By Consumer litigation activity declined across the top three consumer protection statutes in May, according to the latest WebRecon report.
Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuits fell 18.2%, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits dropped 9.8% and Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuits declined 8.2% compared with April. The month-over-month pullback follows April’s notable sweep, when all three categories rose simultaneously for the first time since March 2025. Despite the single-month dip, the year-to-date numbers continue to show strong growth, with TCPA lawsuits up 29.6%, FDCPA lawsuits up 14.7% and FCRA lawsuits up 42.8%.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau complaints were the only major category to increase for the month, rising 1.1% from April, and are up 34.8% year-to-date.
Here is a breakdown of claims under accounts receivable management industry laws, as well as CFPB complaints, for May 2026:
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
FDCPA lawsuits declined in May, falling 9.8% from April, with approximately 407 filings compared with 451 the previous month. Year-to-date, FDCPA lawsuits are up 14.7%, reflecting continued elevated filing activity compared to the same period last year.
Telephone Consumer Protection Act
TCPA lawsuits saw the largest month-over-month decline among the three major consumer protection statutes in May, falling 18.2% from April to approximately 270 filings, down from 330. Despite the single-month drop, year-to-date TCPA lawsuits are up 29.6% — and class actions remain extraordinarily high by historical standards, representing 80% of all TCPA filings in May.
Fair Credit Reporting Act
FCRA lawsuits pulled back in May, declining 8.2% from April, with approximately 894 filings compared with 974 the previous month. Year-to-date, FCRA lawsuits are up 42.8%, continuing to reflect the significant momentum in this area of consumer litigation even after a down month.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
CFPB complaints were the only category to increase in May, rising 1.1% from April to 27,319 complaints, up from 26,988 the previous month. Complaint volume remains well above last year’s pace. Year-to-date, CFPB complaints are up 34.8%.
The types of debt behind the CFPB complaints were:
- 17,771 I do not know (65%)
- 3,121 Credit card debt (11%)
- 2,772 Other debt (10%)
- 1,083 Telecommunications debt (4%)
- 1,077 Rental debt (4%)
- 616 Medical debt (2%)
- 454 Auto debt (2%)
- 245 Payday loan debt (1%)
- 76 Private student loan debt (0%)
- 53 Federal student loan debt (0%)
- 51 Mortgage debt (0%)
