In this episode of Payments Pros, Keith Barnett is joined by James Stevens to discuss the Merchant Acquirer Limited Purpose Bank Charter (MALPB) in Georgia, a unique charter that allows companies to offer merchant payment processing services without a sponsoring partner bank. Despite being enacted 12 years ago, companies have been unable to utilize it due to card networks not allowing direct participation. This could change soon, especially with Fiserv’s recent application.
As the financial landscape continues to evolve, financial institutions and fintech businesses, including payment processors and money transmitters, are facing increased regulatory scrutiny and heightened consumer expectations. Our dedicated Payments team is at the forefront of these changes, actively addressing the full spectrum of legal challenges in this intricate and ever-evolving sector.
Last month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Assembly Bill 2672, which both prohibits sellers from charging a credit card surcharge greater than what they are charged by the credit card company and requires sellers to clearly post the price of the credit card surcharge. The law will take effect on February 11, 2024.
On January 17, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued a proposed rule with request for public comment to amend exemptions to Regulation Z so the Truth in Lending Act (TILA)/Regulation Z would apply to certain overdraft “credit” provided by insured financial institutions with more than $10 billion in assets, in furtherance of the Bureau’s crusade on “junk fees.” At a highlevel, the CFPB’s proposed rule would provide covered financial institutions with two options for offering overdraft “credit”: (1) a “courtesy” overdraft service with “breakeven” fees exempt from TILA/Regulation Z; or (2) a “covered overdraft credit” line/loan in connection with debit card or routing/account number transactions with “above breakeven” fees subject to TILA/Reg. Z. Under the proposal, an institution subject to the rule would have to provide full TILA disclosures and comply with other substantive TILA requirements for overdraft fees if they exceed costs or a low CFPB safe harbor amount.
In this episode of Payments Pros, Keith Barnett and Carlin McCrory are joined by Jordan Wright, CEO of Atomic Financial, to discuss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) proposed 1033 rule. This rule aims to limit the misuse or sale of consumer data, and is expected to be finalized by summer 2024.
On January 9, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (CA DFPI) announced a consent order with Credova Financial, LLC, (Credova) to resolve allegations that, in violation of the California Consumer Financial Protection Law, the company failed to disclose potential third-party fees to consumers. Pursuant to the settlement, Credova is required to pay a $50,000 penalty and disclose potential third-party convenience fees to consumers in the future.
In this episode of Payments Pros, Keith Barnett and Carlin McCrory discuss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) fall supervisory highlights, focusing on “junk fees.” The report covers examinations in areas of deposits, auto servicing, and remittances completed between February and August 2023. The recent report reveals that their efforts have resulted in institutions refunding more than $140 million to consumers. The report primarily focuses on deposits as an area of supervisory observations.
In this special joint episode of Payments Pros and The Consumer Finance Podcast, Carlin McCrory, Keith Barnett, James Kim, and Chris Willis discuss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) proposed larger participant rule for consumer payments providers.
On November 20, 2023, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) issued an invitation for comments on proposed application-related rulemaking under the Digital Financial Assets Law (DFAL). This move comes after Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 39 and Senate Bill 401, which together create the DFAL. The DFAL and Senate Bill 401, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 13, 2023, are set to regulate virtual currency activities within California, effective July 1, 2025.
In this episode of Payments Pros, Keith Barnett and Carlin McCrory are joined by Pidgin’s Senior Vice President of Innovation Kevin Olsen to discuss faster payments and the FedNow service.