Request for Information Regarding the Bureau's Consumer Complaint and Consumer Inquiry Handling Processes, 16839-16841 [2018-07943]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 17, 2018 / Notices
collection techniques or other forms or
information technology.
Marcie Lovett,
Records and Information Governance
Division Director, OCTO, United States Patent
and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2018–08022 Filed 4–16–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–16–P
BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL
PROTECTION
[Docket No. CFPB–2018–0014]
Request for Information Regarding the
Bureau’s Consumer Complaint and
Consumer Inquiry Handling Processes
Bureau of Consumer Financial
Protection.
ACTION: Notice and request for
information.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Consumer
Financial Protection (Bureau) is seeking
comments and information from
interested parties to assist the Bureau in
assessing its handling of consumer
complaints and consumer inquiries and,
consistent with law, considering
whether changes to its processes would
be appropriate.
DATES: Comments must be received by
July 16, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit responsive
information and other comments,
identified by Docket No. CFPB–2018–
0014, by any of the following methods:
• Electronic: Go to https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Email: FederalRegisterComments@
cfpb.gov. Include Docket No. CFPB–
2018–0014 in the subject line of the
message.
• Mail: Comment Intake, Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G
Street NW, Washington, DC 20552.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: Comment
Intake, Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau, 1700 G Street NW, Washington,
DC 20552.
Instructions: The Bureau encourages
the early submission of comments. All
submissions must include the document
title and docket number. Please note the
number of the topic on which you are
commenting at the top of each response
(you do not need to address all topics).
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 1700 G Street
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SUMMARY:
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NW, Washington, DC 20552, 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 in response to this
request for information, including
attachments and other supporting
materials, will become part of the public
record and subject to public disclosure.
Proprietary information or sensitive
personal information, such as account
numbers or Social Security numbers, or
names of other individuals, should not
be included. Submissions will not be
edited to remove any identifying or
contact information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Darian Dorsey, Deputy Assistant
Director, Office of Consumer Response,
at 202–435–7268. If you require this
document in an alternative electronic
format, please contact CFPB_
Accessibility@cfpb.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An
important aspect of the Bureau’s
mission is hearing directly from the
American public about their
experiences in the consumer financial
marketplace. Pursuant to 12 U.S.C.
5511(c)(2), ‘‘collecting, investigating,
and responding to consumer
complaints’’ is one of the six statutory
‘‘primary functions’’ of the Bureau. In
addition, ensuring that ‘‘consumers are
provided with timely and
understandable information to make
responsible decisions about financial
transactions’’ is one of its six
enumerated objectives.1
In furtherance of these statutory
mandates, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act
(Dodd-Frank Act) requires the Bureau to
establish a unit to ‘‘facilitate the
centralized collection of, monitoring of,
and response to consumer complaints
regarding consumer financial products
or services’’ 2 and directs the Bureau to
establish reasonable procedures to
provide timely responses to consumer
complaints and consumer inquiries.3
The Bureau defines consumer
complaints as ‘‘submissions that express
dissatisfaction with, or communicate
suspicion of wrongful conduct by, an
identifiable entity related to a
consumer’s personal experience with a
financial product or service.’’ 4 To date,
1 12
U.S.C. 5511(b)(1).
Bureau’s Office of Consumer Response
(‘‘Consumer Response’’) serves these and other
functions. 12 U.S.C. 5493(b)(3)(A).
3 12 U.S.C. 5534(a).
4 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
Consumer Response Annual Report (Mar. 2012),
available at https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/
201204_cfpb_ConsumerResponseAnnualReport.pdf.
2 The
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16839
the Bureau has not published its
definition of consumer inquiries;
however, as an operational matter for
the purposes of establishing reasonable
procedures for providing timely
responses to consumer inquiries and for
the purposes of this request for
information, the Bureau defines
consumer inquiries as consumer
requests for information—typically
proffered by telephone—to its Office of
Consumer Response about consumer
financial products or services, the status
of a complaint, an action taken by the
Bureau, and often combinations
thereof.5
Since it began accepting consumer
complaints and consumer inquiries in
July 2011, the Bureau has established
reasonable procedures to provide
consumers with timely responses to
their complaints and inquiries, in
writing where appropriate.6 To date, the
Bureau has received more than 1.5
million consumer complaints. The
consumer complaint process seeks to
provide consumers with timely
responses to their complaints, while the
consumer inquiry process aims to
provide timely answers to consumers
who submit inquiries. Both processes
support the Bureau’s statutory objective
to provide consumers with timely and
understandable information about
consumer financial products and
services to make responsible decisions.
