On June 29, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve) issued its long-awaited rule establishing standards for debit card interchange fees and prohibiting network exclusivity arrangements and routing restrictions (Debit Card Rule). The issuance of the Debit Card Rule was required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Pursuant to the Debit Card Rule, the maximum permissible interchange fee that an issuer may receive for an electronic debit transaction will be 21 cents per transaction and 5 basis points multiplied by the value of the transaction. The Federal Reserve also approved an interim final rule that allows for an upward adjustment of no more than 1 cent to an issuer's debit card interchange fee if the issuer develops and implements policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve the fraud-prevention standards set out in the interim final rule. Eligibility for the assessment of this fee must be certified by the issuing bank.