Kristen E. Larson

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The CFPB has filed an amicus brief in Mohamed v. Bank of America, N.A. in which it argues that a prepaid card loaded with pandemic-related unemployment benefits is a “prepaid account” subject to Regulation E, including its error resolution requirements for investigation of consumer disputes.

Regulation E, which implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, defines the scope of a covered “account” to include “a prepaid account,” and specifically identifies a “government benefit account” as a category of “prepaid account.”… Continue Reading

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the seven large banks that own Zelle are discussing possible approaches to fraudulent transactions on the Zelle network.  According to the WSJ, the Zelle network rules under consideration would establish network-wide guarantees to reimburse scam victims and create liability sharing agreements, which could go live as soon as January 1, 2023. … Continue Reading

On October 25, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s order dismissing a class action alleging that an Illinois internet-based credit union breached its account agreement when it charged non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees to its customers. Plaintiff alleged the account agreement required the credit union to use the ledger-balance to assess NSF fees and only assess one NSF fee per transaction.… Continue Reading

On October 26, 2022, President Biden appeared at the White House with Rohit Chopra, CFPB Director, and Lina Khan, FTC Chair, to announce that his Administration is taking action to eliminate all “junk fees,” such as fees for deposited checks that are returned unpaid, surprise banking overdraft fees, hidden hotel booking fees and termination charges to stop people from changing cable plans. … Continue Reading

The Remittance Transfer Rule (“Remittance Rule”), Subpart B of Regulation E, 12 C.F.R. §§ 1005.30 to 1005.36, requires transfer providers to provide prepayment disclosures to consumers prior to paying for a remittance transfer. U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) sent a letter to CFPB Director Rohit Chopra to request that the Remittance Rule be modified to require transfer providers to disclose the true cost of remittance payments so consumers can comparison shop.… Continue Reading

On October 4, 2022, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) entered into a consent order with Choice Money, a New York nonbank remittance transfer provider involving violations of the Remittance Transfer Rule (“Remittance Rule”), Subpart B of Regulation E, 12 C.F.R. §§ 1005.30 to 1005.36, and the Consumer Financial Protection Act.… Continue Reading

On October 3, 2022, the Federal Reserve finalized a rule expanding Regulation II (Debit Card Interchange Fees and Routing), the implementing regulation for the Durbin Amendment. The final RULE is substantially similar to the proposed rule issued in 2021 and requires online (card not present) debit card transactions to be enabled for processing on at least two unaffiliated payment card networks.… Continue Reading

On September 6, 2022, Curinos published an update to their “Competition Drives Overdraft Disruption” study published in December 2021.  Curinos was formed from the combination of two data driven business intelligence companies, Novantas and Informa’s FBX business.     

As has been previously reported by the CFPB through a blog post and two December 2021 overdraft reports, which we previously blogged about here and here, many banks have announced innovations and policy changes in the past year to enhance their overdraft programs and reduce consumer harm.… Continue Reading

Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors narrowed the timetable for the launch of its instant payments platform—FedNow—to mid-year 2023, specifically targeting a production rollout of the service in a May to July 2023 timeframe.  The Fed had previously communicated a 2023 launch.  In September 2022, the FedNow Pilot Program will begin technical testing for the service.… Continue Reading