Request for Information Regarding the Consumer Complaint Database, 15583-15585 [2015-06707]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 56 / Tuesday, March 24, 2015 / Notices
Database where consent for publication
is first obtained from the consumer.
Only those narratives for which opt-in
consumer consent is obtained and a
robust personal information scrubbing
standard and methodology is applied
will be eligible for disclosure.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
B. Consumer Consent To Disclose
Narratives
The Bureau intends to disclose only
narratives for which informed consent
has been obtained and that have been
scrubbed for personal information. To
obtain informed consumer consent, the
Bureau plans to give consumers who
submit a complaint the opportunity to
check a consent box, with
accompanying language that will state,
among other things, and in plain
language, that: (1) Whether or not
consent is given will not otherwise
impact how the Bureau handles the
complaint; (2) if given, the consumer
may thereafter inform the Bureau that
the consumer withdraws consent at any
time and the narrative will be removed
from the Consumer Complaint Database;
and (3) the Bureau will take reasonable
steps to remove personal information
from the complaint to address risk of reidentification.
C. Personal Information Scrubbing
Standard and Methodology
Sharing data containing personal
information presents a tension between
data utility and individual privacy. As
a particular personal information
scrubbing standard becomes more or
less stringent, the utility of a given deidentified dataset may become
respectively less or more useful.
Within its judgment and discretion,
and in order to address the risk of reidentification, the Bureau intends to
apply to all publicly-disclosed
narratives a robust personal information
scrubbing standard and methodology. In
designing its scrubbing standard, the
Bureau relied heavily on guidance by
the Department of Health and Human
Services regarding de-identification of
health data, as outlined in the Health
Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (‘‘HIPAA’’) Privacy
Rule.32 The Bureau’s current scrubbing
standard is modeled after the HIPAA
Safe Harbor Method, which is generally
considered to represent a best practice
for de-identifying data. In addition to
adopting (and removing) most of the
specific HIPAA identifiers, the Bureau
also plans to remove: (1) Demographic
information such as gender, age, race,
and ethnicity; (2) appropriate analogues
to HIPAA identifiers in the consumer
financial domain, e.g., credit card
numbers; and (3) identifiers which the
Bureau knows appear in complaints and
could reasonably be used to identify
individuals, e.g., personal information
pertaining to third parties other than the
company that is the subject of the
complaint. All consumer complaint data
shared via the Consumer Complaint
Database will be subject to this standard
and methodology, including, e.g., ZIP
code. The Bureau plans to make this
scrubbing standard available on the
Bureau’s Web site. The scrubbing
methodology contemplates a computerbased automated step and a quality
assurance step or steps performed by
human reviewers.
D. Company Response
The Bureau plans to give companies
the opportunity to respond publicly to
the substance of the consumer
complaints they receive from the
Bureau. Within the secure web portal
companies use to respond to
complaints, the Bureau intends to add a
set list of structured company response
options; a responding company will be
given an opportunity to recommend to
the Bureau which option, if any, it
would like included as a public-facing
response to address the substance of the
consumer’s complaint. Companies will
be under no obligation to avail
themselves of this opportunity.
E. Continuous Improvement
The Bureau plans to implement a
testing and continuous improvement
process to ensure that as applied, the
Bureau’s standard and methodology for
scrubbing personal information
adequately protects consumers. The
Bureau intends to continue to adjust its
scrubbing standard and methodology,
guided by the goal of simultaneously
maximizing data utility and individual
privacy.
VI. Effect of Policy Statement
This Policy Statement is intended to
provide information regarding the
Bureau’s plans to exercise its discretion
to publicly disclose certain data derived
from consumer complaints. The Policy
Statement does not impose any legal
obligations on third parties, nor does it
create or confer any substantive or
procedural rights on third parties that
could be enforceable in any
administrative or civil proceeding.
Dated: March 12, 2015.
Richard Cordray,
Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial
Protection.
[FR Doc. 2015–06722 Filed 3–23–15; 8:45 am]
32 45
CFR 164.514.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
01:09 Mar 24, 2015
BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P
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15583
BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL
PROTECTION
[Docket No. CFPB–2015–0013]
Request for Information Regarding the
Consumer Complaint Database
Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau.
