CFPB Releases Initial Report on Credit Card Complaints

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Seeks Public Comment on Complaint Disclosure Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a report on its first three months of collecting credit card complaint data while also asking the public for feedback on a proposed policy for releasing consumer complaint data in the future.

“When consumers contact us, we get a snapshot of how the consumer finance markets are working,” said Raj Date, Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the CFPB. “And we are learning that there is a lot of consumer confusion about credit card terms. We will continue to work with consumers, credit card companies, government agencies, and others to improve consumer education and ensure CFPB’s regulation, supervision, and enforcement efforts are effective.”

The Consumer Response Credit Card Interim Report is available here.

The CFPB’s Consumer Response office began with an exclusive focus on credit card inquiries and complaints when it launched on July 21, 2011. Inquiries and complaints come into the Bureau in a variety of ways including by mail, fax, telephone, the Bureau website, the online chat function on the website, and referral from other agencies. The CFPB’s U.S.-based call centers handle calls with little or no wait times, provide services for the hearing- and speech-impaired, and have the ability to assist the public in 191 languages.

Though the Consumer Response inquiry and complaint system is still in its early stages, it has received more than 5,000 credit card complaints. Of these complaints, companies reported resolving more than 3,100, with consumers disputing the adequacy of the responses in only 400 cases, or less than 13 percent of the time. The report provides a complete breakdown of complaints by type, as well as by their progress through the complaint handling system. Credit card consumers also contacted the CFPB for reasons other than to submit complaints – more than half of the calls received were general inquires or feedback on credit card issues.

The report makes three observations about the first three months of credit card complaints:

  • Consumer Confusion: Many complaints show consumers struggling to understand the terms of credit cards and associated products like debt protection services. These complaints show a mismatch between consumer expectations and the way the product functions.
  • Third-Party Fraud: The complaints show some alleged fraudulent credit card charges made by third parties. The CFPB has helped to obtain redress for defrauded consumers in these instances. In some cases, the Bureau has consulted with the appropriate criminal authorities.
  • Factual Disputes: There are a large volume of complaints presenting factual disputes between consumer and issuer. The Bureau has generally found that issuers have been willing to resolve these complaints.

The CFPB is using the information learned in the first few months of credit card complaints to help identify problems in the market. After careful analysis, the Bureau will determine how best to address these issues through a variety of means ranging from consumer education and engagement to new regulatory policies.

The insight gained from the CFPB’s Consumer Response complaint process will also help improve the system as the Bureau expands to new categories of financial products. The Bureau expects to be ready to handle complaints for all financial products and services by the end of 2012. On or about Dec. 1, the Bureau will begin taking complaints and inquiries related to home mortgages.

In conjunction with the report, the CFPB is asking the public to comment on its proposed policy for disclosing certain credit card complaint data. The CFPB is required by statute to provide Congress with semi-annual reports about the complaints that it has handled. The proposed policy would make available to the public a searchable database containing various data fields for each complaint. Individuals and organizations, such as regulated entities and consumer advocacy groups, would be able to analyze this data for patterns and trends.

The CFPB is studying the extent to which it can efficiently and effectively filter confidential personal information from the complaint data. As stated in the proposed policy, the CFPB will exclude from the database any data fields that may contain confidential personal information. The CFPB is inviting comment on the proposed policy through January 30, 2012.

The CFPB’s Proposed Policy Statement on the Disclosure of Certain Credit Card Complaint Data is available here: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Data_Disclosure_1130.pdf

Official news published at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-releases-initial-report-on-credit-card-complaints/

Images courtesy of PixaBay

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Aerial Vantage to Participate in Newchip’s Online Demo Week

The aerial imagery analytics company will present to potential investors as one of the top applicants accepted into the Newchip Accelerator program.

Aerial Vantage (aerialvantage.us) is pleased to announce participation in Newchip's Online Demo Week, March 27-31. The aerial imagery, software, and analytics company will be among over 100 startups presenting to potential investors through the Newchip Accelerator program. Aerial Vantage is raising a Seed Round of funding to support expansion of its operations to Michigan this year.

Newchip's renowned global accelerator program is designed to provide all the skills and tools seed-stage founders need to rapidly fund, build and scale their companies. Aerial Vantage was recently accepted into this highly competitive program and will successfully graduate next month.

Aerial Vantage will present on March 30 as part of the Data, Analytics, and Cybersecurity segment. Newchip's Online Demo Week is a free, online, event that will be live-streamed to investors, entrepreneurs, industry thought leaders, students, academics, and community leaders worldwide.

"We are very excited to participate in the Newchip Online Demo Week," said Chris Brinton, Chair of the Board. "The Aerial Vantage team looks forward to sharing our vision of creating a more sustainable, efficient future for industries powered by cutting-edge AI technology and enabling customers to better utilize aerial data to meet their goals with thousands of investors worldwide. See you there!"

###

About Aerial Vantage

Aerial Vantage, an aerial imagery, software, and analytics company headquartered in Washington, D.C., has a multi-faceted vision to lead the industry toward safe, efficient, and economically viable VLOS and BVLOS operations. Business capabilities include Accelerate, a UAS operations, and data management SaaS platform, advanced data analytics, and drone operations as a service.

About Newchip

Newchip is an online, global startup accelerator led by a world-class team of entrepreneurs and investors. It was designed to provide founders with the tools needed to rapidly fund, build, and scale. Since its inception in 2019, the equity-free, remote accelerator has enabled over 2,500 startups from 50+ countries to raise over $2.2 billion in funding with an estimated $9B portfolio. It has three distinct six-month accelerator programs based on company stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A. Its vast network of global investors, strategic partners, and mentors guide companies from team building and prototype development to securing high-profile VC investment, corporate partnerships, and everything in-between. To learn more, visit https://launch.newchip.com/.

Contact Information:
Chris Brinton
Chair of the Board
cbrinton@aerialvantage.us
(703) 980-3961

Tom Davis
Chief Operating Officer
tdavis@aerialvantage.us
650-248-1088


Original Source: Aerial Vantage to Participate in Newchip's Online Demo Week

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