Group Letter To CFPB Director on Complaint Narratives

Letter -- including attachment with screen shots -- from groups urging CFPB Director to reinstate consumer complaint database views that make it easy to find consumer story narratives. 

Excerpt from consumer and civil rights groups’ letter to CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger requesting that she reinstate consumer complaint database views that make it easy to find consumer story narratives. The letter and attachment including screenshots is downloadable as a “report” at top and bottom of this page:

“While the Bureau has generally improved the ease of use of the database and has added helpful features (e.g., Trends view), in an effort to appease business fears, several changes are very concerning. First, the home page no longer includes a “Browse public complaints about companies” direct link to the database (Attachment, Figure 2). No longer can a consumer find a link or the “Read consumer narratives” box that was previously available (Attachment, Figure 3) to access this important information. Instead these critical complaint details are hidden from view. They are no longer mentioned as a source of information in website copy. In the rare instance where complaint narratives are noted, they are raised without adequate explanation and only to devalue them. Further, some of us have found that Bureau staffers no longer explain the narrative field when the complaint database is discussed. Consumers new to this tool would never know they could access this crucial information.”

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