ACTION: Notice and request for
information.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Consumer
Financial Protection (the ‘‘Bureau’’) is
issuing a Notice and Request for
Information (‘‘RFI’’) to solicit and
collect input from the public on the
potential collection and sharing of
consumer compliments about providers
of consumer financial products and
services and more information about a
company’s complaint handling.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
May 26, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit responsive
information and other comments,
identified by Docket No. CFPB–2015–
0013, by any of the following methods:
• Electronic: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Monica Jackson, Office of the
Executive Secretary, Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G
Street NW., Washington, DC 20552.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: Monica
Jackson, Office of the Executive
Secretary, Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, 1275 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20002.
Instructions: The Bureau encourages
the early submission of comments. All
submissions must include the document
title and docket number. Because paper
mail in the Washington, DC area and at
the Bureau is subject to delay,
commenters are encouraged to submit
comments electronically. In general, all
comments received will be posted
without change to https://
www.regulations.gov. In addition,
comments will be available for public
inspection and copying at 1275 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20002, on
official business days between the hours
of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time. You
can make an appointment to inspect the
documents by telephoning (202) 435–
7275.
All submissions, including
attachments and other supporting
materials, will become part of the public
record and subject to public disclosure.
Sensitive personal information, such as
account numbers or Social Security
numbers, should not be included.
Submissions will not be edited to
remove any identifying or contact
information.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\24MRN1.SGM
24MRN1
15584
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 56 / Tuesday, March 24, 2015 / Notices
For
submission process questions please
contact Monica Jackson, Office of the
Executive Secretary, at (202) 435–7275.
For inquires related to the substance of
this request, please contact Scott Pluta,
at (202) 435–7306.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 5511(c).
Background: The Bureau, established
under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act of
2010 (‘‘Dodd-Frank Act’’), hears directly
from the American public about their
experiences with the nation’s consumer
financial marketplace. An important
element of the Bureau’s mission is the
handling of individual consumer
complaints regarding consumer
financial products and services. In June
2012, the Bureau began making certain
de-identified individual-level complaint
data available via its Web-based, public
facing database (the ‘‘Consumer
Complaint Database’’). Since launch, the
Consumer Complaint Database has been
expanded multiple times to include
additional consumer financial products
and data fields. Concurrent with this
RFI, the Bureau is publishing a final
policy statement to provide guidance on
how the Bureau plans to exercise its
discretion to disclose publicly
unstructured consumer complaint
narrative data via the Consumer
Complaint Database. As part of the
public comment process associated with
that policy, several trade associations
and companies commented that the
Consumer Complaint Database should
include positive feedback in
conjunction with complaint narratives.
One commenter suggested that if the
Database is to function as a marketplace
of ideas, then it should reflect the entire
market and not solely consumers
submitting complaints. Several trade
associations stated that if the database is
to be likened to private Web-based
review sites, then positive feedback is
necessary.
Current Bureau Operations: The
Bureau currently collects and shares
some positive feedback regarding
company complaint handling. For
example, the public Consumer
Complaint Database currently shares
information that can be used to
highlight a company’s positive
complaint handling relative to its peers,
e.g., whether company responses are
timely or disputed by the consumer.
Positive Consumer Feedback: Broadly
speaking, the Bureau conceives of two
potential avenues for sharing positive
consumer feedback about companies: (1)
By providing more information about a
company’s complaint handling, and (2)
VerDate Sep<11>2014
01:09 Mar 24, 2015
Jkt 235001
by collecting and providing consumer
compliments (independent of the
complaint process). Each will be
discussed in turn.
1. Company Complaint Handling
In 2014, the Bureau sent
approximately 156,600 consumer
complaints to companies for response.
In 2013 and 2012, that figure was
113,200 and 75,400, respectively. When
a company receives a complaint from
the Bureau, it has 15 calendar days for
its initial response and up to 60
calendar days to provide a final
response. The company reviews the
information, communicates with the
consumer as needed, and determines
what action to take in response. Once
the company responds, the Bureau
alerts the consumer and invites him or
her to review the response and provide
feedback.
The data shared via the Consumer
Complaint Database can reveal positive
company behavior. The purposes of
publishing the Consumer Complaint
Database include providing consumers
with timely and understandable
information about consumer financial
products and services, and improving
the functioning, transparency, and
efficiency of markets for such products
and services. Consumer complaints are
a natural part of doing business.
Therefore, it is not the existence of a
routine complaint, by itself, that draws
the attention of the market, but instead
it is factors such as the number of
complaints relative to comparable
companies, how a company handles its
complaints, the patterns and categories
that identify and show the frequency of
certain complaints, and perhaps the
occasional notable fact pattern. The
Bureau believes there are opportunities
to highlight positive company behavior
within at least the first two of these
characteristics—relative volume and
quality of response to the consumer.
