---
kind: "section"
citation: "12 U.S.C. § 5534"
title: "12"
title_heading: "Banks and Banking"
number: "5534"
heading: "Response to consumer complaints and inquiries"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/12/5534"
units:
  - "Chapter 53 — Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection"
  - "Subchapter V — Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection"
  - "Part C — Specific Bureau Authorities"
---

# §5534. Response to consumer complaints and inquiries

- (a) **Timely regulator response to consumers—** The [Bureau](/usc/12/5301.md?p=4) shall establish, in consultation with the appropriate Federal regulatory agencies, reasonable procedures to provide a timely response to [consumers](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4), in writing where appropriate, to complaints against, or inquiries concerning, a [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6), [including](/usc/12/5301.md?p=18-A)—
  - (1) steps that have been taken by the regulator in response to the complaint or inquiry of the [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4);
  - (2) any responses received by the regulator from the [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6); and
  - (3) any follow-up actions or planned follow-up actions by the regulator in response to the complaint or inquiry of the [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4).
- (b) **Timely response to regulator by covered person—** A [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) subject to supervision and primary enforcement by the [Bureau](/usc/12/5301.md?p=4) pursuant to [section 5515 of this title](/usc/12/5515.md) shall provide a timely response, in writing where appropriate, to the [Bureau](/usc/12/5301.md?p=4), the [prudential regulators](/usc/12/5481.md?p=24), and any other agency having jurisdiction over such [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) concerning a [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4) complaint or inquiry, [including](/usc/12/5301.md?p=18-A)—
  - (1) steps that have been taken by the [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) to respond to the complaint or inquiry of the [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4);
  - (2) responses received by the [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) from the [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4); and
  - (3) follow-up actions or planned follow-up actions by the [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) to respond to the complaint or inquiry of the [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4).
- (c) **Provision of information to consumers—**
  - (1) **In general—** A [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) subject to supervision and primary enforcement by the [Bureau](/usc/12/5301.md?p=4) pursuant to [section 5515 of this title](/usc/12/5515.md) shall, in a timely manner, comply with a [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4) request for information in the [control](/usc/12/5301.md?p=18-A) or possession of such [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) concerning the [consumer financial product or service](/usc/12/5481.md?p=5) that the [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4) obtained from such [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6), [including](/usc/12/5301.md?p=18-A) supporting written documentation, concerning the account of the [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4).
  - (2) **Exceptions—** A [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) subject to supervision and primary enforcement by the [Bureau](/usc/12/5301.md?p=4) pursuant to [section 5515 of this title](/usc/12/5515.md), a [prudential regulator](/usc/12/5481.md?p=24), and any other agency having jurisdiction over a [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) subject to supervision and primary enforcement by the [Bureau](/usc/12/5301.md?p=4) pursuant to [section 5515 of this title](/usc/12/5515.md) may not be required by this section to make available to the [consumer](/usc/12/5481.md?p=4)—
    - (A) any confidential commercial information, [including](/usc/12/5301.md?p=18-A) an algorithm used to derive [credit](/usc/12/5481.md?p=7) scores or other risk scores or predictors;
    - (B) any information collected by the [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6) for the purpose of preventing fraud or money laundering, or detecting or making any report regarding other unlawful or potentially unlawful conduct;
    - (C) any information required to be kept confidential by any other provision of law; or
    - (D) any nonpublic or confidential information, [including](/usc/12/5301.md?p=18-A) confidential supervisory information.
- (d) **Agreements with other agencies—** The [Bureau](/usc/12/5301.md?p=4) shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with any affected Federal regulatory agency regarding procedures by which any [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6), and the [prudential regulators](/usc/12/5481.md?p=24), and any other agency having jurisdiction over a [covered person](/usc/12/5481.md?p=6), [including](/usc/12/5301.md?p=18-A) the [Secretary](/usc/12/5301.md?p=14) of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the [Secretary](/usc/12/5301.md?p=14) of Education, shall comply with this section.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 111–203, title X, § 1034, July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 2008.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective on the designated transfer date, see section 1037 of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 5531 of this title.