On December 10, 2023, New York General Business Law § 520-e requiring a grace period for the use of credit card rewards points will go into effect. Specifically, the legislation provides that if any credit card rewards program is modified, cancelled, closed, or terminated, the card holder must be provided notice of such change “as
Citing research that found about half of U.S. adults find it difficult to afford the cost of their healthcare, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) published a report focusing on medical credit cards and loans used to cover basic medical treatment and emergency health care. According to the CFPB, the use of medical
On April 26, both the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued separate advisories warning against the risks associated with overdraft fees, particularly those associated with “Authorize Positive, Settle Negative” (APSN) transactions.
In issuing its supervisory guidance, the FDIC emphasized:
On April 17, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a new blog post, highlighting its current efforts in the credit card market. According to the post, interest rates on credit cards have risen substantially, with average rates over 20%. Implying that high interest rates are solely a result of lack of
As discussed here, on February 1, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a rule that would amend Regulation Z to: 1) decrease the safe harbor for credit card late fees to $8 and eliminate altogether a higher safe harbor amount for subsequent late payments; 2) eliminate the annual inflation adjustments for the late
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 letter dated February 10, the American Bankers Association (ABA), Consumer Bankers Association (CBA), Credit Union National Association (CUNA), National Association of Federally‐Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU), and The Clearing House (TCH) (collectively, the Associations) vigorously requested that the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) extend the effective date for the final rule amending Regulation II (Final
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),