On December 2, 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Ombudsman’s Office released its annual report, which provides a summary of the Ombudsman’s activities during fiscal year 2015. The Ombudsman’s report describes the functions of the office as well as reviews of the inquiries received in fiscal year 2015 and the first Ombudsman Forum, which took place on September 9, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The report also provides a focused discussion on the following three topics: (1) CFPB field hearings; (2) language used in CFPB consent orders and press releases; and (3) company response options in conjunction with the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database. This third topic may be of particular interest to regulated institutions that may have complaints listed in the database, especially given the Ombudsman’s recommended clarifications with respect to company responses to complaints in the database.

A copy of the CFPB Ombudsman’s Annual Report can be found at: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201512_cfpb_report_ombudsman-office.pdf.