To that end, the Bureau has established
reasonable procedures for responding to
both consumer complaints and
consumer inquiries.
Though the Bureau is required to
establish reasonable procedures to
provide timely responses to consumer
complaints and consumer inquiries,
certain aspects of the complaint and
inquiry handling processes were
developed in furtherance of those
statutory requirements but are not
directly mandated by statute. Mindful of
the Bureau’s statutory objective to
provide consumers with timely and
understandable information about
consumer financial products and
services so they can make responsible
decisions, as well as its statutory
obligations to (1) establish reasonable
procedures to provide consumers with
timely responses and (2) centralize the
collection of consumer complaints
about consumer financial products or
5 12 U.S.C. 5511(b)(1) authorizes the Bureau to
ensure that, with respect to consumer financial
products and services, ‘‘consumers are provided
with timely and understandable information to
make responsible decisions about financial
transactions’’; some of this work occurs in the
consumer complaint and inquiry processes
performed within the Office of Consumer Response.
6 12 U.S.C. 5534(a).
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services, the Bureau has used feedback
from a variety of stakeholders to
establish and refine its processes over
time to improve stakeholders’
experience, handle large volumes of
complaints and inquiries,7 and increase
overall efficiency.
Consumer Complaint Process. To
‘‘facilitate the centralized collection of,
monitoring of, and response to
consumer complaints regarding
consumer financial products or
services,’’ the Bureau accepts
complaints through its website; by
referral from the White House,
congressional offices, Federal agencies,
and State agencies; and by telephone,
mail, email, and fax. When consumers 8
choose to submit complaints, the
Bureau’s complaint form prompts them
to select the consumer financial product
or service with which they have a
problem as well as the type of problem
they are having with that product or
service. This provides information that
can be used to group complaints to
understand the financial products and
services about which consumers
complain to the Bureau. The complaint
form also requires consumers to affirm
that the information provided in their
complaint is true to the best of their
knowledge and belief. The Bureau
routes complaints about consumer
financial products and services directly
to financial companies and works with
them to get consumers a timely response
from the company, generally within 15
days. Where appropriate, complaints are
routed to other Federal agencies.9 The
company reviews the information,
communicates with the consumer as
needed, and determines what action to
take in response. The company then
responds to the consumer and the
Bureau in writing via the secure
company portal, and the Bureau invites
the consumer to review the company’s
response and provide feedback about
the response received from the
company. Consumers can log onto the
secure consumer portal available on the
Bureau’s website or call the Bureau to
receive status updates, provide
additional information, and review
responses provided by the company. In
2017, the Bureau handled more than
320,000 consumer complaints.10
7 In 2017, the Bureau received more than 500,000
consumer complaints and consumer inquiries.
8 The term ‘consumer’ means an individual or an
agent, trustee, or representative acting on behalf of
an individual.’’ 12 U.S.C. 5481(4)
9 The Bureau refers or sends complaints to
another regulator when, for example, a particular
complaint does not involve a product or service
currently handled by the Bureau.
10 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
Consumer Response Annual Report (Apr. 2018),
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Consumer Inquiry Process. The
Bureau’s single, toll-free telephone
number 11 gives consumers the
opportunity to ask questions about
financial products or services, submit a
complaint, and check the status of a
complaint. Consumers can also inquire
about the Bureau and a subset of its
recent actions. When consumers call
with an inquiry about consumer
financial products or services, a Bureau
representative collects basic information
about the consumer, listens to the
consumer describe their situation and
question, and provides clear, unbiased
educational information about financial
products and services. Representatives
do not provide legal advice to
consumers, nor do they encourage
consumers to take any particular action.