With this RFI, the Bureau is specifically
interested in responses that identify
potential ways the Bureau could record,
calculate, standardize, sort, share, and
visualize the data associated with the
consumer complaints the Bureau sends
to companies in ways that reveal
positive company behavior. The
following represents a non-exhaustive
list of potential metrics that the Bureau
could share on its Web site:
i. Total number of complaints, by
product and issue.
ii. Normalized number of complaints
by company, by product and issue.
iii. Company Final Responses.
Controlling for other variables, e.g.,
product and issue, comparison of how
companies choose to close complaints.
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
iv. Timeliness and speed:
a. Average time between complaint
receipt and initial/final response.
b. Frequency of exceeding either the
15 or 60 day allowance.
v. Consumer Sentiment Analysis.
Refers to the use of automated textual
analysis to identify and extract
subjective information in source
materials, e.g., classifying the various
complaint narratives fields across a
spectrum of emotional states.
The Bureau also seeks comment on a
potential adjustment of the consumer
‘‘dispute’’ function. Under one potential
scenario, the dispute function would be
replaced with a two-part consumer
feedback process. The consumer would
have the ability to rate the company’s
handling of his or her complaint on a
one to five scale of satisfaction and
provide a description in support of the
rating. Positive feedback about the
company’s handling of the consumer’s
complaint would be reflected by both
high satisfaction scores and by the
narrative in support of the score. The
Bureau would consider whether and
how these data elements could be
disclosed to the public.
The Bureau is also seeking input on
the most effective and user-friendly
ways to make the above data available
to the public. The ability to download
the raw data may be an option. Other
options may include comparison tools,
dashboards, and visualizations. Lastly,
the Bureau could release tables listing,
e.g., the ‘‘Top Ten’’ (and bottom)
companies across some number of the
above metrics. The Bureau is interested
in hearing not only whether the public
believes these to be good ideas, but
mechanically how they could work. The
following represents some of the issues
to be considered:
• Timing. How often should the lists
be updated, e.g., daily, weekly, monthly,
quarterly?
• Normalization. Should the lists
include normalized results or just those
metrics that do not require
normalization, e.g., time from receipt to
final company response?
• Size Threshold. Should there be a
minimum complaint volume threshold
to be included on the list?
• Metrics. Which metric should be
subject to listing, e.g., volume of
normalized complaints, types of
resolutions, consumer satisfaction/
dispute rates, consumer sentiment?
2. Compliments
Outside of the Bureau’s current
complaint handling operation, another
possible avenue for highlighting
positive company behavior would be to
solicit, collect, and share consumer
E:\FR\FM\24MRN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 56 / Tuesday, March 24, 2015 / Notices
compliments. This could entail a new
submission type, channel, and process
for the Bureau as well as a new database
to list such compliments. The Bureau is
seeking input from the public on this
idea generally, as well as focused
comments across the following
elements:
a. Channel
The Bureau maintains a feature on its
Web site called Tell Your Story, which
gives consumers the opportunity to
share their experiences with consumer
financial products and services. These
submissions are reviewed by CFPB staff
and help the Bureau understand current
issues in the financial marketplace. This
channel could operate as-is and
instances of consumer compliments
could be shared with the public (with
the appropriate consumer consent).
Alternatively, Tell Your Story could be
altered to solicit consumer compliments
more directly. Or a new channel could
be launched that is specifically designed
to intake only consumer compliments.
The Bureau requests public comment on
the possibility of expanding the Tell
Your Story channel, and/or specific
suggestions for alternate channels to
facilitate positive feedback.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
b. Operations
As detailed previously, consumer
complaints follow a specific process
path, from the consumer to the Bureau
to the company and back to the
consumer. If the Bureau established a
new database to intake and publish
consumer compliments, should the
same process apply? How should the
Bureau confirm that a commercial
relationship exists between the
consumer submitting the compliment
and the company? Specifically, should
consumer compliments be sent to the
relevant company for the company to
confirm that a commercial relationship
exists between the consumer and the
company? Are there any other
operational considerations that would
benefit the public that the Bureau
should consider when designing,
developing, and implementing a system
for collecting consumer compliments?
c. Disclosure
The Consumer Complaint Database
does not disclose every complaint the
Bureau receives. Examples of
complaints that are withheld from
disclosure include complaints where
the commercial relationship could not
be confirmed, complaints that are
referred to other regulators, complaints
where the information is incomplete,
complaints involving ongoing litigation
with the company, and anonymous
VerDate Sep<11>2014
01:09 Mar 24, 2015
Jkt 235001
complaints. As with complaints, the
Bureau would have to determine (1)
what elements of a consumer
compliment to disclose publicly, and (2)
which compliments should be excluded
from disclosure, and (3) how scrubbing
and consent should be applied. The
Bureau is seeking input from the public
on these questions.
