A new investigation from ProPublica is drawing attention across the consumer finance ecosystem after finding that two of the nation’s three major credit bureaus, TransUnion and Experian, are resolving far fewer consumer complaints in customers’ favor since the federal government began scaling back enforcement activity at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The report suggests that the drop in consumer relief coincides with policy changes and staffing cuts at the agency that historically acted as a watchdog over the credit reporting industry.
According to ProPublica’s analysis of CFPB complaint data, the share of consumer complaints that resulted in relief from some credit bureaus has fallen sharply.
Key findings highlighted in the report include:
- Experian: Consumer relief rates reportedly fell from nearly 20% in 2024 to less than 1% in 2025.
- TransUnion: Relief rates began declining in mid-2025 and by October were roughly half of previous levels.
- Equifax: Relief rates remained relatively steady after entering into a CFPB consent order shortly before the administration change.
“Relief” in CFPB complaint data can include either financial compensation or non-monetary actions such as correcting information on a credit report.
The changes cited in the investigation follow a major shift in the CFPB’s operations.
According to the report:
- The agency halted or slowed many investigations and enforcement actions.
- Staff reductions and policy changes have limited oversight of financial companies.
- Several pending enforcement actions involving credit reporting companies were paused or dropped.
Consumer advocates quoted in the report argue that regulatory pressure historically pushed credit bureaus to respond more aggressively to disputes filed through the CFPB complaint system.
“The thing that is making them do any kind of effort is a lawsuit or a regulator,” said Chi Chi Wu of the National Consumer Law Center in comments cited by ProPublica.
Credit bureaus told ProPublica that the decline in relief rates may reflect changes in how complaints are submitted and evaluated, particularly those filed by credit repair companies.
Experian stated that some credit repair firms “mislead consumers into believing they can remove accurate information,” adding that the company investigates all legitimate disputes.
TransUnion said it recently updated its complaint handling process and now redirects some third-party submissions into separate internal review channels.
The report also notes that more than 2.7 million credit reporting complaints submitted to the CFPB since early 2025 have closed without consumer relief, underscoring the scale of disputes currently flowing through the system.
