Oregon consumer advocates help recover nearly $2 million for Oregonians in third quarter; over $5.6 million for the year

Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) consumer advocates continue to work to help Oregonians. In the third quarter of this year – July through September – the advocates helped recover $1,836,127, bringing the year-to-date total to $5,658,813 that is back in the pockets of Oregonians.

DFR’s consumer advocates have extensive knowledge across many areas of regulation, including helping those experiencing difficulties with insurance, mortgages, banking products, securities, student loans, and a variety of other financial services DFR regulates.

“Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation makes sure every day Oregonians get a fair shake,” said Gov. Tina Kotek. “Their work is a powerful reminder of what effective consumer protection looks like in action.”

In the most recent quarter, the consumer advocates received 1,422 total complaints and, much like previous quarters, insurance continues to be the leading topic with 890 complaints – the most of any quarter in 2025. Credit union complaints were the next highest with 53, followed by mortgage servicers (44) and student loans (32). In the first and second quarters of 2025, more than $3.8 million was recovered through nearly 2,800 complaints.

Examples of consumer complaints successfully resolved by DFR advocates in the third quarter include:

• A consumer’s home caught fire from an errant firework over the July 4 holiday. The claim was not progressing to the consumer’s satisfaction, so they filed a complaint. The insurer completed a subsequent review, which led to an increase in the scope of work for the repairs. This resulted in an additional $40,872.18 being paid to the consumer. This additional review also consisted of a reinspection of the overall claim, which opened more negotiations on the costs for plumbing and windows.

• A consumer had an upcoming surgery scheduled. She called the insurance company to find out how much she would owe out of pocket due to the facility being out of network, but the insurer could not provide her the information. She received a bill for $42,009.82, which was a shock, so she filed a complaint. After reviewing the complaint, the insurer negotiated a single-case agreement with the facility. The claim was then reprocessed and the consumer’s responsibility changed to $3,316.55.

• A consumer’s husband has a long-term care policy. As the husband is disabled and qualifies for benefits under his policy, his wife called the company to make a claim and asked about providers for his care. She was told by a company representative that as long as the independent provider is licensed, she can choose the provider they want. An independent caregiver was hired based on the advice given. Claims were filed, but were denied, as the information provided was incorrect. After the consumer filed the complaint, and the company listened to the phone recording that provided misinformation, the insurer overturned its decision and approved the provider and agreed to pay the claims.

“I am very proud of the level professionalism and expertise our consumer advocates display every day to help Oregonians,” said Sean O’Day, director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, which includes the Division of Financial Regulation. “They are helping people with issues that have real impacts on the daily lives of Oregonians and they often bring positive resolutions to those families.”

Anyone who may need a consumer advocate can call 888-877-4894 (toll-free) or email dfr.insurancehelp@dcbs.oregon.gov for insurance-related issues and dfr.finanicialserviceshelp@dcbs.oregon.gov for financial-related issues.

“Our team of industry experts continues to put its knowledge to work for the benefit of Oregonians,” said TK Keen, DFR administrator and Oregon insurance commissioner. “They deal with many cases that are highly complex and take a lot of time to navigate, but their work does not go unnoticed and I am happy to see so much money going back to hard-working people.”

Here is the list of complaints through the first three quarters of 2025:

Contact information
Jason Horton, public information officer
503-798-6376
Jason.A.Horton@dcbs.oregon.gov