Who was complaining inDecember 2016?
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.
The CFPB complaint database holds 15,325 complaints received in December 2016, up 1% on the month before (15,194) and up 19% on the same month a year earlier (12,877).
“Debt collection” was the largest category with 3,660 complaints (23.9%). Responses recorded for the month: 79.9% closed with an explanation, 10.6% closed with non-monetary relief, 6.9% closed with monetary relief.
By product
- Debt collection3,660 · 23.9%
- Credit reporting3,177 · 20.7%
- Mortgage3,053 · 19.9%
- Bank account or service1,872 · 12.2%
- Credit card1,823 · 11.9%
- All other categories1,740 · 11.4%
| Product (CFPB label) | Complaints | Share | Same month a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt collection | 3,660 | 23.9% | 2,857 |
| Credit reporting | 3,177 | 20.7% | 2,678 |
| Mortgage | 3,053 | 19.9% | 3,086 |
| Bank account or service | 1,872 | 12.2% | 1,499 |
| Credit card | 1,823 | 11.9% | 1,458 |
| Consumer Loan | 829 | 5.4% | 600 |
| Student loan | 546 | 3.6% | 294 |
| Prepaid card | 114 | 0.7% | 128 |
| Money transfers | 108 | 0.7% | 141 |
| Payday loan | 106 | 0.7% | 111 |
| Other financial service | 37 | 0.2% | 25 |
Companies with the most complaints in the month, with their size
| Company (as named by the CFPB) | Complaints, Dec 2016 | Share | Company size |
|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIFAX, INC. | 1,156 | 7.5% | no public measure |
| Experian Information Solutions Inc. | 1,028 | 6.7% | no public measure |
| TRANSUNION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC. | 935 | 6.1% | no public measure |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY | 913 | 6% | $1.92tn assets |
| BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | 752 | 4.9% | $2.65tn assets |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. | 715 | 4.7% | $4.09tn assets |
| CITIBANK, N.A. | 580 | 3.8% | $1.98tn assets |
| CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION | 403 | 2.6% | $662bn assets |
| SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL | 297 | 1.9% | $115bn assets |
| U.S. BANCORP | 226 | 1.5% | $706bn assets |
| Ocwen Financial Corporation | 221 | 1.4% | no public measure |
| NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC | 218 | 1.4% | 152,781 HMDA records |
| Navient Solutions, LLC. | 207 | 1.4% | no public measure |
| AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY | 205 | 1.3% | $214bn assets |
| Ditech Financial LLC | 156 | 1% | no public measure |
| DISCOVER BANK | 127 | 0.8% | no public measure |
| Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC | 126 | 0.8% | no public measure |
| PNC Bank N.A. | 126 | 0.8% | $610bn assets |
| ERC | 120 | 0.8% | no public measure |
| AES/PHEAA | 118 | 0.8% | no public measure |
| All other companies, including those not listed by name | 6,696 | 43.7% | — |
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. 10 of the 20 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
- Closed with explanation12,247 · 79.9%
- Closed with non-monetary relief1,627 · 10.6%
- Closed with monetary relief1,057 · 6.9%
- Closed332 · 2.2%
- All other categories62 · 0.4%
By state
| State | Complaints | Per 100,000 residents | Month report |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,129 | 5.40 | — |
| Florida | 1,514 | 6.50 | — |
| Texas | 1,224 | 3.90 | — |
| New York | 1,068 | 5.30 | — |
| Georgia | 881 | 7.80 | — |
| Illinois | 697 | 5.50 | — |
| New Jersey | 580 | 6.10 | — |
| North Carolina | 541 | 4.80 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 473 | 3.60 | — |
| Maryland | 467 | 7.50 | — |
| Virginia | 456 | 5.10 | — |
| Ohio | 435 | 3.70 | — |
| Arizona | 383 | 5.00 | — |
| Washington | 306 | 3.80 | — |
| Colorado | 305 | 5.10 | — |
| Michigan | 275 | 2.70 | — |
| Tennessee | 264 | 3.60 | — |
| Massachusetts | 239 | 3.30 | — |
| South Carolina | 229 | 4.10 | — |
| Louisiana | 202 | 4.40 | — |
The 20 states with the most complaints in the month. Counts follow population.
Questions and answers
How many complaints did the CFPB receive in December 2016?
15,325. The same month a year earlier: 12,877.
Which product categories drew the most complaints?
“Debt collection” (3,660), “Credit reporting” (3,177), “Mortgage” (3,053), “Bank account or service” (1,872).
Can the month still change?
Yes. A complaint appears in the public file once the company responds or after 15 days, and the CFPB updates the file daily, so counts for recent months rise for a few weeks and response categories move from “In progress” to a closing category.
Does the CFPB verify complaints?
The CFPB does not verify every allegation in a complaint before publishing it.
Provenance
Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database, bulk file downloaded 30 Sep 2026, complaints received through 30 Sep 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.