Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: Understanding the Federal Reserve Board Proposal to Lower Interchange Fee Cap for Debit Card Transactions
The term “junk fee” is not defined under federal law, but the CFPB has focused on factors such as whether the fee would be unexpected to or take advantage of a reasonable consumer, the amount of the fee compared to the cost...more
The Federal Reserve Board has proposed a new rule for public comment that would significantly lower the cap on interchange fees that debit card issuing banks (issuers) may charge a merchant’s bank (an acquiring bank) for...more
More than eight months after the close of briefing, the Texas federal district court has finally ruled in the challenge by two industry trade groups to the CFPB’s Payments Rule. The court’s award of summary judgment to the...more
In This Issue. In a move that gives him the opportunity to put his stamp on housing policy and the potential overhaul of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, President Biden replaced the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency...more
In this Issue. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve) invited public comment on proposed changes to Regulation II, better known as the Durbin Amendment, regarding network availability for...more
On August 10, 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a private warning to banks warning them that cybercriminals are planning to “conduct a global Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cash-out scheme in the coming...more
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York has announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against three Florida men who co-founded cryptocurrency company Centra Tech, Inc. The...more
Bankinfosecurity.com report that “Fraudsters are now gingerly testing the waters in central and Western Europe with attacks that drain cash machines of their funds, according to a trade group that studies criminal activity...more
On August 4, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) unveiled four prototype overdraft disclosure forms currently being tested to replace the existing model form. The CFPB developed the prototype forms based on...more
On Aug. 4, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released the results of its study into frequent overdrafters and four overdraft disclosure model forms as part of its Know Before You Owe initiative. The CFPB...more
Editor's Note - Removal for Cause or Business as Usual? On April 5, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray testified before the House Financial Services Committee to give his semi-annual...more
We’ve talked a fair amount about the switch to chip & pin card systems over the past few years. But how about a lack of cards altogether? Because that’s what the banks have in mind....more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) had another busy week. Here is an overview of what the CFPB was up to recently: Enforcement Actions and Litigation - Enforcement Action Against Santander Bank - ...more
It is said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Often the same is said for an organization’s data privacy & security defensives. Could it be that the ubiquitous ATM machine is the weak link to the banking...more
Payment Card Industry fines and penalties are fines charged by payment card brands like Mastercard and Visa to merchants’ acquiring banks for violation of their industry rules and regulations, which often occurs when there is...more
Skimming continues to be a problem for ATM machines and law enforcement continues to try to combat the problem. Skimming devices are attached to credit and debit card and ATM machines in order to intercept debit and credit...more
Although Target has tentatively settled consumer data breach class action claims, the retailer remains in the crosshairs of the plaintiffs’ class action bar. On September 15, a Minnesota federal district court certified a...more
Earlier this summer, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) released its highly anticipated Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (Assessment), which is designed to assist financial institutions in identifying...more
A federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit accusing MasterCard, Visa and three major banks of illegally fixing ATM prices to the detriment of consumers. A federal district judge had thrown out the lawsuit in 2013 after...more
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, NJ has announced that Marius Ventila, a Romanian native, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and to pay $7.5 million in restitution for his part in a credit card skimming scam that used...more
The CFPB recently announced that it has developed “the Newcomer’s Guides to Managing Money to provide recent immigrants with straightforward information about basic money decisions.” According to the CFPB, each guide...more
The CFPB announced yesterday that it had reached a settlement with Regions Bank regarding claims that the bank unlawfully charged overdraft fees to customers who had not opted-in for overdraft coverage. The matter is the...more
Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of New York sent a letter to Director Cordray yesterday urging the CFPB to limit overdraft fees and expand opt-in requirements as part of a proposed overdraft rule. In calling...more