How to File a Complaint Against a Bank or Lender

Four calls to the same call center have produced four different answers, and the branch keeps saying the decision was made somewhere else. What the loop hides is that almost every bank and credit union sits under a named regulator that takes consumer complaints directly. Finding which one is the step most people skip.

Put the complaint to the company in writing first

Send the complaint to the institution in writing, ask for a written answer, and keep the reference number it assigns. Regulators route most complaints back to the institution anyway. The FDIC consumer complaint process page describes referring complaints to the bank with a response generally due back within 60 days, so an existing company file gives the regulator something to check against.

Look up which agency regulates the institution

The OCC runs a lookup at Who Regulates My Bank, which searches the FDIC BankFind database by name. That page states the OCC covers national banks, federal savings associations, and their operating subsidiaries, that the FDIC insures state chartered banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System, and that the Federal Reserve Board supervises state chartered banks that are members.

File with the banking regulator that supervises it

For national banks and federal savings associations, HelpWithMyBank.gov is the OCC customer assistance site, and its file a complaint page links an online form. State member banks go to Federal Reserve Consumer Help and its complaint form. State non member banks go through the FDIC Information and Support Center. Federal credit unions go to the NCUA Consumer Assistance Center and its complaint portal. For a state chartered institution, the state banking department or the office in the USA.gov attorney general directory handles state level complaints.

Send the same complaint to the CFPB

The CFPB complaint form was loading and accepting submissions as of September 2026. The CFPB process page says the complaint is routed to the company, that companies generally respond in 15 days with a final response in 60 days in some cases, and that there are 60 days afterward to give feedback on that response. It also notes a second complaint about the same problem generally cannot be submitted.

Include the details that make it actionable

The FDIC page asks for name, email, mailing address, the full name and address of the institution, and a detailed written description of the issues in the order they happened, including names, phone numbers, and the dates and amounts of any transactions. The OCC complaint page asks for the account type and an explanation of 4,000 characters or fewer, with up to six attachments.

If the agency says it cannot help. The OCC page lists what it will not do: give legal advice, act as a court or as an attorney, get involved in a matter being litigated, advocate for either party, or seek compensation. The FDIC page carries similar limits. Federal Reserve Consumer Help states that filing directly with the bank's own regulator is the most efficient route.

Sources. Who Regulates My Bank, OCC file a complaint, Federal Reserve Consumer Help, FDIC complaint process, NCUA Consumer Assistance Center, FDIC BankFind, CFPB complaint process, USA.gov attorney general directory.