Reports

Medical collections on consumer credit reports have been an area of focus for CFPB research in recent years. In addition to studying trends in medical debt as a whole, CFPB reports have documented the burden of medical debt on older Americans, and the incidence of medical collections in rural counties in Appalachia and the Deep South region.

This is the 32nd edition of Supervisory Highlights. The findings in this report cover select examinations in connection with credit reporting and furnishing that were completed from April 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

The Bureau’s annual report to Congress summarizes the Bureau’s activities to administer the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) in 2022 as the primary federal regulator of the consumer debt collection industry. This report also includes activities conducted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2022 in relation to debt collection.

This report provides a broad look at consumer financial profiles in eight states in the southern region of the U.S., including credit scores, financial distress, medical collections, and other debt categories.

CFPB report highlighting consumer complaints received by the agency's Office of Servicemember Affairs. The report discusses issues related to digital payment apps also known as [person-to-person (P2P) payment platforms], and actions the agency has taken and the results it has achieved to protect the military community from financial harm.

We study removals of medical collections from credit reports that occurred between 2012-2020 and find associated increases in credit score and credit availability.

This report provides an overview of the trends in third-party debt collections tradelines on consumer credit reports from 2018 to 2022.

The CFPB encourages financial institutions to consider how they can strengthen their protections against identity theft and urges nationwide consumer reporting companies to act quickly and be responsive to concerns of servicemembers, veterans and military families.

This report summarizes information about certain consumer complaints transmitted by the CFPB to nationwide consumer reporting agencies (NCRAs)—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

This report focuses on the consumer finances of rural Appalachians, and is the first in a series of reports focusing on the finances of rural consumers.

Charity care is one of the main forms of assistance hospitals offer to low-income consumers to help cover the cost of medical treatment.

This is part of a series of reports of consumer credit trends produced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau using a longitudinal sample of approximately five million de-identified credit records from one of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies.

This consumer credit trends report explores credit card line decreases and changes in consumer credit characteristics.

The Office of Servicemember Affairs’ 2021 annual report on the top financial concerns facing servicemembers, veterans, and military families, based on the complaints they submitted to the CFPB.

This report highlights the CFPB’s research on rural consumers as well as contextual information from other agencies on the consumer finance challenges faced by rural communities.

This report summarizes key areas of concern in medical debt collections and reporting. The report begins with a section describing the medical debt landscape. It then discusses the negative consequences of medical debt for consumers. Next, it outlines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical debt. The report concludes with a brief discussion of federal and state regulatory developments.

This report outlines challenges faced by justice-involved people and their families in navigating their finances at each stage of the criminal justice system.

This report summarizes information about certain consumer complaints transmitted by the CFPB to the nationwide consumer reporting agencies (NCRAs)—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

This Consumer Credit Trends report describes patterns in dispute flags that appear on consumers’ credit reports.

A new analysis investigating the financial conditions of renters and homeowners before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report explores the trends of commercial credit reporting on consumer credit.

A new analysis examines the early impact of COVID-19 on consumers’ finances, finding that, in general, they were more able to stay on top of finances in June 2020 than June 2019.

This report explores the prevalence of actual payment information in consumer credit reporting.

Credit Builder Loans are designed for consumers looking to establish a credit score or improve an existing one, while at the same time giving them a chance to build their savings.

This report uses the Bureau’s Consumer Credit Panel to study the early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on credit applications overall, by credit score group, and across the states.