On November 21, the CFPB released its annual report detailing its activities to administer the FDCPA, and summarizing trends in consumer complaints the Bureau received in 2024. The report also detailed actions by the FTC during the same period.

According to the report:

• The CFPB received approximately 207,800 debt collection complaints in 2024, making up 7 percent of all complaints that year. Of these, 77 percent were sent to companies for response and 18 percent referred to other agencies.
• Companies responded to 97 percent of complaints. Of those, 67 percent were closed with an explanation, 27 percent with non-monetary relief, and 0.2 percent with monetary relief.
• Consumer complaints identified “credit card” debt as the second most common type of debt described in complaints, after “I do not know.” The most frequent issue was attempts to collect debt not owed, a trend that has continued since 2013.
• Consumers often reported problems with companies’ communication tactics. Frequent or repeated calls accounted for 51 percent of such complaints.

The report also highlighted compliance concerns:

• Examiners found that some debt collectors failed to provide required validation notices within five days of initial contact, as required by Regulation F. This issue was also common among student loan debt collectors. Examiners further identified violations involving false or misleading representations, including using false business names and failing to provide key disclosures.
• The CFPB filed three amicus briefs in FDCPA cases in 2024, with one case decided during that year.
• The FTC was the only agency to announce any public enforcement actions for FDCPA violations in 2024.
• The Bureau’s “Ask CFPB” tool remained a popular resource, with debt collection among its most-viewed topics.