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Having a Problem with a Financial
Institution?
As a consumer, you have the right
to file a complaint against a financial institution
you believe has either treated you unfairly or has violated
a law or regulation. If your complaint involves a bank
headquartered in the Eleventh District, the Federal
Reserve Bank of Dallas can help you by investigating
your complaint or by directing you to the appropriate
regulatory agency.
Only your institution’s
regulator can investigate a consumer complaint. So before
sending your complaint, you must determine which federal
agency is your financial institution’s primary
regulator. Sending your complaint to an inappropriate
agency will delay the investigation.
State Member Banks
The Federal Reserve Bank System
is responsible for enforcing many of the federal laws
that protect consumers in their dealings with the state-chartered
banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas is the primary federal
regulator of state-chartered member
banks headquartered in the Eleventh District. The
Eleventh District consists of Texas, southern New Mexico
and northern Louisiana.
Several state-chartered member
banks operating in the Dallas District are headquartered
in other Federal Reserve districts. These banks include
Capital One, Comerica and Compass, among others. The
Reserve Bank from that district has responsibility for
investigating consumer complaints.
National Banks
The Office of the Comptroller
of the Currency (OCC) (www.occ.treas.gov)
has supervisory authority for national banks. National
Banks often use the term “National,” “National
Association” or “N.A.” in their names.
Some of the largest national banks include Bank of America,
Citibank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank One and Wells Fargo.
If your complaint is against a national bank, you will
need to contact the OCC directly.
Savings and Loan Associations
and Thrifts
The Office of Thrift Supervision
(OTS) (www.ots.treas.gov)
has supervisory authority for savings and loan associations
and thrifts. If your complaint is against a thrift,
including Washington Mutual—the largest thrift
in the United States—contact the OTS directly.
Nonmember State-Chartered Banks
The Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC) (www.fdic.gov)
has supervisory authority for state-chartered banks
that are not members of the Federal Reserve System.
Some of the largest state nonmember banks include American
Express Centurion Bank, Merrill Lynch Bank and Trust,
and Discover Bank. If your complaint is against a state
nonmember bank, contact the FDIC directly.
Federal Credit Unions
The National Credit Union
Administration (NCUA) (www.ncua.gov)
has supervisory authority for federal credit unions.
If your complaint is against a credit union, contact
the NCUA directly.
Find Your
Institution’s Regulator
If you do not know who regulates
your institution, the Federal Financial Institutions
Examination Council (FFIEC) has a tool that can help.
- Go to the FFIEC's National
Information Center search page [off-site].
- Enter as much information as you know (institution
name, state where it is headquartered, type of institution).
Search tips
- Sometimes using a portion of the bank’s
name provides more assistance than entering the
entire name.
- Using “and” or “&”
in the bank’s name may provide different results.
- Using “First” or “1st”
may provide different results.
- Using “Bank” or “Bk”
may provide different results.
- Click Submit. The result page will contain a list
of all institutions with a similar name, in alphabetical
order by city.
- Click on the institution you are searching for to
find the regulatory agency to which you should submit
your complaint.
Contact the Primary Regulator
- If the bank is regulated by the Dallas Fed,
follow the instructions for submitting
a complaint.
- If the bank is regulated by another
Federal Reserve Bank, see Federal
Reserve Bank Contact Information.
- If the bank is regulated by an agency other
than the Federal Reserve, see Complaint
Contacts at Other Regulatory Agencies.
Banks Also Have State Regulators
You also may wish to contact the
state banking authority where your bank is headquartered
to file a complaint. State banks are chartered by the
state where they are headquartered.
The Federal Reserve shares its
regulatory responsibilities with the bank supervisory
authorities of the states. Given overlapping jurisdictions,
both the Federal Reserve and the various state supervisory
authorities carry out supervisory activities. State
banking authorities review concerns that are covered
by state law but that may not be covered by federal
law or regulation.
State Banking
Authorities in the Eleventh District
Agency |
Regulates |
Contact |
| Texas
Department of Banking |
Banks
chartered under the laws of the state of Texas |
2601
N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 300
Austin, TX 78705-4294
(877) 276-5554
Fax: (512) 475-1313
e-mail
| web
site |
| New Mexico
Regulation and Licensing Department |
Financial
institutions chartered under the laws of the
state of New Mexico |
Financial
Institutions Division
P.O. Box 25101
Santa Fe, NM 87504
(505) 476-4885
Fax: (505) 476-4670
web
site |
| State
of Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions |
Financial
institutions chartered under the laws of the
state of Louisiana |
Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions
P.O. Box 94095
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095
(225) 925-4660
Fax: (225) 925-4524
web
site
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Questions?
If you are not sure whether you
have a legitimate basis to complain, do not hesitate
to contact our Consumer
Affairs Division for information on how the federal
consumer laws and regulations may apply to your particular
situation. We welcome your questions and will be happy
to assist you in any way we can.
Next:
Submitting a Complaint to the Dallas Fed>
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