CFPB to stop publishing consumer complaint narratives

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced it will stop publishing consumer complaint narratives and related data visualizations in its public database. The agency stated that these narratives are unverified, represent only one side of disputes, and can provide a misleading view of a financial firm’s legal compliance.

While the CFPB will continue to collect, monitor, and respond to consumer complaints, the change specifically affects how this information is presented to the public. The agency noted that publishing individual narratives is a discretionary action not required by its statutory authorities. To prevent unnecessary reputational harm to businesses, the bureau is moving these records to its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reading Room, where they will remain available for public disclosure through official channels.

This shift in transparency moves the CFPB toward a model similar to the Federal Trade Commission’s handling of similar data. Although the searchable, user-friendly pipeline for new narratives is ending, the bureau will still evaluate company responses and share relevant data with other regulators.