Credit glossary
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
The federal agency that writes and enforces many consumer finance rules, including credit reporting and debt collection rules, and takes complaints.
The CFPB issues the regulations behind several laws covered on this site, including Regulation F for debt collectors (12 CFR 1006), Regulation V under the FCRA (12 CFR 1022) and Regulation Z for credit cards (12 CFR 1026). Its rules shift with policy and court rulings. Its January 2025 rule removing medical bills from credit reports, for example, was vacated by a federal court in July 2025.
For consumers, the most practical tool is the complaint portal. After you've disputed directly with a bureau and the problem isn't fixed, a complaint sends your issue to the company, which generally responds within 15 days and sometimes takes up to 60. You then get 60 days to give feedback. Attach your dispute letters and proof, and name the specific error the company failed to fix.
Guides that go deeper
- Filing a CFPB complaint about your credit report: when and howA CFPB complaint gets a company to answer in writing, usually within 15 days. When it helps with credit report errors, what to include, what comes next.
- Medical debt on credit reports in 2026: what's actually in forceThe federal medical debt ban was struck down in 2025. What still protects you in 2026: bureau policies, newer scores and contested state laws.
Sources
- Learn how the complaint process works, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Submit a complaint, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- CFPB Finalizes Rule to Remove Medical Bills from Credit Reports (archived, with vacatur notice), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- 12 CFR 1006.34: Notice for validation of debts, eCFR
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.