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Consumer Complaints and Inquiries - Financial Regulation

The Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation (“Office”) investigates complaints from Maryland consumers about financial service providers that are licensed, registered, or chartered in Maryland or that are engaged in financial service activities regulated by the Office. Consumer complaints play a vital role in helping the Office enforce consumer protection laws and monitor trends in the financial services industry.

If you have a question or inquiry about a financial service provider or activity, but do not wish to submit a formal complaint, please contact our Office’s Consumer Services Unit by email at DLFRComplaints-LABOR@maryland.gov or by phone at 410-230-6077.

How to Submit a Complaint

If you have a complaint about a financial service provider, we suggest that you contact the provider first to try to resolve the issue. If that is unsuccessful or if the financial service provider is unresponsive, please follow the instructions below to submit a consumer complaint to our Office. If you are a small business with a complaint about a credit card merchant processing agreement, please see this page for assistance.

  1. Determine if the financial service provider or activity that is the subject of your complaint is regulated by our Office.
    • Review the Regulated Financial Services Industries and Activities to confirm that the subject of your complaint is under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation (“Office”).
    • You may also Search for a Regulated Financial Services Provider by business or individual name to verify that a provider is licensed, registered, or chartered in Maryland. Our Office may investigate allegations of a financial service provider operating in Maryland without the required license, registration, or charter.
    • If you are unsure as to whether the financial service provider or activity that is the subject of your complaint is regulated by our Office, please contact our Office’s Consumer Services Unit for assistance before submitting your complaint, by e-mail at DLFRComplaints-LABOR@maryland.gov or by phone at 410-230-6077.

    2. INFORMATION FOR BANK AND CREDIT UNION COMPLAINTS

    INFORMATION FOR FORECLOSURE-RELATED COMPLAINTS

  2. Complete the electronic complaint form, or alternatively you may write a letter or email that details your complaint.
    • Briefly describe your complaint by stating only the facts.
    • Include the name of the financial service provider that is the subject of your complaint, your account number, your own name and address, your daytime phone number, and your e-mail address (if applicable).
    • Include what you believe would be an acceptable resolution to the issue that is the subject of the complaint.
    • Include copies of all relevant supporting documents to assist in the investigation. Do not mail originals.
  3. If you choose not to use the electronic complaint form (or if you are using the formulario de queja), you must submit or deliver your complaint to our Office using email, mail, fax or in-person.
    • E-mail: DLFRComplaints-LABOR@maryland.gov
      Be sure to attach the complaint form and supporting documentation.
    • Mail: Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation
      ATTN: Consumer Services Unit
      1100 N. Eutaw Street, Suite 611
      Baltimore, MD 21201
    • Facsimile (fax): 410-333-3866
      Mark your fax to the attention of the Consumer Services Unit.
    • In-person: Appointments are available to hand-deliver documents or for virtual meetings with Financial Regulation staff through a video-conference kiosk at our offices. To schedule an appointment online, please visit the Office’s online scheduling system.

File a Complaint

Formulario de queja


Complaint Investigation Process

Our Office does not represent consumers in legal matters nor does it provide legal or financial advice. Please consult a Consumer Legal Assistance or Financial Counseling agency if you need these services.

Our Office’s complaint investigation process is as follows:

  1. Complaints are logged into our system upon receipt, and if the complaint is not subject to our Office’s jurisdiction, it will be forwarded to the financial service provider and the appropriate regulatory agency, and we will notify you of that referral. Otherwise, our Office will mail you an acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint and proceed to investigate the allegations.
  2. Complaints are assigned to a Financial Examiner in the Consumer Services Unit who sends a copy of the complaint to the provider for response.
  3. The Examiner reviews any response from the provider, and may request additional information from either the complainant or the service provider. The Examiner continues communicating with the parties until they have obtained sufficient information to properly assess and handle the complaint.
  4. Once our Office concludes work on the complaint (whether by resolution, referral or otherwise), we will mail or e-mail you (the complainant) a closing letter notifying you of the outcome of the investigation and that our Office is closing the file on the complaint. Typically, complaint investigations are completed within 60 days.

When determining an appropriate resolution to a complaint, the Examiner considers issues of harm or potential harm to the general public as well as specific to the individual complainant. If the investigation reveals that violations of law have occurred, further action may be taken by our Office. Such actions may include requiring the reimbursement of fees, interest or other consumer restitution, and/or imposing fines or other civil penalties on the financial service provider. The complaint may also be referred to our Office’s Enforcement Unit for further investigation.

INFORMATION FOR BANK AND CREDIT UNION COMPLAINTS:

Our Office is not the primary regulator for national banks, federal credit unions, or banks and credit unions chartered in other states, and has limited regulatory authority over such institutions depending on the nature of your complaint. Certain activity by non-Maryland chartered banks and credit unions may be subject to the Commissioner’s jurisdiction, such as activity in violation of the general consumer protections provided for in Maryland’s consumer lending and mortgage statutes. Additionally, certain banks and credit unions chartered in states other than Maryland may need to maintain a license to make installment loans, make or broker mortgage loans, or service mortgage loans.

See the Directory of Maryland-Chartered Financial Institutions. If your bank or credit union is not on this list, it is not Maryland-chartered. The NMLS Consumer Access search tool may have information on your bank’s or credit union’s primary regulatory agency. You can also use the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council search tool to identify the correct federal regulator for your bank, and visit the National Credit Union Administration Consumer Assistance Center to help you identify the correct regulator for your credit union.

INFORMATION FOR FORECLOSURE-RELATED COMPLAINTS:

Our Office cannot provide legal advice regarding a foreclosure matter. In Maryland, most foreclosure actions are filed in civil court, and after the filing is docketed the process is managed through the judicial system. See Consumer Support Services for organizations that provide referrals for legal assistance. Our Office does, however, maintain jurisdiction over certain financial services businesses that service mortgage loans, collect mortgage payments, or engage in loss mitigation and foreclosure activity on behalf of the secured party.

Return to “How to Submit a Complaint”

If you have questions about a financial service provider or the complaint resolution process, please contact our Office’s Consumer Services Unit for assistance, by e-mail at DLFRComplaints-LABOR@maryland.gov or by phone at (410) 230-6077.