Countries › Mexico › Guide › 10. Capital markets and finance › Financial consumer protection and credit bureaus in Mexico: CONDUSEF, the in house complaints unit, the two year complaint window, conciliation thresholds, credit bureau licenses, consent and 72 month data retention

Financial consumer protection and credit bureaus in Mexico: CONDUSEF, the in house complaints unit, the two year complaint window, conciliation thresholds, credit bureau licenses, consent and 72 month data retention

Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Stable

Every financial institution in Mexico must run a specialized complaints unit (UNE) that answers in writing within 30 business days and reports to CONDUSEF each quarter; clients can also complain to CONDUSEF within two years, which interrupts limitation. CONDUSEF conciliation applies to claims below 3 million UDIs (6 million against insurers), with a hearing within 20 business days, and it publishes a Bureau of Financial Entities rating providers. Credit bureaus need a federal license from the Finance Ministry, may only release a report with the client's express signed consent, and must keep credit histories for at least 72 months, deleting paid and defaulted items after 72 months.

USD conversions use MXN 18.6638 per US dollar, the US Federal Reserve H.10 noon buying rate in New York for 23 October 2026 (FRED series DEXMXUS), the latest observation available when this page was verified. Legal conversions in Mexico use the Banxico FIX, which differs slightly. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Deadline for the institution's complaints unit to answer	30 business daysLPDUSF art. 50 Bis, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Window to complain to the financial consumer agency	2 yearsLPDUSF art. 65, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum claim for CONDUSEF conciliation (non insurance)	Below 3000000 UDILPDUSF art. 68, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum claim for CONDUSEF conciliation against insurers	Below 6000000 UDILPDUSF art. 68, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
License required to operate a credit bureau	Yes, Finance Ministry authorization LRSIC art. 6o., as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Minimum retention of credit histories	72 monthsLRSIC art. 23, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. Specialized complaints unit (UNE). Each financial institution must have a specialized unit to handle consultations and complaints. Its head must be able to bind the institution, it must have regional officers in every state where the institution has branches or offices, it must accept complaints by any means including at branches and answer in writing within 30 business days, and its head must report all consultations and complaints to CONDUSEF within 10 business days after each quarter ends.
Cost to do it: The institution bears the unit's cost; no fee is set by law.
Example: A SOFOM that receives a complaint on 2 March must answer in writing within 30 business days, and file its first quarter report by about mid April. / Not applicable.Ley de Protección y Defensa al Usuario de Servicios Financieros (LPDUSF), DOF 18 January 1999, last reform DOF 14 November 2025 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text), Art. 50 Bis, 1999-01-18 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. Registry and public ratings. CONDUSEF keeps the Registry of Financial Service Providers; authorities that license financial institutions must notify CONDUSEF within 30 business days of the license's DOF publication, and of revocations, mergers, spin offs, transformations or liquidations. CONDUSEF also maintains a public Bureau of Financial Entities with information on products, complaints and sanctions so users can compare providers.
Cost to do it: None stated in these articles.
Example: A new bank appears in the providers registry after the CNBV notifies CONDUSEF of its license. / Not applicable.Ley de Protección y Defensa al Usuario de Servicios Financieros (LPDUSF), DOF 18 January 1999, last reform DOF 14 November 2025 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text), Arts. 8o. Bis, 46 and 47, 1999-01-18 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. Complaints to CONDUSEF and conciliation. Users may file complaints with CONDUSEF in person, in writing or by other suitable means, identifying the institution and the service and attaching the contract documents. Complaints must be filed within two years from the event, from the institution's refusal, or, for unrequested services, from when the user learned of it; filing interrupts limitation of legal actions until the procedure ends. Conciliation applies only to claims below 3 million UDIs in total, or below 6 million UDIs against insurers, and CONDUSEF must summon the parties to a hearing within 20 business days of receiving the complaint.
Cost to do it: Filing is free for users.
Example: A company customer disputing a bank charge in 2026 can still complain to CONDUSEF in 2027 if within two years of the bank's refusal, and its court limitation period stops running while the complaint is pending. / Not applicable.Ley de Protección y Defensa al Usuario de Servicios Financieros (LPDUSF), DOF 18 January 1999, last reform DOF 14 November 2025 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text), Arts. 63, 65, 66 and 68, 1999-01-18 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. Transparency and non discrimination. Financial entities may not engage in discriminatory practices, must show the CAT where required, and must use adhesion contracts and account statements that meet the CONDUSEF and Banxico rules on rates, fees and risks.
Cost to do it: None.
Example: A lender's adhesion contract must state the rates, the CAT and the total amount payable for covered credits. / Not applicable.Ley para la Transparencia y Ordenamiento de los Servicios Financieros (LTOSF), DOF 15 June 2007, last reform DOF 14 November 2025 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text), Arts. 11, 13 and 17, 2007-06-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. Credit bureaus: license, consent and retention. Organizing and operating a credit information company (sociedad de información crediticia) requires a non transferable federal authorization from the Finance Ministry after hearing Banxico and the CNBV. A bureau may provide a report to a user only with the client's express signed authorization, given by hand or electronically under Banxico conditions, stating the nature and scope of the information and the use; buyers or servicers of a loan portfolio may rely on the authorization given to the original lender. Bureaus must keep credit histories at least 72 months; they may delete information on fulfilled obligations after 72 months and must delete uninterrupted defaults and related codes 72 months after the first default was recorded.
Cost to do it: No LFD duty identified; the authorization is discretionary.
Example: A lender checking a Mexican borrower's bureau report must first obtain the borrower's signed authorization, which also covers periodic checks while the relationship lasts. / Not applicable.Ley para Regular las Sociedades de Información Crediticia (LRSIC), DOF 15 January 2002, last reform DOF 24 January 2024 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text), Arts. 6o., 23 and 28, 2002-01-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Step	Deadline	Rule
Institution answers a complaint	30 business days	LPDUSF art. 50 Bis, IV
Quarterly UNE report to CONDUSEF	10 business days after quarter end	LPDUSF art. 50 Bis, V
User complaint to CONDUSEF	2 years	LPDUSF art. 65
Conciliation hearing	Within 20 business days of the complaint	LPDUSF art. 68, I Bis
Licensing authority notifies CONDUSEF of a new license	30 business days after DOF publication	LPDUSF art. 47
Credit history retention	At least 72 months	LRSIC art. 23

