CFPB Publishes Information Regarding Servicemembers' Complaints

CFPB Servicemembers Consumer Complaints

On April 27, the CFPB published a report regarding the trend of recent complaints submitted to the Bureau by Servicemembers entitled, A Snapshot of Complaints Received from Servicemembers, Veterans, and their Families. According to the report, between July 21, 2011 and December 31, 2014, the areas servicemembers reported to have the most problems with were debt collection, mortgage, and credit reporting. With debt collection making up 39% of the complaints, it is the most common type of complaint the Bureau receives from servicemembers: “[S]ervicemembers assert that the calculation of debt is inaccurate or unfair… [They] complain about telephone collections that are too frequent and that come at inconvenient times. They also complain about debt collectors calling their place of employment or third parties.” In addition to debt collection, mortgage, and credit reporting complaints, the report reveals the following products as problem areas for servicemembers: credit cards, bank accounts, consumer loans, and student loans. The Bureau’s report is an overview of the approximated 29,500 complaints the Bureau received from servicemembers since July 2011.