Creative and Innovative Solutions.
The above framework for considering
positive company feedback should be
considered as just that, a framework.
The Bureau is seeking innovative and
creative input on the idea of
highlighting positive consumer
experiences and company performance.
Therefore, while the above provides
some focus for this solicitation, the
Bureau is hopeful that it will receive a
number of innovative ideas that it can
evaluate and potentially implement.
Dated: March 12, 2015.
Richard Cordray,
Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial
Protection.
[FR Doc. 2015–06707 Filed 3–23–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket ID: DoD–2015–OS–0023]
Privacy Act of 1974; System of
Records
United States European
Command, DoD.
ACTION: Notice to add a new system of
records.
AGENCY:
The United States European
Command proposes to add a new
system of records, AEUCOM 01, entitled
‘‘United States European Command
(USEUCOM) Security Clearance
Database’’ in its existing inventory of
records systems subject to the Privacy
Act of 1974, as amended. This system
will be used to verify current access for
personnel assigned to or visiting
USEUCOM. It will also be used as an
electronic request manager for
scheduling Sensitive Compartmented
Information indoctrinations, issuing
badges, requesting access to spaces, and
processing clearance certifications for
visitors to USEUCOM or for USEUCOM
personnel visiting other organizations.
DATES: Comments will be accepted on or
before April 23, 2015. This proposed
action will be effective the day
following the end of the comment
period unless comments are received
which result in a contrary
determination.
SUMMARY:
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15585
You may submit comments,
identified by dock number and title, by
any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting
comments.
• Mail: Federal Docket Management
System Office, 4800 Mark Center Drive
East Tower, 2nd Floor, Suite 02G09,
Alexandria, VA 22350–3100.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name and
docket number for this Federal Register
document. The general policy for
comments and other submissions from
members of the public is to make these
submissions available for public
viewing on the Internet at https://
www.regulations.gov as they are
received without change, including any
personal identifiers or contact
information.
ADDRESSES:
Ms.
Mayra Lazala-Stock, USEUCOM FOIA/
PA Support Specialist, USEUCOM, Unit
30400, APO AE 09131–0400, telephone:
011–49–711–680–7161.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
United States European Command
notices for systems of records subject to
the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a),
as amended, have been published in the
Federal Register and are available from
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or
from the Defense Privacy and Civil
Liberties Division Web site at https://
dpcld.defense.gov.
The proposed systems reports, as
required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) of the
Privacy Act, were submitted on January
27, 2015, to the House Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, the
Senate Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs, and
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) pursuant to paragraph 4c of
Appendix I to OMB Circular No. A–130,
‘‘Federal Agency Responsibilities for
Maintaining Records About
Individuals,’’ dated February 8, 1996
(February 20, 1996, 61 FR 6427).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dated: March 19, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison
Officer, Department of Defense.
AEUCOM 01
SYSTEM NAME:
United States European Command
(USEUCOM) Security Clearance
Database
SYSTEM LOCATION:
ECJ6 HQ USEUCOM, Patch Barracks
Stuttgart, Unit 30400, APO, AE 09131–
0400, Germany
E:\FR\FM\24MRN1.SGM
24MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15583-15585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06707]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION
[Docket No. CFPB-2015-0013]
Request for Information Regarding the Consumer Complaint Database
AGENCY: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
ACTION: Notice and request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (the ``Bureau'')
is issuing a Notice and Request for Information (``RFI'') to solicit
and collect input from the public on the potential collection and
sharing of consumer compliments about providers of consumer financial
products and services and more information about a company's complaint
handling.
DATES: Submit comments on or before May 26, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit responsive information and other comments,
identified by Docket No. CFPB-2015-0013, by any of the following
methods:
Electronic: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Monica Jackson, Office of the Executive Secretary,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street NW., Washington, DC
20552.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Monica Jackson, Office of the
Executive Secretary, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1275 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20002.
