Complaints about Bank Debt Collection Increase 21%

ByJulio Gutiérrez

This article by Julio Gutiérrez originally appeared in the February 18, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. Complaints filed with the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Financial Services Users (Condusef) regarding debt collection practices increased by 21.2 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, rising from 23,435 to 28,401 cases.

The main reasons were the collection of payments from people who are not the debtor and acts of threat or intimidation, practices that together accounted for about two-thirds of the complaints.

The increase in complaints against these extrajudicial agents, who are hired by private banks to recover overdue balances, occurred at a time of low economic dynamism and when these financial intermediaries saw higher levels of default on consumer loans.

Collection efforts include the actions taken by financial institutions or contracted agencies to recover overdue debts, whether through phone calls, messages, home visits, or payment negotiations.

According to current regulations, these agents must fully identify themselves, address themselves exclusively to the debtor, and refrain from engaging in acts of harassment, threats, or dissemination of information to third parties.

The 2025 statistics from Condusef show that the main reason for complaint is the carrying out of collection, negotiation or restructuring management to people who are not the user, client or debtor partner, with 9,445 cases, an increase of 14.9 percent compared to the 8,222 of 2024.

In second place were complaints about threatening, offending or intimidating the debtor, family members or personal references, which totaled 9,143 claims, 19.5 percent more than a year earlier: 7,652.

These two concepts accounted for approximately 65 percent of all complaints, indicating that the main points of contention remain linked to practices that exceed the limits allowed for debt recovery.

Including Banks, Claims Decreased

According to information presented by the consumer protection agency, the total number of complaints filed by commercial banking users reached 147,357, a figure 2.1 percent lower than the 150,892 in 2024.

Of the total claims registered in 2025, the two main causes –excluding those related to collection efforts– are unrecognized charges and unrecognized electronic transfers.

The first category accumulated 29,761 cases, representing a decrease of 0.6 percent compared to 2024, while the second category totaled 13,631 complaints, representing a decrease of 21.9 percent annually.

By financial company, the largest number of complaints in 2025 was concentrated in BBVA Mexico, which is the largest bank in Mexico, with 27,711 complaints, a figure 2.9 percent lower than the 28,530 registered a year earlier, Condusef pointed out.

Banco Azteca followed, accumulating 22,241 cases, an increase of one percent compared to 2024. In third place was Banamex, with 19,657 claims, representing a decrease of 15.8 percent annually.

In contrast, Banorte reported 18,072 complaints, an increase of 10.3 percent compared to the 16,388 of the previous year, while Santander counted 15,226 cases, 5.9 percent less than in 2024.