The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is keeping its consumer complaints database public, in a surprising move that may assuage advocates’ concerns, Marketwatch.com reported. The agency said Wednesday that it will continue to publish consumer complaints publicly, but that it was also make significant changes to the database. The move comes after the agency put out a call for public input on its consumer inquiry and complaint database in 2018 while it was under the direction of Mick Mulvaney, who now serves as the acting White House chief of staff. The move was seen as a sign that the agency would make the database private, a change that would be welcomed by many in the financial-services industry. “After carefully examining and considering all stakeholder and public input, we are announcing the continued publication of complaints with enhanced data and context that will benefit consumers and users of the database while addressing many of the concerns raised,” CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger said in a statement Wednesday. “The continued publication of the database, along with the enhancements, empowers consumers and informs the public.” The CFPB launched the public-facing version of the complaints database in 2015 to give people an avenue to voice their concerns with banks, mortgage servicers and debt collectors, among other financial institutions.