Instructions: The Bureau encourages the early submission of
comments. All submissions must include the document title and docket
number. Because paper mail in the Washington, DC area and at the Bureau
is subject to delay, commenters are encouraged to submit comments
electronically. In general, all comments received will be posted
without change to https://www.regulations.gov. In addition, comments
will be available for public inspection and copying at 1275 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20002, on official business days between the
hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time. You can make an appointment
to inspect the documents by telephoning (202) 435-7275.
All submissions, including attachments and other supporting
materials, will become part of the public record and subject to public
disclosure. Sensitive personal information, such as account numbers or
Social Security numbers, should not be included. Submissions will not
be edited to remove any identifying or contact information.
[[Page 15584]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For submission process questions
please contact Monica Jackson, Office of the Executive Secretary, at
(202) 435-7275. For inquires related to the substance of this request,
please contact Scott Pluta, at (202) 435-7306.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 5511(c).
Background: The Bureau, established under the Dodd-Frank Wall
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (``Dodd-Frank Act''),
hears directly from the American public about their experiences with
the nation's consumer financial marketplace. An important element of
the Bureau's mission is the handling of individual consumer complaints
regarding consumer financial products and services. In June 2012, the
Bureau began making certain de-identified individual-level complaint
data available via its Web-based, public facing database (the
``Consumer Complaint Database''). Since launch, the Consumer Complaint
Database has been expanded multiple times to include additional
consumer financial products and data fields. Concurrent with this RFI,
the Bureau is publishing a final policy statement to provide guidance
on how the Bureau plans to exercise its discretion to disclose publicly
unstructured consumer complaint narrative data via the Consumer
Complaint Database. As part of the public comment process associated
with that policy, several trade associations and companies commented
that the Consumer Complaint Database should include positive feedback
in conjunction with complaint narratives. One commenter suggested that
if the Database is to function as a marketplace of ideas, then it
should reflect the entire market and not solely consumers submitting
complaints. Several trade associations stated that if the database is
to be likened to private Web-based review sites, then positive feedback
is necessary.
Current Bureau Operations: The Bureau currently collects and shares
some positive feedback regarding company complaint handling. For
example, the public Consumer Complaint Database currently shares
information that can be used to highlight a company's positive
complaint handling relative to its peers, e.g., whether company
responses are timely or disputed by the consumer.
Positive Consumer Feedback: Broadly speaking, the Bureau conceives
of two potential avenues for sharing positive consumer feedback about
companies: (1) By providing more information about a company's
complaint handling, and (2) by collecting and providing consumer
compliments (independent of the complaint process). Each will be
discussed in turn.
1. Company Complaint Handling
In 2014, the Bureau sent approximately 156,600 consumer complaints
to companies for response. In 2013 and 2012, that figure was 113,200
and 75,400, respectively. When a company receives a complaint from the
Bureau, it has 15 calendar days for its initial response and up to 60
calendar days to provide a final response. The company reviews the
information, communicates with the consumer as needed, and determines
what action to take in response. Once the company responds, the Bureau
alerts the consumer and invites him or her to review the response and
provide feedback.
The data shared via the Consumer Complaint Database can reveal
positive company behavior. The purposes of publishing the Consumer
Complaint Database include providing consumers with timely and
understandable information about consumer financial products and
services, and improving the functioning, transparency, and efficiency
of markets for such products and services. Consumer complaints are a
natural part of doing business. Therefore, it is not the existence of a
routine complaint, by itself, that draws the attention of the market,
but instead it is factors such as the number of complaints relative to
comparable companies, how a company handles its complaints, the
patterns and categories that identify and show the frequency of certain
complaints, and perhaps the occasional notable fact pattern. The Bureau
believes there are opportunities to highlight positive company behavior
within at least the first two of these characteristics--relative volume
and quality of response to the consumer. With this RFI, the Bureau is
specifically interested in responses that identify potential ways the
Bureau could record, calculate, standardize, sort, share, and visualize
the data associated with the consumer complaints the Bureau sends to
companies in ways that reveal positive company behavior. The following
represents a non-exhaustive list of potential metrics that the Bureau
could share on its Web site:
i. Total number of complaints, by product and issue.
ii. Normalized number of complaints by company, by product and
issue.
iii. Company Final Responses. Controlling for other variables,
e.g., product and issue, comparison of how companies choose to close
complaints.
iv. Timeliness and speed:
a. Average time between complaint receipt and initial/final
response.
b. Frequency of exceeding either the 15 or 60 day allowance.
v. Consumer Sentiment Analysis. Refers to the use of automated
textual analysis to identify and extract subjective information in
source materials, e.g., classifying the various complaint narratives
fields across a spectrum of emotional states.
