Who was complaining inDecember 2018?
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 18,544 complaints received in December 2018, down 3% on the month before (19,046) and down 3% on the same month a year earlier (19,023).
“Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports” was the largest category with 8,362 complaints (45.1%). Responses recorded for the month: 82.4% closed with an explanation, 12.3% closed with non-monetary relief, 4.9% closed with monetary relief.
By product
- Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports8,362 · 45.1%
- Debt collection3,255 · 17.6%
- Credit card or prepaid card1,818 · 9.8%
- Checking or savings account1,801 · 9.7%
- Mortgage1,617 · 8.7%
- All other categories1,691 · 9.1%
| Product (CFPB label) | Complaints | Share | Same month a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports | 8,362 | 45.1% | 7,694 |
| Debt collection | 3,255 | 17.6% | 3,880 |
| Credit card or prepaid card | 1,818 | 9.8% | 1,838 |
| Checking or savings account | 1,801 | 9.7% | 1,413 |
| Mortgage | 1,617 | 8.7% | 2,034 |
| Student loan | 631 | 3.4% | 651 |
| Vehicle loan or lease | 412 | 2.2% | 431 |
| Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service | 332 | 1.8% | 717 |
| Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan | 316 | 1.7% | 365 |
Companies with the most complaints in the month, with their size
| Company (as named by the CFPB) | Complaints, Dec 2018 | Share | Company size |
|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIFAX, INC. | 2,418 | 13% | no public measure |
| Experian Information Solutions Inc. | 2,238 | 12.1% | no public measure |
| TRANSUNION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC. | 2,126 | 11.5% | no public measure |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. | 666 | 3.6% | $4.09tn assets |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY | 618 | 3.3% | $1.92tn assets |
| CITIBANK, N.A. | 605 | 3.3% | $1.98tn assets |
| CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION | 561 | 3% | $662bn assets |
| BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | 419 | 2.3% | $2.65tn assets |
| Navient Solutions, LLC. | 412 | 2.2% | no public measure |
| SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL | 331 | 1.8% | $115bn assets |
| AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY | 232 | 1.3% | $214bn assets |
| U.S. BANCORP | 194 | 1% | $706bn assets |
| AES/PHEAA | 183 | 1% | no public measure |
| Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC | 176 | 0.9% | no public measure |
| Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. | 176 | 0.9% | $21bn assets |
| TD BANK US HOLDING COMPANY | 139 | 0.7% | $375bn assets |
| DISCOVER BANK | 138 | 0.7% | no public measure |
| Mr. Cooper Group Inc. | 117 | 0.6% | no public measure |
| ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC. | 108 | 0.6% | no public measure |
| Paypal Holdings, Inc | 108 | 0.6% | no public measure |
| All other companies, including those not listed by name | 6,579 | 35.5% | — |
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 explanation15,277 · 82.4%
- Closed with non-monetary relief2,273 · 12.3%
- Closed with monetary relief917 · 4.9%
- Untimely response77 · 0.4%
By state
| State | Complaints | Per 100,000 residents | Month report |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,406 | 6.10 | — |
| Florida | 2,083 | 8.90 | — |
| Texas | 1,629 | 5.10 | — |
| New York | 1,251 | 6.30 | — |
| Georgia | 1,118 | 9.90 | — |
| Illinois | 903 | 7.10 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 621 | 4.80 | — |
| North Carolina | 620 | 5.50 | — |
| New Jersey | 597 | 6.30 | — |
| Ohio | 591 | 5.00 | — |
| Virginia | 443 | 5.00 | — |
| Michigan | 374 | 3.70 | — |
| South Carolina | 364 | 6.50 | — |
| Maryland | 354 | 5.70 | — |
| Missouri | 329 | 5.20 | — |
| Tennessee | 316 | 4.30 | — |
| Arizona | 315 | 4.10 | — |
| Nevada | 280 | 8.50 | — |
| Washington | 280 | 3.50 | — |
| Massachusetts | 278 | 3.90 | — |
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 2018?
18,544. The same month a year earlier: 19,023.
Which product categories drew the most complaints?
“Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports” (8,362), “Debt collection” (3,255), “Credit card or prepaid card” (1,818), “Checking or savings account” (1,801).
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.