Objective Business problem Approach Key findings Recommendations
Summary
This dataset serves as a valuable resource for identifying trends, assessing company practices, and informing policy decisions. As of February 22, 2025, the database contains a total of 7,867,198 complaints. The dataset is 1,36 GB in size and available for download in CSV format. The dataset spans from December 1, 2011, to the present, with regular updates to include new complaints.
About the data
Complaints that the CFPB sends to companies for response are published in the Consumer Complaint Database after the company responds, confirming a commercial relationship with the consumer, or after 15 days, whichever comes first.
Complaint narratives
With their consent and after taking steps to remove sensitive information, we publish consumers’ complaint narratives in their own words. One consumer’s experience is not necessarily representative of all consumers’ experiences and narratives are not verified before publication.
Data Dictionnary
| Column Name | Type data | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Date received | INT | The date the CFPB received the complaint. For example, “05/25/2013.” |
| Product | INT | The type of product the consumer identified in the complaint. For example, “Checking or savings account” or “Student loan.” |
| Sub-product | DATE | The type of sub-product the consumer identified in the complaint. For example, “Checking account” or “Private student loan.” |
| Issue | DECIMAL | The issue the consumer identified in the complaint. For example, “Managing an account” or “Struggling to repay your loan.” |
| Sub-issue | DECIMAL | The sub-issue the consumer identified in the complaint. For example, “Deposits and withdrawals” or “Problem lowering your monthly payments.” |
| Consumer complaint narrative | DECIMAL | Consumer complaint narrative is the consumer-submitted description of “what happened” from the complaint. Consumers must opt-in to share their narrative. We will not publish the narrative unless the consumer consents, and consumers can opt-out at any time. The CFPB takes reasonable steps to scrub personal information from each complaint that could be used to identify the consumer |
| Company public response | DECIMAL | TThe company’s optional, public-facing response to a consumer’s complaint. Companies can choose to select a response from a pre-set list of options that will be posted on the public database. For example, “Company believes complaint is the result of an isolated error.” |
| Company | DECIMAL | The complaint is about this company. For example, “ABC Bank.” |
| State | DECIMAL | The state of the mailing address provided by the consumer. |
| ZIP code | DECIMAL | The mailing ZIP code provided by the consumer. This field may: (i) include the first five digits of a ZIP code; (ii) include the first three digits of a ZIP code (if the consumer consented to publication of their complaint narrative); or (iii) be blank (if ZIP codes have been submitted with non-numeric values, if there are less than 20,000 people in a given ZIP code, or if the complaint has an address outside of the United States). |
| Tags | DECIMAL | Data that supports easier searching and sorting of complaints submitted by or on behalf of consumers. For example, complaints where the submitter reports the age of the consumer as 62 years or older are tagged “Older American.” Complaints submitted by or on behalf of a servicemember or the spouse or dependent of a servicemember are tagged “Servicemember.” Servicemember includes anyone who is active duty, National Guard, or Reservist, as well as anyone who previously served and is a veteran or retiree. |
| Consumer consent provided? | DECIMAL | Identifies whether the consumer opted in to publish their complaint narrative. We do not publish the narrative unless the consumer consents, and consumers can opt-out at any time |
| Submitted via | DECIMAL | How the complaint was submitted to the CFPB. For example, “Web” or “Phone.” |
| Date sent to company | DECIMAL | The date the CFPB sent the complaint to the company. |
| Company response to consumer | DECIMAL | This is how the company responded. For example, “Closed with explanation.” |
| Timely response? | DECIMAL | Whether the company gave a timely response. For example, “Yes” or “No.” |
| Consumer disputed? | DECIMAL | Whether the consumer disputed the company’s response. |
| Complaint ID | DECIMAL | The unique identification number for a complaint. |
Dataset Description:
The database encompasses a wide array of complaints related to various financial sectors, including debt collection, credit reporting, mortgages, credit cards, and more. Each week we send thousands of consumers’ complaints about financial products and services to companies for response. Those complaints are published here after the company responds, confirming a commercial relationship with the consumer, or after 15 days, whichever comes first. Complaint narratives are consumers’ descriptions of their experiences in their own words. By adding their voice, consumers help improve the financial marketplace. The database generally updates daily. Each complaint entry includes details such as the date received, product type, issue, company involved, consumer’s narrative (if consented for publication), company response, and the complaint’s current status. This dataset serves as a valuable resource for identifying trends, assessing company practices, and informing policy decisions. As of February 22, 2025, the database contains a total of 7,867,198 complaints. The dataset is 1,36 GB in size and available for download in CSV format. The dataset spans from December 1, 2011, to the present, with regular updates to include new complaints.