Instead, when appropriate,
representatives direct consumers to
Bureau educational materials and tools,
and other relevant government
resources. The Bureau’s U.S.-based
contact center provides services to
consumers in more than 180 languages
and to consumers who are deaf, have
hearing loss, or have speech disabilities.
In 2017, the Bureau received more than
200,000 consumer inquiries.
Bureau’s public reporting practices of
consumer complaint information,
consistent with law, to consider
whether any changes to the practices
would be appropriate.12 The Bureau
will consider for the purposes of this
RFI, and to the extent relevant, all
comments previously received in
connection with that request.
Respondents, therefore, should not feel
any obligation to include in their
responses to this RFI suggestions and
comments already submitted in
response to the call for evidence on
public reporting practices of consumer
complaint information.
Suggested Topics for Commenters
Overview of This Request for
Information
The Bureau is using this request for
information (RFI) to seek public input
regarding potential changes that can be
implemented to the Bureau’s consumer
complaint and inquiry handling
processes, consistent with law, to
consider whether any changes to
existing practices would be appropriate
given the Bureau’s statutory objective to
provide consumers with timely and
understandable information about
consumer financial products and
services to make responsible decisions
as well as its statutory obligations to (1)
establish reasonable procedures to
provide timely responses to consumers
and (2) centralize the collection of
consumer complaints regarding
consumer financial products or services.
The Bureau encourages comments from
all interested members of the public,
including financial industry
participants, government agencies,
academic and research organizations,
consumer advocacy and financial
education groups, trade associations,
and consumers.
The Bureau previously issued an RFI
seeking public input regarding potential
changes that can be implemented to the
To allow the Bureau to evaluate
suggestions more effectively, the Bureau
requests that, where possible, comments
include:
• Specific discussion of the positive
and negative aspects of the Bureau’s
complaint and inquiry processes;
• Specific suggestions regarding any
potential updates or modifications to
the Bureau’s complaint and inquiry
processes, consistent with the law and
given one of the Bureau’s statutory
obligations is to establish reasonable
procedures to provide consumers with
timely responses to complaints and
inquiries, including, in as much detail
as possible, the nature of the
modification, and supporting data or
other information on impacts and costs;
• Specific best practices for
complaint and inquiry processes given
the Bureau’s statutory objectives and
functions, including ensuring
consumers are provided with timely and
understandable information to make
responsible decisions about financial
transactions 13 and centralizing the
collection of consumer complaints
about consumer financial products or
services.
The following represents a
preliminary attempt by the Bureau to
identify elements of the Bureau’s
complaint and inquiry processes on
which commenters may want to
comment. This non-exhaustive list is
meant to assist in the formulation of
comments and is not intended to restrict
the issues that may be addressed. In
addressing these issues and questions,
the Bureau requests that commenters
identify with specificity the complaint
or inquiry processes feature at issue,
providing legal citations where
appropriate and available.
available at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/
documents/6406/cfpb_consumer-response-annualreport_2017.pdf.
11 12 U.S.C. 5493(b)(3)(A).
12 Request for Information Regarding Bureau
Public Reporting Practices of Consumer Complaint
Information, 83 FR 9499 (March 6, 2018).
13 12 U.S.C. 5511(b)(1).
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 17, 2018 / Notices
The Bureau is seeking feedback on all
aspects of its consumer complaint and
inquiry handling processes, including:
1. Specific statutorily-permissible
suggestions regarding how the Bureau
currently allows consumers to submit
complaints and inquiries, including:
a. Should the Bureau require
consumers to classify their submission
affirmatively as a consumer complaint
or inquiry prior to submission?
b. How should the Bureau explain the
difference between a consumer
complaint and a consumer inquiry to
consumers at the point of submission?
c. Should the Bureau develop a
process for companies to reclassify
consumers’ submissions? If so, what
criteria should the Bureau establish to
help companies differentiate consumer
complaints from consumer inquiries?
2. Specific statutorily-permissible
suggestions regarding the Bureau’s
consumer complaint processes,
including:
a. The Bureau currently receives
complaints via six channels: Website,
referral from Federal and State entities/
agencies, telephone, mail, fax, and
email. Should the Bureau add or
discontinue any channels for accepting
complaints?
b. Consistent with the Dodd-Frank
Act’s definition of ‘‘consumer,’’ the
Bureau currently allows consumers to
authorize someone else (e.g., lawyer,
advocate, power of attorney) to submit
complaints on their behalf. Should the
Bureau expand, limit, or maintain the
ability of authorized third parties to
submit complaints?
