Who Is Complaining?

Issues › Debt collection

Who is complaining aboutImproper contact or sharing of info?

CFPB issue labelNo longer offered, last used 21 Apr 2017

When looking at complaint volume about a company or product, consider company size and/or market share. For example, companies with more customers may have more complaints than companies with fewer customers. The CFPB does not verify every allegation in a complaint before publishing it.Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database. A complaint is a consumer's account of a problem; it is not a finding against the company.

“Improper contact or sharing of info” is an issue label the CFPB no longer offers on its complaint form. 10,036 complaints carry it, received between 10 Jul 2013 and 21 Apr 2017.

Most were filed under the product “Debt collection” (100%).

0complaints, last 90 days— vs prior 90 days
0complaints, last 365 days— vs prior 365 days
10,036complaints, all yearssince 2013
16.4%closed with reliefall issues 31.5%

Which products

Product (CFPB label)ComplaintsShare
Debt collection10,036100%

Sub-issues

Sub-issue (CFPB label)ComplaintsShare
Talked to a third party about my debt5,03750.2%
Contacted me after I asked not to2,56725.6%
Contacted employer after asked not to2,19221.8%
Contacted me instead of my attorney2402.4%

Which companies, with their size

Ordered by the number of complaints carrying this issue since 2011.

Company (as named by the CFPB)Complaints, all yearsShareCompany size
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.3963.9%no public measure
Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC3363.3%no public measure
Navient Solutions, LLC.2582.6%no public measure
CITIBANK, N.A.2062.1%$1.98tn assets
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL1511.5%$115bn assets
CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION1481.5%$662bn assets
ERC1081.1%no public measure
BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION1031%$2.65tn assets
TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS INC961%no public measure
Platinum Holdings Group, LLC910.9%no public measure
Diversified Consultants, Inc.910.9%no public measure
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY910.9%$1.92tn assets
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.890.9%$4.09tn assets
URS Holding, LLC870.9%no public measure
National Credit Adjusters, LLC870.9%no public measure
CNG FINANCIAL CORPORATION840.8%no public measure
EXPERT GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, INC.840.8%no public measure
IQOR US INC730.7%no public measure
ORG GC GP BUYER, LLC690.7%no public measure
Ditech Financial LLC640.6%no public measure
Convergent Resources, Inc.610.6%no public measure
Performant Financial Corporation590.6%no public measure
AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY590.6%$214bn assets
DISCOVER BANK590.6%no public measure
I.C. System, Inc.560.6%no public measure
All other companies, including those not listed by name7,03070%—

CFPB: “When looking at complaint volume about a company or product, consider company size and/or market share. For example, companies with more customers may have more complaints than companies with fewer customers.” The CFPB does not verify every allegation in a complaint before publishing it. 7 of the 25 companies in this table have a public size measure. “No public measure” means the company could not be matched by name to a single institution in the FDIC, NCUA or HMDA files, not that it is small.

How companies responded

MeasureThis issueAll issues
Closed with monetary or non-monetary relief16.4%31.5%
Closed with monetary relief1%0.5%
Responses marked timely92.2%99.6%

Trend

Complaints with the issue “Improper contact or sharing of info” in each of the last 24 months. Peak month in view: 1.
Complaints per calendar year. The CFPB revised its issue list in 2017 and again later, so many labels start or stop part-way through the record.

Questions and answers

What does the CFPB issue “Improper contact or sharing of info” mean?

It is one of the options a consumer selects on the CFPB complaint form to describe the problem. The label is the consumer's choice and is not checked by the Bureau. Sub-issues recorded under it include “Talked to a third party about my debt”, “Contacted me after I asked not to”, “Contacted employer after asked not to”.

How many complaints carry this issue?

10,036, all received before 21 Apr 2017; the label is no longer offered.

Which products does it apply to?

“Debt collection” (100%).

Does the CFPB verify complaints?

The CFPB does not verify every allegation in a complaint before publishing it. Counts on this page show what consumers reported, not what was found.

Provenance

Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database, bulk file downloaded 1 Oct 2026, complaints received through 1 Oct 2026. Only coded fields are used (company, product, sub-product, issue, state, dates, company response, timeliness); complaint narratives are never read, stored or shown. Complaints are published once the company responds or after 15 days, so the most recent two to three weeks are incomplete. Size measures: FDIC BankFind (report date 30 Jun 2026), NCUA call reports (30 Jun 2026), HMDA transmittal sheet (2025), Census Bureau population estimates (2025). All are US government works. Search the CFPB database · Methodology · Report an error.