Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner in Austin, TX

The Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) is a state regulatory agency tasked with creating a fair, lawful, and healthy credit environment across Texas. Established to oversee non-bank financial services, the OCCC operates as both a regulatory body and a consumer protection resource, working to foster economic prosperity for all Texans through fair lending practices.

The OCCC offers direct consumer assistance through multiple channels: an online complaint filing system, a consumer assistance helpline, educational brochures, FAQs focused on debt collection practices, and participation in the Texas Financial Education Endowment Grant Program (TFEE). The agency licenses and regulates a wide range of non-depository lenders including pawnshops, credit access businesses, debt management providers, motor vehicle sales finance companies, property tax lenders, and residential mortgage loan originators. Consumers can search the licensee database to verify whether a lender is properly regulated.

What distinguishes OCCC is its dual mandate: it simultaneously protects consumers through regulation and enforcement actions while educating both the public and industry providers. The agency maintains transparency through published enforcement actions, recently adopted rules, and current rule proposals. It also operates a Plain Language Initiative to make financial regulations more accessible to ordinary Texans, and provides specific guidance on interest rates and licensing requirements across multiple financial service sectors.

The OCCC is appropriate for consumers seeking free information about their rights, wanting to file complaints against regulated lenders, or needing consumer education about credit practices and debt collection. However, it is not a credit repair service and cannot directly fix credit reports or dispute negative items—it is a regulatory agency focused on market oversight and consumer education rather than individual credit restoration.