Consumer banking accountability in Brooklyn, NY — unauthorized fee disputes
By Pablo Diaz · Founder, OpenPublicHub. Read my Bank of America story →
For a Brooklyn customer trying to get a bank to take a fee dispute, rewards problem, or fraud claim seriously, the order that works in 2026 is: file in writing with the bank, then CFPB, then state. This page maps each step.
Unauthorized fee disputes
Unauthorized or unexpected fees are one of the most-complained-about issues in the CFPB database. The pattern that works:
- Identify the fee on your statement and screenshot it.
- Look up the published fee schedule on the bank’s own site. If the fee is not on the schedule, document that.
- Request a written explanation by secure message or email. Save the reply.
- If the bank does not refund or cannot justify, file a CFPB complaint with the documentation.
- For double-charged or stacked overdraft fees: the CFPB’s 2023 BoA order specifically cited that practice. Reference it in your complaint if it applies.
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Federal regulators
- CFPB consumer complaint portal — file at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
- OCC consumer assistance — for nationally-chartered banks.
- FTC reportfraud.ftc.gov — for fraud and identity theft on bank accounts.
- identitytheft.gov — FTC one-stop for ID-theft response.
- BBB — customer reviews and complaint mediation (self-regulatory).
Why public-record context matters
When you file a complaint, your story joins a public record. That is how regulator enforcement gets built. A few examples of the public record on Bank of America specifically:
- CFPB 2023 enforcement — $250M total — junk fees, withheld credit-card rewards, fake accounts.
- CFPB 2022 enforcement — $225M — botched unemployment-benefits handling.
- CFPB 2014 — $727M in relief — deceptive credit-card add-on practices.
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database — Bank of America — public, searchable, tens of thousands of complaints.
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