The CFPB received 4,354 unverified complaints about debt relief, debt settlement, credit repair and other debt or credit management services from October 2025 through September 2026, against 4,186 the year before. The most common issue was confusing or missing disclosures, 1,162 complaints, up from 743.
1,065 complaints said the company did not provide the services it promised, and 632 were about upfront or unexpected fees. Federal rules generally bar credit repair companies and telemarketed debt relief companies from charging before they deliver results. Complaints in this category can also name the credit bureaus or debt buyers, when a person files about a dispute or settlement involving them.
Florida had the most complaints, 618, followed by Texas (480) and California (475). Per resident, Florida was highest at 3 per 100,000 people.
What these numbers are
These are complaints, not findings. The CFPB does not verify every claim, one person can file more than one complaint, and the issue is the category the consumer picked. Complaint counts also move with awareness of the CFPB and with how companies route customers to it, so a change in the count is not by itself a change in how companies behave.
Complaints by issue
| Issue the consumer chose | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Confusing or missing disclosures | 1,162 | 26.7% |
| Didn't provide services promised | 1,065 | 24.5% |
| Charged upfront or unexpected fees | 632 | 14.5% |
| Problem with customer service | 582 | 13.4% |
| Unauthorized withdrawals or charges | 473 | 10.9% |
| Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing | 440 | 10.1% |
Companies named most often
| Company, as named in the database | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Experian Information Solutions Inc. | 355 |
| EQUIFAX, INC. | 259 |
| TRANSUNION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC. | 258 |
| Consumer Financial Services Solutions, Inc. | 200 |
| NATIONAL DEBT RELIEF LLC | 176 |
| ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC. | 145 |
| CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION | 95 |
| The J. G. Wentworth Company | 95 |
| FREEDOM FINANCIAL NETWORK | 94 |
| Resurgent Capital Services L.P. | 90 |
| Kikoff Inc. | 79 |
| Americor Funding, LLC | 54 |
| CL Holdings LLC | 49 |
| Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC | 46 |
| Self Financial Inc. | 44 |
A complaint names the company the consumer chose. A count is not a finding against the company and is not adjusted for its size.
Complaints by state
| State | Complaints | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 618 | 2.6 |
| Texas | 480 | 1.5 |
| California | 475 | 1.2 |
| Georgia | 243 | 2.2 |
| New York | 205 | 1.0 |
| Pennsylvania | 142 | 1.1 |
| North Carolina | 128 | 1.2 |
| Illinois | 116 | 0.9 |
| Wisconsin | 113 | 1.9 |
| Michigan | 112 | 1.1 |
| Virginia | 112 | 1.3 |
| New Jersey | 106 | 1.1 |
| Tennessee | 102 | 1.4 |
| Ohio | 101 | 0.8 |
| Massachusetts | 92 | 1.3 |
| Maryland | 85 | 1.4 |
| Arizona | 83 | 1.1 |
| Missouri | 77 | 1.2 |
| Louisiana | 76 | 1.7 |
| Colorado | 74 | 1.2 |
| South Carolina | 68 | 1.2 |
| Mississippi | 67 | 2.3 |
| Nevada | 56 | 1.7 |
| Oklahoma | 53 | 1.3 |
| Washington | 53 | 0.7 |
| Indiana | 52 | 0.8 |
| Connecticut | 48 | 1.3 |
| Alabama | 44 | 0.9 |
| Minnesota | 44 | 0.8 |
| Arkansas | 39 | 1.3 |
| Utah | 29 | 0.8 |
| Kentucky | 27 | 0.6 |
| Oregon | 25 | 0.6 |
| Kansas | 17 | 0.6 |
| Delaware | 15 | 1.4 |
| Idaho | 14 | 0.7 |
| Iowa | 14 | 0.4 |
| New Mexico | 14 | 0.7 |
| West Virginia | 13 | 0.7 |
| Montana | 12 | 1.1 |
| Hawaii | 11 | 0.8 |
| Nebraska | 11 | 0.5 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 0.7 |
| Maine | 9 | 0.6 |
| North Dakota | 9 | 1.1 |
| District of Columbia | 7 | 1.0 |
| Rhode Island | 6 | 0.5 |
| Alaska | 5 | 0.7 |
| South Dakota | 5 | 0.5 |
| Vermont | 4 | 0.6 |
| Wyoming | 4 | 0.7 |
50 states and D.C. 29 complaints had no state or a territory or military address, so the state rows add to less than the total. The rate per 100,000 residents is our calculation using Census 2024 ACS one-year population.
Source
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database, product "Debt or credit management", date received October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, queried through the public API on October 15, 2026. U.S. government data in the public domain. Population: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 one-year estimates (B01003). Our tables are available under CC BY 4.0. Credit "My Credit Guide (mycreditguide.org)".
Steven Reynolds, "Debt Relief and Credit Repair Complaints," My Credit Guide, October 15, 2026, https://mycreditguide.org/data/debt-relief-credit-repair-complaints/.