Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the complaint data come from?

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's public Consumer Complaint Database. It records complaints the CFPB received about banks, lenders, card issuers, credit bureaus and debt collectors, and how each company responded.

Does a complaint mean the company did something wrong?

No. A complaint is a consumer's account of a problem. It is not a ruling or a lawsuit. We always phrase figures as 'the CFPB received N complaints', never as an accusation.

Why does a big bank have so many more complaints?

Because it has far more customers. Complaint counts scale with company size, so raw totals should be read with that in mind. State pages are normalized to population, and we don't publish 'worst bank' lists.

How current is it?

The database is refreshed on a regular schedule. Company pages show complaints over the last 12 months and the year-over-year trend.

Is this financial advice?

No. MoneyWatchUSA does not give financial, legal or investment advice and does not recommend any product. For a specific dispute, go to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov.

More detail on sources is on the About the Data page.