago.wv.gov/Pages/default.aspx |
References and Sources
1. Filing a Consumer Complaint. Retrieved from https://www.usa.gov/consumer-complaints
2. Learn how the Complaint Process Works. Retrieved from https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/process/
3. Laws and Regulations to Protect Consumers’ Financial Rights. Retrieved from https://www.nextavenue.org/laws-and-regulations-protect-consumers-financial-rights/