How to Submit a Complaint Against Payday Lender

Submit a Complaint

1. File a complaint to CFPB

It is legal and fastest option. Lenders are obliged to submit responses in every complaint received via CFPB portal.

2. File a complaint to your local Regulator

Another popular option is to submit your complaint directly to you local regulator. Below you can find list of states and regulators as well as their phone numbers and link to their websites. Following the corresponding link you can find complaint form and guides from regulator how to full-fill and submit it. Before you go you can review your state’s payday loan law.

State LawRegulatorPhone
AlabamaAlabama State Banking Department334-242-3452
AlaskaAlaska Division of Banking and Securities907-269-8140
ArizonaArizona Department of Financial Institutions602-771-2800
ArkansasArkansas Attorney General501-682-2007
CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Business Oversight916-327-7585
ColoradoColorado Office of the Attorney General720-508-6000
ConnecticutConnecticut Department of Banking860-240-8299
DelawareDelaware Office of the State Bank Commissioner302-739-4235
D.C.D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking202-727-8000
FloridaFlorida Office of Financial Regulation850-487-9687
GeorgiaGeorgia Industrial Loan Division404-656-2078
HawaiiHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs808-587-3222
IdahoIdaho Department of Finance208-332-8000
IllinoisIllinois Division of Financial Institutions888-473-4858
IndianaIndiana Department of Financial Institutions800-382-4880
IowaIowa Division of Banking515-281-4014
KansasKansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner785-296-2266
KentuckyKentucky Office of Financial Institutions502-573-3390
LouisianaLouisiana Office of Financial Institutions225-925-4660
MaineMaine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection800-332-8529
MarylandMaryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation410-230-6100
MassachusettsMassachusetts Division of Banks617-956-1500
MichiganDepartment of Insurance and Financial Services517-284-8800
MinnesotaMinnesota Department of Commerce651-539-1600
MississippiMississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance601-321-6901
MissouriMissouri Division of Finance573-751-3242
MontanaDivision of Banking and Financial Institutions406-841-2920
NebraskaNebraska Department of Banking & Finance402-471-2171
NevadaNevada Financial Institutions Division702-486-4120
New HampshireNew Hampshire State Banking Department603-271-3561
New JerseyNew Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance609-292-7272
New MexicoNew Mexico Financial Institutions Division505-476-4885
New YorkNew York State Department of Financial Services800-342-3736
North CarolinaNorth Carolina Attorney General919-716-6400
North DakotaNorth Dakota Department of Financial Institutions701-328-9933
OhioOhio Division of Financial Institutions614-728-8400
OklahomaOklahoma Department of Consumer Credit405-521-3653
OregonOregon Department of Consumer & Business Services503-378-4100
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Department of Banking717-787-1854
Rhode IslandRhode Island Department of Business Regulation401-462-9500
South CarolinaSouth Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions803-734-2020
South DakotaSouth Dakota Division of Banking605-773-3421
TennesseeTennessee Department of Financial Institutions615-741-2236
TexasTexas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner512-936-7600
UtahUtah Department of Financial Institutions801-538-8830
VermontVermont Banking Division802-828-3301
VirginiaVirginia Bureau of Financial Institutions804-371-9967
WashingtonWashington Department of Financial Institutions360-902-8700
West VirginiaOffice of West Virginia Attorney General (see also Consumer Protection Division)304-558-8986
WisconsinWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions608-264-7969
WyomingWyoming Division of Banking608-264-7969
Updated: May 2020

Consumer Complaint Database

We analyzed Consumer Complaint Database provided by ConsumerFinance.gov but only those part which is directly connects to payday loans. Totally we analyzed about 22,000 complaints since 2013.

Companies with most complaints

Simple list of companies (ordered by complaints count) with numbers of complaints (in brackets) consumers submitted.

  • Speedy Cash ( 1459 )
  • Ace Cash Express ( 1317 )
  • Check 'n Go ( 1072 )
  • Community Choice Financial ( 745 )
  • Advance America ( 543 )
  • Check into Cash ( 340 )
  • LendNation ( 85 )
  • Money Mart ( 77 )
  • AmeriCash Loans ( 73 )
  • Cash Express ( 54 )
  • TitleMax ( 53 )
  • CheckSmart ( 26 )
  • Check City ( 23 )
  • Easy Money ( 22 )
  • Checkmate ( 19 )
  • Allied Cash Advance ( 11 )
  • 1 First Virginia ( 9 )

List of complaints issues / sub-issues

Here we got a list of issues (ordered by complaints count) with number of complaints (in brackets) consumers use when submit their complaints.

  • Communication tactics ( 741 )
    • Frequent or repeated calls ( 330 )
    • Threatened to take legal action ( 176 )
    • Called after sent written cease of comm ( 85 )
  • Took or threatened to take negative or legal action ( 493 )
    • Threatened to arrest you or take you to jail if you do not pay ( 193 )
    • Threatened to sue you for very old debt ( 170 )
    • Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged ( 71 )
  • Charged fees or interest I didn't expect ( 469 )
  • Attempts to collect debt not owed ( 438 )
    • Debt is not yours ( 160 )
    • Debt was paid ( 128 )
    • Debt was result of identity theft ( 114 )
  • Taking/threatening an illegal action ( 390 )
    • Threatened arrest/jail if do not pay ( 263 )
    • Threatened to sue on too old debt ( 74 )
    • Sued w/o proper notification of suit ( 27 )
  • Struggling to pay your loan ( 351 )
  • Can't contact lender ( 326 )
  • False statements or representation ( 313 )
    • Attempted to collect wrong amount ( 106 )
    • Impersonated attorney, law enforcement, or government official ( 71 )
    • Impersonated an attorney or official ( 45 )
  • Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed ( 263 )
    • Debt is not mine ( 106 )
    • Debt was paid ( 100 )
    • Debt resulted from identity theft ( 37 )
  • Improper contact or sharing of info ( 222 )
    • Contacted employer after asked not to ( 87 )
    • Talked to a third party about my debt ( 85 )
    • Contacted me after I asked not to ( 47 )
  • Charged fees or interest you didn't expect ( 220 )
  • Received a loan I didn't apply for ( 191 )
  • Can't stop charges to bank account ( 184 )
  • Written notification about debt ( 161 )
    • Didn't receive enough information to verify debt ( 93 )
    • Didn't receive notice of right to dispute ( 62 )
    • Notification didn't disclose it was an attempt to collect a debt ( 6 )
  • Payment to acct not credited ( 150 )
  • Received a loan you didn't apply for ( 122 )
  • Charged bank acct wrong day or amt ( 121 )
  • Disclosure verification of debt ( 89 )
    • Not given enough info to verify debt ( 54 )
    • Right to dispute notice not received ( 25 )
    • Not disclosed as an attempt to collect ( 10 )
  • Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan ( 89 )
  • Money was taken from your bank account on the wrong day or for the wrong amount ( 86 )

Complaints over Years Chart

The chart below shows how complaints are distributed over years. You can notice there was a downtrend from 2014 to 2018 but the last four years’ count of complaints keeps on almost the same level.

Was this information helpful?