CBA Statement on CFPB Call for Publishing Unverified Complaint Narratives

July 16, 2014

Washington, D.C. (July 16, 2014) – Richard Hunt, President and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association, released the following statement in response to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s call to publish http://www.consumerfinance.gov/newsroom/cfpb-proposal-would-give-consumers-the-opportunity-to-publicly-voice-complaints-about-financial-companies/ unverified complaint narratives from unidentified consumers:

“Publishing narratives of every unverified complaint will give only the illusion of disclosure. Banks have an obligation to their customers to maintain the confidentiality of their information, making it virtually impossible for a bank to offer a complete response to these narratives. It is the role of the CFPB as the traffic cop to distinguish violations of law from unfounded complaints. Instead, they want to let others figure it out from one-sided and unverified narrative information. This action will ultimately add to consumer confusion, harm industry reputations, and undermine any hope the CFPB may have to be viewed as a fair and honest broker. For an agency which prides itself on being driven by ‘accurate’ data, this is very disappointing.”

About CBA
The Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) is the trade association for today's leaders in retail banking - banking services geared toward consumers and small businesses. The nation's largest financial institutions, as well as many regional banks, are CBA corporate members, collectively holding two-thirds of the industry's total assets. CBA’s mission is to preserve and promote the retail banking industry as it strives to fulfill the financial needs of the American consumer and small business.

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The Consumer Bankers Association is the recognized voice on retail banking issues in the nation’s capital. Founded in 1919, CBA provides leadership, education, research and federal representation on retail banking issues. For more information, please contact Tom Crosson, tcrosson@consumerbankers.com, (703) 869-1246 or visit www.consumerbankers.com.