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CFPB Ombudsman’s Office 2018 Annual Report

Today my office’s seventh annual report is available on our webpage. At the Ombudsman’s Office, we are an independent, impartial, and confidential resource that assists consumers, financial entities, consumer or trade groups, and others in informally resolving process issues with the Bureau. In short, we advocate for fair process in consumer financial protection.

As in previous years, our annual report outlines our work process and summarizes our activities from fiscal year 2018. This year, the report introduces a new office brochure and appendix of charts and figures for ease of reference. We provide examples of our work throughout the report and highlight the various ways we assist in our Demonstrating the Ombudsman in Practice section, such as: assisting stakeholders in engaging with the Bureau’s Request for Information process, sharing resources to assist consumers in recognizing financial frauds and scams, and facilitating technical assistance to companies responding to consumer complaints.

This report shares our new internal and external engagement for this year as well as updates to our ombudsman terminology project and Ombudsman Interactives pilot. This year we also hosted two Ombudsman Forums and include summaries of these events, with new criteria to determine future Forums. In addition, we share the data and analysis surrounding the individual inquiries received by our office over time.

Additionally, you’ll find discussion and our accompanying feedback and recommendations on three topics as well as an update on an issue we studied last year:

  • Entities mentioned for a positive purpose in Bureau materials
  • Submission of information for consumer complaints
  • Legal disclaimers introducing Bureau webinars
  • How non-consumers contact the Bureau by phone

We are a consistent resource and at the same time are always considering new, creative ways to advocate for fair process. We welcome you to connect with us on topics that we have shared in our report, ask questions about our role, or discuss process matters at CFPBOmbudsman@cfpb.gov or (855) 830-7880. Visit our webpage for more information about the Ombudsman’s Office, including our prior annual reports.

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