Department Mission

Contacts & Phone Numbers

Rates of Interest

Licensed Companies

One of the purposes of the Consumer Resources Division is to answer questions, as well as review and attempt to resolve complaints filed against financial institutions chartered and licensed by the state of Tennessee. However, the Department is neither an advocate for the consumer nor the financial institution. The role the Department has is ensuring that the financial institution is aware of the complaint and attempts to resolve the complaint amicably.

THE FIRST STEP

If you have a complaint against an institution, you should try to resolve that complaint directly with the institution that falls within the Department’s jurisdiction. If you are uncertain whether an institution is regulated by the Department, the Consumer Resources Division can assist you.

Our offices are open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. CST. You can reach us by telephone, e-mail, fax or mail:

Telephone: 1-800-778-4215

Fax: (615) 253-7794

Mail: Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions
      Attention: Consumer Resources Division
      414 Union Avenue, Suite 1000
      Nashville, TN 37219

FILING A COMPLAINT

If you are unable to resolve the dispute directly with the institution, you can file a complaint with the Department. In order to ensure proper documentation, the Department asks that you fill out a consumer complaint form.

File Online

File By Fax/Mail

Once this form is completed, you can either mail or fax it along with any supporting documentation that you may have. If you attempted to resolve the complaint with directly and you received correspondence from the institution, you can also send that information. Once the form and additional materials are received, the complaint will be assigned to a Consumer Resources Specialist who will review the complaint. If more information is needed, the assigned specialist will contact you.

The complaint with supporting documentation will be sent to the financial institution or the licensee. The entity will provide a written response to the Department once the complaint is reviewed. The specialist assigned to your complaint will review the response and respond to you in a timely manner. However, additional time may be necessary to review -- and respond appropriately – depending on the complexity of the complaint.

The Department can only attempt to resolve complaints between state-chartered institutions and licensees. In addition, if the complaint stems from a contractual dispute, the Department can not resolve those disputes. Only a court of law can resolve those disputes. Please note: The Department can not act as your attorney, give legal advice or represent you in a court of law.

Institutions that have the words "national," "N.A." (national association), or "federal" in the institution’s name are nationally or federally chartered. The Department of Financial Institutions does not regulate these institutions.

If you wish to file a complaint against a nationally-chartered bank or its operating subsidiary or a nationally-chartered credit union, you have two options: you can file the complaint with the Department and we will forward to the appropriate regulator for their response OR you can file a complaint directly to the nationally-chartered institution’s primary regulator.

For nationally-chartered banks and their subsidiaries, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC) is the primary regulator. If you wish to file a complaint to the OCC, you can contact them at:

Office of the Comptroller of Currency
Customer Assistance Group
1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3450
Houston, TX 77010
1-800-613-6743
FAX: 713-336-4301
www.occ.treas.gov

Some institutions that have the word "federal" in their name, may be regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS).* If you wish to file a complaint to the OTS, you can contact them at: