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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

CFPB’s Monthly Complaint Report Focuses on Mortgages

Consumer Finance Lending CFPB Consumer Complaints Debt Collection Mortgages

Consumer Finance

On February 8, the CFPB released its monthly complaint report for December 2016. The report focused on complaints about mortgages. Along with debt collection and credit reporting, the report stated that mortgages are consistently among the three products and services generating the most complaints to the CFPB, and that since July 21, 2011, mortgages have been the second-most-complained-about product, representing 24 percent of all complaints. The most common issues raised by consumers are problems that arise when they are unable to pay their mortgage, such as issues related to loan modifications, collection, and foreclosure. Such issues were raised in 49 percent of complaints about mortgages. Other common issues raised in consumer complaints relating to mortgages include making payments (such as the misapplication of payments (33 percent)), applying for a mortgage (9 percent), signing the agreement (5 percent), and getting an offer of credit (3 percent).

The Report also noted that student loans showed the greatest increase in complaints year-over-year of any product or service—a 109 percent jump. The CFPB believes the increase may be due, at least in part, to the result of a February 2016 update to its student loan intake form allowing the submission of complaints about Federal student loan servicing. During the same period, complaints about prepaid products, payday loans, and mortgages declined by 59 percent, 23 percent, and 5 percent respectively—continuing a trend also observed in the Bureau’s last complaint report.