CFPB Ombudsman’s Office 2017 annual report
Our Ombudsman’s Office annual report is available today on our webpage. If you are not as familiar with our role, we are an independent, impartial, and confidential resource and our mission is to advocate for fair process in consumer financial protection. We assist consumers, financial entities, consumer groups, trade groups, and others in informally resolving process issues with the CFPB.
In this report, we highlight our office’s selection as one of four case studies in the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) report of its study on the use of ombudsmen in federal agencies. We were pleased to learn that our office’s practices served as a model for several of the recommendations adopted by ACUS for government-wide applicability.
Our annual report also describes how we can assist, our internal and external engagement, and the intersection of that internal and external engagement, which informs our work as we advocate for a fair process. In addition, we provide examples of how we work in practice using our toolbox of resources to assist in resolving process issues. We also share about our two Ombudsman Forum events, describe our pilot Interactives program, and include a discussion of individual inquiries we received, which expands upon the analyses of our inquiry data over time.
Additionally, we include discussions and our accompanying feedback or recommendations on two topics:
- Accessibility of print materials
- Telephone entry points for non-consumers
Our report also has updated information on two topics we studied last year, the memorializing of ex parte communications and consumers’ options to identify issues with companies when submitting consumer complaints, as published in the CFPB’s public Consumer Complaint Database.
Last, we share our strategic goals for the next two years and, in working to achieve those goals, we look forward to continuing to explore new initiatives to assist both the people who reach us and the CFPB. We welcome you to connect with us on topics that we have shared in our report, ask questions about our role, or discuss CFPB process matters at CFPBOmbudsman@cfpb.gov or (855) 830-7880.
Wendy Kamenshine is the Ombudsman for the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.