The Bureau also seeks comment on a potential adjustment of the
consumer ``dispute'' function. Under one potential scenario, the
dispute function would be replaced with a two-part consumer feedback
process. The consumer would have the ability to rate the company's
handling of his or her complaint on a one to five scale of satisfaction
and provide a description in support of the rating. Positive feedback
about the company's handling of the consumer's complaint would be
reflected by both high satisfaction scores and by the narrative in
support of the score. The Bureau would consider whether and how these
data elements could be disclosed to the public.
The Bureau is also seeking input on the most effective and user-
friendly ways to make the above data available to the public. The
ability to download the raw data may be an option. Other options may
include comparison tools, dashboards, and visualizations. Lastly, the
Bureau could release tables listing, e.g., the ``Top Ten'' (and bottom)
companies across some number of the above metrics. The Bureau is
interested in hearing not only whether the public believes these to be
good ideas, but mechanically how they could work. The following
represents some of the issues to be considered:
Timing. How often should the lists be updated, e.g.,
daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly?
Normalization. Should the lists include normalized results
or just those metrics that do not require normalization, e.g., time
from receipt to final company response?
Size Threshold. Should there be a minimum complaint volume
threshold to be included on the list?
Metrics. Which metric should be subject to listing, e.g.,
volume of normalized complaints, types of resolutions, consumer
satisfaction/dispute rates, consumer sentiment?
2. Compliments
Outside of the Bureau's current complaint handling operation,
another possible avenue for highlighting positive company behavior
would be to solicit, collect, and share consumer
[[Page 15585]]
compliments. This could entail a new submission type, channel, and
process for the Bureau as well as a new database to list such
compliments. The Bureau is seeking input from the public on this idea
generally, as well as focused comments across the following elements:
a. Channel
The Bureau maintains a feature on its Web site called Tell Your
Story, which gives consumers the opportunity to share their experiences
with consumer financial products and services. These submissions are
reviewed by CFPB staff and help the Bureau understand current issues in
the financial marketplace. This channel could operate as-is and
instances of consumer compliments could be shared with the public (with
the appropriate consumer consent). Alternatively, Tell Your Story could
be altered to solicit consumer compliments more directly. Or a new
channel could be launched that is specifically designed to intake only
consumer compliments. The Bureau requests public comment on the
possibility of expanding the Tell Your Story channel, and/or specific
suggestions for alternate channels to facilitate positive feedback.
b. Operations
As detailed previously, consumer complaints follow a specific
process path, from the consumer to the Bureau to the company and back
to the consumer. If the Bureau established a new database to intake and
publish consumer compliments, should the same process apply? How should
the Bureau confirm that a commercial relationship exists between the
consumer submitting the compliment and the company? Specifically,
should consumer compliments be sent to the relevant company for the
company to confirm that a commercial relationship exists between the
consumer and the company? Are there any other operational
considerations that would benefit the public that the Bureau should
consider when designing, developing, and implementing a system for
collecting consumer compliments?
c. Disclosure
The Consumer Complaint Database does not disclose every complaint
the Bureau receives. Examples of complaints that are withheld from
disclosure include complaints where the commercial relationship could
not be confirmed, complaints that are referred to other regulators,
complaints where the information is incomplete, complaints involving
ongoing litigation with the company, and anonymous complaints. As with
complaints, the Bureau would have to determine (1) what elements of a
consumer compliment to disclose publicly, and (2) which compliments
should be excluded from disclosure, and (3) how scrubbing and consent
should be applied. The Bureau is seeking input from the public on these
questions.
Creative and Innovative Solutions. The above framework for
considering positive company feedback should be considered as just
that, a framework. The Bureau is seeking innovative and creative input
on the idea of highlighting positive consumer experiences and company
performance. Therefore, while the above provides some focus for this
solicitation, the Bureau is hopeful that it will receive a number of
innovative ideas that it can evaluate and potentially implement.
Dated: March 12, 2015.
Richard Cordray,
Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
[FR Doc. 2015-06707 Filed 3-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-AM-P