3. Specific statutorily-permissible
suggestions regarding the Bureau’s
consumer inquiry processes, including:
a. The Bureau currently accepts
consumer inquiries via telephone and
mail. Should the Bureau add or
discontinue any channels for accepting
inquiries?
b. Should the Bureau develop web
chat systems to support consumers’
submission of inquiries?
c. Should the Bureau develop a
process for companies to provide timely
responses to consumer inquiries sent to
them by the Bureau? If so, how should
the Bureau balance its objective of
providing timely and understandable
information to consumers 14 with its
objective of reducing unwarranted
regulatory burden on companies? 15
d. Should the Bureau publish data
about consumer inquiries? If so, what
types of data or analyses about
consumer inquiries should be shared
with the public?
14 12
15 12
U.S.C. 5511(b)(1).
U.S.C. 5511(b)(3).
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Authority: 12 U.S.C. 5511(c).
Dated: April 10, 2018.
Mick Mulvaney,
Acting Director, Bureau of Consumer
Financial Protection.
[FR Doc. 2018–07943 Filed 4–16–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket ID: DoD–2018–OS–0019]
Joint Rules of Appellate Procedure for
Courts of Criminal Appeals; Proposed
Changes
Joint Rules of Appellate
Procedure for Courts of Criminal
Appeals (JRAP) Committee, Department
of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
proposed changes to the Joint Rules of
Appellate Procedure for Courts of
Criminal Appeals.
AGENCY:
This notice announces
proposed changes to the Joint Rules of
Appellate Procedure for Courts of
Criminal Appeals (JRAP), which
prescribe uniform procedures for the
service Courts of Criminal Appeals.
Although these rules of practice and
procedure fall within the
Administrative Procedure Act’s
exemptions for notice and comment, the
Department, as a matter of policy, has
decided to make these changes available
for public review and comment before
they are implemented. The proposed
changes implement the Military Justice
Act of 2016 of the National Defense
Authorization Act of 2017 and the 2018
Amendments to the Manual for CourtsMartial, United States. The approval
authorities for these changes are the
Judge Advocates General of the Army,
Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
DATES: Comments on the proposed
changes must be received no later than
May 17, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by docket number and title by
any of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Department of Defense, Office
of the Deputy Chief Management
Officer, Directorate for Oversight and
Compliance, 4800 Mark Center Drive,
Mailbox #24, Alexandria, VA 22350–
1700.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name and
docket number for this Federal Register
document. The general policy for
SUMMARY:
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16841
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lieutenant Commander Rachel Trest,
JAGC, USN, United States Navy-Marine
Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, (202)
685–4621, rachel.e.trest@navy.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As the
proposed revisions to the JRAP are
substantial, the full text of the proposed
new JRAP is available electronically at
www.regulations.gov, searchable by
Docket ID: DoD–2018–OS–0019. The
current text of the JRAP is available for
comparison electronically at
www.regulations.gov, searchable by
Docket ID: DoD–2018–OS–0019.
The JRAP Committee invites members
of the public to comment on the
proposed new rules; such comments
should address specific recommended
changes and provide supporting
rationale.
This notice is intended only to
improve the internal management of the
Federal Government. It is not intended
to create any right or benefit,
substantive or procedural, enforceable at
law by any party against the United
States, its agencies, its officers, or any
person.
Dated: April 10, 2018.
Shelly E. Finke,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison
Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2018–07965 Filed 4–16–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED–2018–ICCD–0007]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Comment Request;
Teacher Education Assistance for
College and Higher Education Grant
Program (TEACH Grant Program)
Agreement To Serve
Federal Student Aid (FSA),
Department of Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is
proposing a revision of an existing
information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before May 17,
2018.
