WASHINGTON, D.C. -

As of Oct. 1, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported that the agency has handled 726,000 complaints nationally.

Along with a closer look at complaints coming from Chicago, officials noted some of the highlights from the statistics in this month’s snapshot report released this week include:

• Complaint volume: For September, the most-complained-about financial product or service was debt collection, representing about 29 percent of complaints submitted. Of the 23,354 complaints handled in September, approximately 6,818 of them were about debt collection. The second most-complained-about consumer product was credit reporting, accounting for approximately 4,799 complaints. Overall, the CFPB saw a 9 percent reduction in complaint volume between August and September 2015.

• Product trends: In a year-to-year comparison, complaints about debt settlement, credit repair and check cashing showed the greatest percentage increase. Complaints about these products, which the Bureau classifies as “other financial services complaints,” rose 97 percent from the same time period last year.

• State information: Idaho showed the greatest complaint volume increases from the same time last year by a wide margin. The volume of complaints from Idaho rose by 59 percent, while the next largest complaint volume increase—Nebraska—rose by 44 percent.

• Most-complained-about companies: The top three companies about which the CFPB received the most complaints remain unchanged from last month’s report. From May through July, Equifax, Experian, and Bank of America were the three most-complained-about companies.

Geographic spotlight on Chicago

This month, the CFPB’s report spotlighted the Chicago metro area.

With a population of nearly 10 million residents residing in three states — Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin — the bureau pointed out the Chicago metro area is the third largest in the country. 

Of the 726,000 complaints received by the CFPB, 21,100 of them have come from consumers in the Chicago metro area. Findings from the Chicago complaints include:

• Mortgages are the most-complained-about product: Overall, mortgage-related complaints have been the most-complained-about product in the Chicago metro area. Of the 21,100 complaints submitted by consumers in the Chicago metro area, 27 percent have been related to mortgages.

• Chicago complaint volume and type mirrors national trends: Debt collection and credit reporting are the second and third most-complained-about financial products in the Chicago metro area, following mortgages. Those are also the top three most-complained-about products nationwide.

• Most-complained-about companies: Credit reporting companies TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian were the first, second, and fourth most-complained-about companies by Chicago-area consumers over a 12-month period.  The third-most complained about company by Chicago-area consumers was JPMorgan Chase.