WASHINGTON--Routing routine consumer disputes through the NCUA’s Consumer Assistance Center (CAC) is an emerging trend that warrants corrective action, America’s Credit Unions wrote to Chairman Kyle Hauptman.
The trade group said ACU members have reported a documented “sharp and sustained increase” in the volume of CAC complaints, and the recommendations provided align with NCUA’s Deregulation Project.
“Credit unions report that CAC complaint volumes have moved from a handful of matters per year to multiple matters per month,” the letter says. The increase appears to be driven by 1) artificial intelligence-generated search results presenting federal complaint channels as a first option; and 2) a growing volume of social media content directing consumers to bypass institutional resolutions and go straight to federal regulators.
America’s Credit Unions recommended NCUA introduce procedural guardrails on the CAC intake process, including:
- Amend the CAC complaint form to require the complainant to certify that they have attempted to resolve the matter directly with the credit union
- Where no such attempt is documented, return the complaint to the consumer with instructions to engage the credit union's consumer assistance function
- Update NCUA public-facing materials, including the CAC web pages and any related consumer guides, to state plainly that members are expected to contact their credit union directly before escalating
- Publish consumer-facing guidance that corrects the AI-generated and social-media-driven misinformation now in circulation
“These adjustments would preserve every legitimate function of the CAC while restoring the institutional resolution process that benefits members, credit unions, and the agency,” the letter reads.