SUMMARY:
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16839-16841]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07943]
=======================================================================
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BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION
[Docket No. CFPB-2018-0014]
Request for Information Regarding the Bureau's Consumer Complaint
and Consumer Inquiry Handling Processes
AGENCY: Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
ACTION: Notice and request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is
seeking comments and information from interested parties to assist the
Bureau in assessing its handling of consumer complaints and consumer
inquiries and, consistent with law, considering whether changes to its
processes would be appropriate.
DATES: Comments must be received by July 16, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit responsive information and other comments,
identified by Docket No. CFPB-2018-0014, by any of the following
methods:
Electronic: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Email: [email protected]. Include Docket
No. CFPB-2018-0014 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Comment Intake, Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau, 1700 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20552.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Comment Intake, Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20552.
Instructions: The Bureau encourages the early submission of
comments. All submissions must include the document title and docket
number. Please note the number of the topic on which you are commenting
at the top of each response (you do not need to address all topics).
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 1700 G Street
NW, Washington, DC 20552, 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 in response to this request for information,
including attachments and other supporting materials, will become part
of the public record and subject to public disclosure. Proprietary
information or sensitive personal information, such as account numbers
or Social Security numbers, or names of other individuals, should not
be included. Submissions will not be edited to remove any identifying
or contact information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Darian Dorsey, Deputy Assistant
Director, Office of Consumer Response, at 202-435-7268. If you require
this document in an alternative electronic format, please contact
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An important aspect of the Bureau's mission
is hearing directly from the American public about their experiences in
the consumer financial marketplace. Pursuant to 12 U.S.C. 5511(c)(2),
``collecting, investigating, and responding to consumer complaints'' is
one of the six statutory ``primary functions'' of the Bureau. In
addition, ensuring that ``consumers are provided with timely and
understandable information to make responsible decisions about
financial transactions'' is one of its six enumerated objectives.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 12 U.S.C. 5511(b)(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In furtherance of these statutory mandates, the Dodd-Frank Wall
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) requires the
Bureau to establish a unit to ``facilitate the centralized collection
of, monitoring of, and response to consumer complaints regarding
consumer financial products or services'' \2\ and directs the Bureau to
establish reasonable procedures to provide timely responses to consumer
complaints and consumer inquiries.\3\ The Bureau defines consumer
complaints as ``submissions that express dissatisfaction with, or
communicate suspicion of wrongful conduct by, an identifiable entity
related to a consumer's personal experience with a financial product or
service.'' \4\ To date, the Bureau has not published its definition of
consumer inquiries; however, as an operational matter for the purposes
of establishing reasonable procedures for providing timely responses to
consumer inquiries and for the purposes of this request for
information, the Bureau defines consumer inquiries as consumer requests
for information--typically proffered by telephone--to its Office of
Consumer Response about consumer financial products or services, the
status of a complaint, an action taken by the Bureau, and often
combinations thereof.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ The Bureau's Office of Consumer Response (``Consumer
Response'') serves these and other functions. 12 U.S.C.
5493(b)(3)(A).
\3\ 12 U.S.C. 5534(a).
\4\ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Response
Annual Report (Mar. 2012), available at https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201204_cfpb_ConsumerResponseAnnualReport.pdf.
\5\ 12 U.S.C. 5511(b)(1) authorizes the Bureau to ensure that,
with respect to consumer financial products and services,
``consumers are provided with timely and understandable information
to make responsible decisions about financial transactions''; some
of this work occurs in the consumer complaint and inquiry processes
performed within the Office of Consumer Response.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since it began accepting consumer complaints and consumer inquiries
in July 2011, the Bureau has established reasonable procedures to
provide consumers with timely responses to their complaints and
inquiries, in writing where appropriate.\6\ To date, the Bureau has
received more than 1.5 million consumer complaints. The consumer
complaint process seeks to provide consumers with timely responses to
their complaints, while the consumer inquiry process aims to provide
timely answers to consumers who submit inquiries. Both processes
support the Bureau's statutory objective to provide consumers with
timely and understandable information about consumer financial products
and services to make responsible decisions. To that end, the Bureau has
established reasonable procedures for responding to both consumer
complaints and consumer inquiries.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ 12 U.S.C. 5534(a).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Though the Bureau is required to establish reasonable procedures to
provide timely responses to consumer complaints and consumer inquiries,
certain aspects of the complaint and inquiry handling processes were
developed in furtherance of those statutory requirements but are not
directly mandated by statute. Mindful of the Bureau's statutory
objective to provide consumers with timely and understandable
information about consumer financial products and services so they can
make responsible decisions, as well as its statutory obligations to (1)
establish reasonable procedures to provide consumers with timely
responses and (2) centralize the collection of consumer complaints
about consumer financial products or
[[Page 16840]]
services, the Bureau has used feedback from a variety of stakeholders
to establish and refine its processes over time to improve
stakeholders' experience, handle large volumes of complaints and
inquiries,\7\ and increase overall efficiency.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ In 2017, the Bureau received more than 500,000 consumer
complaints and consumer inquiries.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consumer Complaint Process. To ``facilitate the centralized
collection of, monitoring of, and response to consumer complaints
regarding consumer financial products or services,'' the Bureau accepts
complaints through its website; by referral from the White House,
congressional offices, Federal agencies, and State agencies; and by
telephone, mail, email, and fax. When consumers \8\ choose to submit
complaints, the Bureau's complaint form prompts them to select the
consumer financial product or service with which they have a problem as
well as the type of problem they are having with that product or
service. This provides information that can be used to group complaints
to understand the financial products and services about which consumers
complain to the Bureau. The complaint form also requires consumers to
affirm that the information provided in their complaint is true to the
best of their knowledge and belief. The Bureau routes complaints about
consumer financial products and services directly to financial
companies and works with them to get consumers a timely response from
the company, generally within 15 days. Where appropriate, complaints
are routed to other Federal agencies.\9\ The company reviews the
information, communicates with the consumer as needed, and determines
what action to take in response. The company then responds to the
consumer and the Bureau in writing via the secure company portal, and
the Bureau invites the consumer to review the company's response and
provide feedback about the response received from the company.
Consumers can log onto the secure consumer portal available on the
Bureau's website or call the Bureau to receive status updates, provide
additional information, and review responses provided by the company.
In 2017, the Bureau handled more than 320,000 consumer complaints.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ The term `consumer' means an individual or an agent,
trustee, or representative acting on behalf of an individual.'' 12
U.S.C. 5481(4)
\9\ The Bureau refers or sends complaints to another regulator
when, for example, a particular complaint does not involve a product
or service currently handled by the Bureau.
\10\ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Response
Annual Report (Apr. 2018), available at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/documents/6406/cfpb_consumer-response-annual-report_2017.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consumer Inquiry Process. The Bureau's single, toll-free telephone
number \11\ gives consumers the opportunity to ask questions about
financial products or services, submit a complaint, and check the
status of a complaint. Consumers can also inquire about the Bureau and
a subset of its recent actions. When consumers call with an inquiry
about consumer financial products or services, a Bureau representative
collects basic information about the consumer, listens to the consumer
describe their situation and question, and provides clear, unbiased
educational information about financial products and services.
Representatives do not provide legal advice to consumers, nor do they
encourage consumers to take any particular action. Instead, when
appropriate, representatives direct consumers to Bureau educational
materials and tools, and other relevant government resources. The
Bureau's U.S.-based contact center provides services to consumers in
more than 180 languages and to consumers who are deaf, have hearing
loss, or have speech disabilities. In 2017, the Bureau received more
than 200,000 consumer inquiries.
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\11\ 12 U.S.C. 5493(b)(3)(A).
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Overview of This Request for Information
The Bureau is using this request for information (RFI) to seek
public input regarding potential changes that can be implemented to the
Bureau's consumer complaint and inquiry handling processes, consistent
with law, to consider whether any changes to existing practices would
be appropriate given the Bureau's statutory objective to provide
consumers with timely and understandable information about consumer
financial products and services to make responsible decisions as well
as its statutory obligations to (1) establish reasonable procedures to
provide timely responses to consumers and (2) centralize the collection
of consumer complaints regarding consumer financial products or
services. The Bureau encourages comments from all interested members of
the public, including financial industry participants, government
agencies, academic and research organizations, consumer advocacy and
financial education groups, trade associations, and consumers.
