Minnesota AG and CFPB Consumer Complaint Pack

MINNESOTA AG AND CFPB CONSUMER COMPLAINT PACK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Cover Sheet and Filing Roadmap
2. Part A — Minnesota Attorney General Consumer Assistance Request
3. Part B — CFPB Consumer Complaint
4. Part C — Optional: Department of Commerce Complaint (financial / insurance / collection)
5. Public-Benefit Framing (Ly v. Nystrom)
6. Document and Exhibit Checklist
7. Distribution Checklist
8. Minnesota Practice Notes
9. Sources and References

1. COVER SHEET AND FILING ROADMAP

Filing Roadmap:

☐ Part A — Mail / online to Minnesota AG

☐ Part B — Submit online to CFPB

☐ Part C — Submit to MN Dept. of Commerce (if regulated industry)

☐ Copies retained in personal files

☐ Calendar reminder set for 30 days to follow up

2. PART A — MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL CONSUMER ASSISTANCE REQUEST

TO: Office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

Consumer Protection Division

445 Minnesota Street, Suite 1400

St. Paul, MN 55101-2131

Phone: (651) 296-3353 / (800) 657-3787

Web: https://www.ag.state.mn.us/

Date: [__/__/____]

RE: Consumer Assistance Request — Complaint Against [COMPANY NAME]

Dear Attorney General Ellison:

I am a Minnesota resident and consumer requesting assistance under Minn. Stat. § 8.31 with respect to the conduct of [COMPANY NAME] described below. I believe the conduct violates one or more Minnesota consumer-protection laws, including without limitation:

☐ Minn. Stat. § 325F.69 (Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act)

☐ Minn. Stat. §§ 325D.43-.48 (Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act)

☐ Minn. Stat. § 325F.67 (False Statement in Advertisement)

☐ Minn. Stat. § 325E.61 (Notice of Data Breach)

☐ Minn. Stat. ch. 332 (Collection Agency Act)

☐ Other: [CITE]

A. Consumer Information

B. Respondent Information

C. Statement of Facts

3.1. On [__/__/____], I [entered into a transaction with / received a communication from / was solicited by] Respondent for [describe product / service / collection effort].

3.2. [Describe what happened — chronologically, with dates, dollar amounts, names, and locations. Be specific. Avoid characterization; state facts.]

3.3. [Describe the harm — money lost, time lost, credit damage, emotional distress, missed work, downstream consequences.]

3.4. [Describe Respondent's response, if any, to your prior complaints or attempts to resolve.]

D. Resolution Sought

I respectfully request that the Office:

☐ Contact Respondent on my behalf to seek voluntary resolution;

☐ Refer my complaint to the appropriate enforcement unit;

☐ Add my complaint to any existing investigation or pattern file regarding Respondent;

☐ Take such enforcement action under Minn. Stat. § 8.31 as the Office deems appropriate;

☐ Other: [DESCRIBE].

E. Authorization and Acknowledgment

5.1. I authorize the Office to share my complaint and attached documents with Respondent and with any other government agency the Office deems appropriate (including CFPB, FTC, state regulators).

5.2. I understand that the Office cannot serve as my private attorney and cannot file suit on my behalf.

5.3. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of Minnesota that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signed: [________________________________]

[CONSUMER NAME]

Date: [__/__/____]

3. PART B — CFPB CONSUMER COMPLAINT

Submission portal: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

Phone: (855) 411-2372 (TTY 855-729-2372)

Mail: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, P.O. Box 2900, Clinton, IA 52733

RE: CFPB Consumer Complaint — [COMPANY NAME]

A. Product and Issue Selection (CFPB Categories)

Product: ☐ Checking/savings ☐ Credit card ☐ Debt collection ☐ Money transfer / virtual currency ☐ Mortgage ☐ Payday loan / title loan / personal loan ☐ Prepaid card ☐ Credit reporting / other personal consumer reports ☐ Student loan ☐ Vehicle loan or lease ☐ Other financial service

Sub-product: [DESCRIBE]

Issue: [e.g., Took or threatened to take negative or legal action; Communication tactics; Attempts to collect debt not owed; Written notification about debt; False statements or representation; Improper use of credit report; Loan servicing, payments, escrow account; Other]

Sub-issue: [DESCRIBE]

B. What Happened

(Maximum approximately 1,000 words; do NOT include account numbers, SSN, or other sensitive personal data — CFPB redacts before publication, but limit on intake.)

[Provide a chronological, fact-only narrative. Include: who contacted you, when, by what channel, what they said, what you said in response, what documents were exchanged, what amounts are at issue, what attempts you made to resolve. Conclude with the specific harm.]

C. Desired Resolution

☐ Stop the conduct described

☐ Correct credit report / cease furnishing

☐ Refund / cancellation of charges

☐ Cease collection

☐ Provide validation / accounting

☐ Money damages / settlement

☐ Other: [DESCRIBE]

D. Company Information

E. Your Information

(CFPB requires verified contact information; the company will be told who you are when the complaint is forwarded.)

F. Authorizations

6.1. I authorize CFPB to forward this complaint to [COMPANY] and to share it with state regulators, including the Minnesota Attorney General and the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and with the FTC.

6.2. I understand that CFPB will route the complaint to the company for response, that the company has 15 days to respond and 60 days to close, and that the response will be published in the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database.

Signed: [________________________________]

[CONSUMER NAME]

Date: [__/__/____]

4. PART C — OPTIONAL: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE COMPLAINT (financial / insurance / collection)

For: Banks, credit unions, mortgage originators/servicers, debt collection agencies, debt buyers, debt management services, money transmitters, residential builders/contractors, insurance companies, securities firms, and other Commerce-licensed entities.

