More consumers than ever are frustrated with their banks.
As a new report from ConsumerProtect.com reveals, complaints filed against the six most popular banking services — bank accounts, consumer loans, credit cards, credit reporting, mortgages and student loans — have been steadily climbing over the past five years.
Last year was particularly tough for the bank-client relationship: Nearly all six services saw more complaints in 2016 than in any other year since 2012.
Most consumers are griping about mortgages. Of the 722,684 complaints made to financial institutions in 2016, more than 30 percent of them were regarding those particular loans.
"It could be that some banks have recognized this kind of loan may not be good for business," ConsumerProtect.com explains. "In a memo to shareholders, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon outlined that mortgages are offered as a benefit to customers, not because it's a sound investment for the bank." And since mortgage lending is not necessarily "good for business," banks may be less motivated to accommodate consumers, which could explain the high number of complaints.
After mortgages, debt collection accounted for 18.7 percent of complaints filed and credit reporting accounted for 17.9 percent.
Here's the full breakdown.
The average number of banking complaints also varies significantly by state.
As for the recent rise of complaints overall, ConsumerProtect.com offers one possible explanation: "In a quest for higher profits, many [banks] have looked to acquire other banks and reduce or limit services to meet their investors' needs."
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