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Melanie Griffith

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Melanie is an associate in the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm, she clerked for Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea on the Minnesota Supreme Court and was a civil division law clerk in the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office. She gained industry experience working at a credit union and a community bank before attending law school.

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On March 1, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an issue spotlight highlighting concerns about prepaid card programs for accessing public assistance benefits. In particular, the spotlight notes “specific recurring issues” related to cash assistance benefits including Social Security, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and unemployment benefits that are provided on prepaid cards.

In a case involving the application of Regulation E (Reg. E) to certain prepaid cards, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) submitted an amicus brief arguing that the error resolution procedures in Reg. E apply to pandemic-related unemployment benefits that are issued via prepaid cards.

Reg. E, which implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA),…