TO: Minnesota Department of Commerce — Consumer Services Center

85 7th Place East, Suite 280

St. Paul, MN 55101

Phone: (651) 539-1600 / (800) 657-3602

Web: https://mn.gov/commerce/consumer/file-a-complaint/

RE: Consumer Complaint Against [COMPANY NAME]

(Use the Commerce online complaint form. Attach the same factual narrative used in Parts A and B. Identify the company's MN license number if known. Commerce can investigate licensure violations and impose administrative sanctions, including suspension or revocation under Minn. Stat. § 332.40 for collection agencies.)

5. PUBLIC-BENEFIT FRAMING (Ly v. Nystrom)

5.1. The conduct described affects not only me but also other Minnesota consumers similarly situated, including without limitation: [DESCRIBE pattern — mass mailings, scripted call decks, multi-state portfolio practices, repeated complaints against this Respondent].

5.2. Investigation and enforcement by the Office and/or CFPB will benefit the public by [deterring similar conduct / clarifying compliance obligations / restoring funds to a class of injured Minnesotans / requiring corrective tradeline action].

5.3. I respectfully ask the Office to consider this complaint as part of any pattern file or industry investigation and to share appropriate information with sister regulators.

6. DOCUMENT AND EXHIBIT CHECKLIST

☐ Copy of the contract, account agreement, or solicitation

☐ Copy of all written correspondence with Respondent

☐ Call log (date, time, number, duration, summary)

☐ Account statements / billing records

☐ Bank or credit-card statements showing disputed charges

☐ Copies of canceled checks / receipts

☐ Photographs / screenshots of website, app, or text messages

☐ Voicemail recordings (preserve original; provide written transcript)

☐ Copy of credit report showing impact (redact unrelated tradelines)

☐ Police report (if applicable)

☐ FTC IdentityTheft.gov report (if applicable)

☐ Data-breach notification letter under Minn. Stat. § 325E.61 (if applicable)

☐ Any prior complaint correspondence with the company

☐ Any prior complaint number from another regulator (BBB, state AG, FTC)

(Send copies — keep originals.)

7. DISTRIBUTION CHECKLIST

☐ Minnesota AG — submitted online OR mailed to 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 1400, St. Paul, MN 55101-2131

☐ CFPB — submitted at consumerfinance.gov/complaint

☐ MN Department of Commerce — if regulated industry

☐ Federal Trade Commission — reportfraud.ftc.gov

☐ Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota — bbb.org

☐ U.S. Postal Inspection Service — uspis.gov (if mail fraud)

☐ Local Minnesota police / sheriff (if criminal element)

☐ Three nationwide CRAs — fraud alert / dispute (if credit reporting affected)

☐ Personal copy retained in dated file folder

☐ Calendar follow-up at 30 days

8. MINNESOTA PRACTICE NOTES

• MN AG authority. Under Minn. Stat. § 8.31, the AG may investigate violations of consumer-protection laws including the MCFA, Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, False Statements in Advertising Act, Antitrust Law, and others. The office issues civil investigative demands, files enforcement actions, and obtains injunctions, civil penalties, restitution, and disgorgement.
• No private representation. The MN AG explicitly does not act as private counsel for individual consumers. Pursue private remedies separately under § 8.31, subd. 3a (Private Attorney General statute) — and remember the Ly v. Nystrom public-benefit requirement.
• CFPB jurisdiction & limits. CFPB jurisdiction covers most consumer financial products and services but excludes (i) merchant cards under most circumstances, (ii) certain auto dealers per Dodd-Frank § 1029, and (iii) attorneys engaged in the practice of law (with exceptions). The CFPB does not adjudicate disputes — it forwards, requests response, and tracks publication.
• CFPB Database publication. Anonymized narratives appear publicly in the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database. Patterns of complaints can drive supervisory exams and enforcement actions. Filing matters even if your individual case is not "resolved."
• Tolling. Filing an administrative complaint does NOT toll the FDCPA's one-year statute or Minnesota's six-year MCFA period. Track deadlines independently.
• Coordination. AG complaints often cross-route to Commerce, FTC, and CFPB. Submitting to multiple regulators amplifies signal but is not duplicative.
• Senior / military priority. The MN AG's Office prioritizes complaints involving Minnesotans aged 60 or older and active-duty service members; flag these in the consumer information section.

9. SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• Minnesota AG, File a Complaint — https://www.ag.state.mn.us/office/complaint.asp
• Minnesota AG, Consumer Assistance Request Form — https://www.ag.state.mn.us/office/Forms/ConsumerAssistanceRequest.asp
• Minnesota AG, Contact — https://www.ag.state.mn.us/office/contactus.asp
• Minn. Stat. § 8.31 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/8.31
• Minn. Stat. § 325F.69 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/325F.69
• Minn. Stat. §§ 325D.43-.48 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/325D
• Minn. Stat. § 325E.61 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/325E.61
• Minn. Stat. ch. 332 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/332/full
• Ly v. Nystrom, 615 N.W.2d 302 (Minn. 2000) — https://law.justia.com/cases/minnesota/supreme-court/2000/c699565.html
• CFPB Submit a Complaint — https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database — https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/
• MN Department of Commerce, File a Complaint — https://mn.gov/commerce/consumer/file-a-complaint/
• FTC ReportFraud.ftc.gov — https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
• 12 U.S.C. § 5481 et seq. (Consumer Financial Protection Act) — https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/12/chapter-53/subchapter-V

Disclaimer: This template is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Filing a regulator complaint does not commence civil litigation, does not toll any limitations period, and does not substitute for representation by a Minnesota-licensed attorney. Verify all addresses, phone numbers, and procedures on each agency's current website before filing.