WASHINGTON –
Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan said today he was pleased with a
report by the Government Accountability Office on the agency’s consumer
assistance services and said the OCC will implement three recommendations in
the report.
“We are very proud of
the work of our Customer Assistance Group,” Mr. Dugan said, referring to the
OCC’s state-of-the-art consumer help center, which is based in Houston. “Not only does the CAG assist consumers with
questions or complaints, but it helps national banks improve their customer
service and it provides invaluable feedback that helps our examiners focus on
problem areas.”
Mr. Dugan said GAO’s
review provided a positive assessment of OCC’s consumer assistance operation,
and said its three recommendations will lead to improvements in the way CAG
obtains feedback from consumers, publicizes its services and measures case
resolutions.
“The OCC’s CAG unit
does outstanding work, but we are always looking to improve, and GAO’s recommendations
will be very helpful in that regard,” he said.
GAO reported that the
OCC’s bank examiners use consumer complaint information collected by CAG to
plan or adjust examinations. CAG staff
and OCC examiners communicate regularly regarding specific complaints and
complaint volumes for individual banks, and they coordinate in communicating
consumer-related issue to bank officials.
In addition, the GAO
reported that complaint data is used to inform OCC policy guidance to banks,
often addressing potential compliance and safety and soundness risks that
institutions face. The report also
noted that the CAG provides feedback to banks, focusing on complaint trends and
potential risks that may impact compliance with consumer protection laws or
other issues.
GAO noted that while
the OCC handles more complaints than the other federal banking agencies, it
meets its goal of answering 80 percent of all consumer calls within three
minutes.
The GAO recommended
that the OCC measure customer satisfaction with CAG services and the OCC is
making plans to implement that recommendation.
GAO also encouraged the
OCC to revise the way it measures and reports on timeliness in resolving
consumer complaints, and to find ways to better inform the public, state
officials, and others of the agency’s role in handling consumer questions and
complaints. The OCC has already begun
to implement these recommendations.
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The
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency was created by Congress to charter
national banks, to oversee a nationwide system of banking institutions, and
to assure that national banks are safe and sound, competitive and profitable,
and capable of serving in the best possible manner the banking needs of their
customers.
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