The Bureau previously issued an RFI seeking public input regarding
potential changes that can be implemented to the Bureau's public
reporting practices of consumer complaint information, consistent with
law, to consider whether any changes to the practices would be
appropriate.\12\ The Bureau will consider for the purposes of this RFI,
and to the extent relevant, all comments previously received in
connection with that request. Respondents, therefore, should not feel
any obligation to include in their responses to this RFI suggestions
and comments already submitted in response to the call for evidence on
public reporting practices of consumer complaint information.
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\12\ Request for Information Regarding Bureau Public Reporting
Practices of Consumer Complaint Information, 83 FR 9499 (March 6,
2018).
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Suggested Topics for Commenters
To allow the Bureau to evaluate suggestions more effectively, the
Bureau requests that, where possible, comments include:
Specific discussion of the positive and negative aspects
of the Bureau's complaint and inquiry processes;
Specific suggestions regarding any potential updates or
modifications to the Bureau's complaint and inquiry processes,
consistent with the law and given one of the Bureau's statutory
obligations is to establish reasonable procedures to provide consumers
with timely responses to complaints and inquiries, including, in as
much detail as possible, the nature of the modification, and supporting
data or other information on impacts and costs;
Specific best practices for complaint and inquiry
processes given the Bureau's statutory objectives and functions,
including ensuring consumers are provided with timely and
understandable information to make responsible decisions about
financial transactions \13\ and centralizing the collection of consumer
complaints about consumer financial products or services.
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\13\ 12 U.S.C. 5511(b)(1).
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The following represents a preliminary attempt by the Bureau to
identify elements of the Bureau's complaint and inquiry processes on
which commenters may want to comment. This non-exhaustive list is meant
to assist in the formulation of comments and is not intended to
restrict the issues that may be addressed. In addressing these issues
and questions, the Bureau requests that commenters identify with
specificity the complaint or inquiry processes feature at issue,
providing legal citations where appropriate and available.
[[Page 16841]]
The Bureau is seeking feedback on all aspects of its consumer
complaint and inquiry handling processes, including:
1. Specific statutorily-permissible suggestions regarding how the
Bureau currently allows consumers to submit complaints and inquiries,
including:
a. Should the Bureau require consumers to classify their submission
affirmatively as a consumer complaint or inquiry prior to submission?
b. How should the Bureau explain the difference between a consumer
complaint and a consumer inquiry to consumers at the point of
submission?
c. Should the Bureau develop a process for companies to reclassify
consumers' submissions? If so, what criteria should the Bureau
establish to help companies differentiate consumer complaints from
consumer inquiries?
2. Specific statutorily-permissible suggestions regarding the
Bureau's consumer complaint processes, including:
a. The Bureau currently receives complaints via six channels:
Website, referral from Federal and State entities/agencies, telephone,
mail, fax, and email. Should the Bureau add or discontinue any channels
for accepting complaints?
b. Consistent with the Dodd-Frank Act's definition of ``consumer,''
the Bureau currently allows consumers to authorize someone else (e.g.,
lawyer, advocate, power of attorney) to submit complaints on their
behalf. Should the Bureau expand, limit, or maintain the ability of
authorized third parties to submit complaints?
3. Specific statutorily-permissible suggestions regarding the
Bureau's consumer inquiry processes, including:
a. The Bureau currently accepts consumer inquiries via telephone
and mail. Should the Bureau add or discontinue any channels for
accepting inquiries?
b. Should the Bureau develop web chat systems to support consumers'
submission of inquiries?
c. Should the Bureau develop a process for companies to provide
timely responses to consumer inquiries sent to them by the Bureau? If
so, how should the Bureau balance its objective of providing timely and
understandable information to consumers \14\ with its objective of
reducing unwarranted regulatory burden on companies? \15\
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\14\ 12 U.S.C. 5511(b)(1).
\15\ 12 U.S.C. 5511(b)(3).
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d. Should the Bureau publish data about consumer inquiries? If so,
what types of data or analyses about consumer inquiries should be
shared with the public?
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 5511(c).
Dated: April 10, 2018.
Mick Mulvaney,
Acting Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
[FR Doc. 2018-07943 Filed 4-16-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-AM-P