If You Have a Complaint
The Bureau of Financial Institutions is a division within the Virginia State Corporation Commission. The Bureau has jurisdiction over Virginia state-chartered financial institutions and certain out-of-state entities that have been granted authority to do business in the Commonwealth.
It is important to remember that the Bureau does not act as the complainant's attorney. It also does not have the power to adjudicate complaints. If a dispute turns on facts that do not involve a supervised entity's violation of a specific law or regulation (such as a matter concerning internal policies or guidelines) the Bureau will advise the complainant about other ways to pursue the complaint, such as through consulting a private attorney and/or initiating a court proceeding.
Who to contact regarding your complaint
The Bureau does not have the authority to resolve complaints involving entities that are not under Virginia jurisdiction. Some institutions are regulated by federal government agencies. For example:
- Commercial banks having the word "National" or using the title "N.A." (national association) in their title, are organized under and subject to federal law. Requests for information or complaints concerning these national banks should be directed to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
(phone 1-800-613-6743).
- Savings banks and savings and loan associations having the word "Federal" in their name or which use the initials FSB (federal savings bank), FSA (federal savings association), FA (federal association) or FSLA (federal savings and loan association) are regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision, a federal agency. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Office of Thrift Supervision (phone 1-800-842-6929).
- Federally regulated credit unions are similarly identified by the word "federal" in their name. Inquiries and complaints concerning federal credit unions should be directed to the National Credit Union Administration (phone 1-800-755-1030).
- If the complaint relates to a mortgage loan that is secured by a property outside of Virginia, you should contact that state's banking authority.
If the Bureau of Financial Institutions has authority
If you believe the regulated entity falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Financial Institutions, please complete a complaint form and submit it to the Bureau at the address noted on the form.
If you are not sure if the entity with which you are dealing is regulated by the Bureau, you can check the Annual Report, which contains lists of all entities regulated by the Bureau of Financial Institutions. Updated information is made available through the Weekly Bulletin.
Complaint Form - PDF
Note: The Bureau of Financial Institutions does not currently accept complaints via email as the complaints involving institutions under our regulatory jurisdiction often involve consumer’s personal financial information.
Consumers are asked to state their complaint and provide supporting documentation, which may include bank account numbers, credit card numbers, loan account numbers, as well as the other personal information of the consumer (name, address, phone). Since complaints include this personal financial information, out of an abundance of caution we ask that all complaints either be filed via our mailing address or our fax number.