Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

AGENCY:

Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau or CFPB) is requesting a new information collection titled, “Consumer Response Company Response Survey.”

DATES:

Written comments are encouraged and must be received on or before September 30, 2016 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by the title of the information collection, OMB Control Number (see below), and docket number (see above), by any of the following methods:

• Electronic: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Attention: PRA Office), 1700 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20552.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Attention: PRA Office), 1275 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20002.

Please note that comments submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. In general, all comments received will become public records, including any personal information provided. Sensitive personal information, such as account numbers or Social Security numbers, should not be included.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Documentation prepared in support of this information collection request is available at www.regulations.gov. Requests for additional information should be directed to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, (Attention: PRA Office), 1700 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20552, (202) 435-9575, or email: CFPB_PRA@cfpb.gov. Please do not submit comments to this mailbox.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title of Collection: Consumer Response Company Response Survey.

OMB Control Number: 3170-00NEW.

Type of Review: New collection.

Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 43,050.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,900.

Abstract: The purpose of this information collection is to incorporate a short survey into the complaint closing process. Consumers will have the option to provide feedback on the company's response to and handling of their complaint via all channels including online, phone, fax, and mail. The results of this feedback will be shared with the company that responded to the complaint to inform its complaint handling. The feedback will also be used to inform CFPB's work to supervise companies, enforce Federal consumer financial laws, write better rules and regulations and monitor the market for consumer financial products and services. Consistent with the Bureau's policy statement on Disclosure of Consumer Complaint Data, the Bureau will evaluate the data collected from consumer feedback before publication on the Consumer Complaint Database. The Bureau anticipates publication of consumer feedback to highlight positive company behavior, provide consumers with timely and understandable information about consumer financial products and services, and improve the functioning, transparency, and efficiency of markets for such products and services. Only those feedback narratives for which opt-in consumer consent is obtained, and to which robust personal information scrubbing standard and methodology is applied, will be eligible for publication.

This information collection reflects comments received in response to the Notice and Request for Information (RFI) the Bureau issued on March 24, 2015 (80 FR 15583), seeking input from the public on the potential collection and sharing of information about consumers' positive interactions with financial service providers including providing more information about a company's complaint handling such as highlighting the quality of responses to consumers by replacing the consumer “dispute” function with a two-part consumer feedback process. The consumer will have the ability to rate the company's response to and handling of his or her complaint on a one to five scale and provide a narrative description in support of the rating. Positive feedback about the company's handling of the consumer's complaint would be reflected by both high satisfaction scores and by the narrative in support of the score. Negative feedback about the company's handling of the consumer's complaint would be better supported and more useful to companies than the current “dispute” function. The Company Response Survey will replace the “dispute” option and allow consumers to offer both positive and negative feedback on their complaint experience.

Request For Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Bureau, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) The accuracy of the Bureau's estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methods and the assumptions used; (c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.