« "Countrywide" Mortgage Delinquencies | Main | Disinfecting Consumer Arbitration »

OCC One-Stop Complaint Filing

posted by Bob Lawless

The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has launched a web site where consumers can file complaints against federally chartered U.S. banks. The web site--www.helpwithmybank.gov--will help consumers determine whether their bank is a federally chartered, national bank. The OCC's jurisdiction extends only to national banks, but the web site says the OCC will "direct consumers in the right direction" even if the complaint relates to a financial institution outside their jurisdiction. (Note to OCC: "Direct in the right direction?" Although that phrase surely warms the heart of a bureaucrat, can't we do better than that?)

The OCC's new web site also has a Q&A section to help consumers understand what practices banks can and cannot do. This information is written in plain and understandable English. What many consumers might learn is that most of things that banks do to them are perfectly legal. Q: How often can the bank change my interest rate? A: At its discretion. Q: On the telephone solicitation, the salesperson stated a lower rate, but whey I got the card, it was a higher rate. Can the bank do that? A: Yes. Q: The bank is charging a higher interest rate than my state allows. Can it do that? A: Generally, yes.

None of this is meant to criticize the OCC for this web site. It can only enforce the laws that are written. Also, the streamlined process for submitting complaints is a positive development. I hope the OCC tracks the number and nature of the complaint submitted through the web site and, more importantly, makes that information public.

Comments

The comments to this entry are closed.

Contributors

Current Guests

Follow Us On Twitter

Like Us on Facebook

  • Like Us on Facebook

    By "Liking" us on Facebook, you will receive excerpts of our posts in your Facebook news feed. (If you change your mind, you can undo it later.) Note that this is different than "Liking" our Facebook page, although a "Like" in either place will get you Credit Slips post on your Facebook news feed.

Categories

Bankr-L

  • As a public service, the University of Illinois College of Law operates Bankr-L, an e-mail list on which bankruptcy professionals can exchange information. Bankr-L is administered by one of the Credit Slips bloggers, Professor Robert M. Lawless of the University of Illinois. Although Bankr-L is a free service, membership is limited only to persons with a professional connection to the bankruptcy field (e.g., lawyer, accountant, academic, judge). To request a subscription on Bankr-L, click here to visit the page for the list and then click on the link for "Subscribe." After completing the information there, please also send an e-mail to Professor Lawless ([email protected]) with a short description of your professional connection to bankruptcy. A link to a URL with a professional bio or other identifying information would be great.

OTHER STUFF