Consumer protection timelines for financial institutions in Mexico, verified 26 October 2026.

Worked example

A foreign owned SOFOM starts consumer lending in Mexico.
It sets up its UNE with a head empowered to bind the company and regional officers in each state where it has offices, and commits to written answers within 30 business days (LPDUSF art. 50 Bis).
Before pulling bureau reports it collects each applicant's signed authorization, by hand or electronically (LRSIC art. 28).
A customer disputes a charge; the customer has two years to go to CONDUSEF, and if the claim is below 3 million UDIs CONDUSEF will hold a conciliation hearing within 20 business days (LPDUSF arts. 65 and 68).

Step by step

1. Appoint the UNE head and regional officers before launch (LPDUSF art. 50 Bis).
2. Build a complaints log that tracks the 30 business day answer deadline and feeds the quarterly CONDUSEF report.
3. Prepare adhesion contracts and statements meeting the rate, fee and CAT rules (LTOSF arts. 11 and 13).
4. Collect signed bureau authorizations before any inquiry (LRSIC art. 28).
5. Train staff on non discrimination (LTOSF art. 17).

Common traps

A pending CONDUSEF complaint interrupts limitation, so a lender cannot rely on the clock running while it negotiates (LPDUSF art. 66).
Pulling a bureau report without signed consent breaches the LRSIC (art. 28).
Complaint and sanction data feed CONDUSEF's public Bureau of Financial Entities, which customers can see (LPDUSF art. 8o. Bis).
Defaults drop off credit histories 72 months after the first default is recorded, so older defaults cannot be used (LRSIC art. 23).

Sources

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