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☆ The rule capping credit card late fees at $8 is on hold — here’s what it means for you
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. banking industry won a key victory in its effort to block the implementation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that would've drastically limited the fees that credit card companies can charge for late payment. The CFPB estimates that the rule would've saved American families $10 billion a year in fees paid by those who fall behind on their bills. It would've capped late fees that are typically $32 per incident to $8 each and limited the industry's ability to hike the fees. "Consumers will shoulder $800 million in late fees every month that the rule is delayed — money that pads the profit margins of the largest credit card issuers," a CFPB spokesman told CNBC on Friday. The CBA said it will continue to press its case in the courts on why the CFPB rule should be "thrown out entirely."

Persons: Rohit Chopra, Mark Pittman, would've Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs Committee, Washington , D.C, Financial, Bureau, Northern, Northern District of Texas, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, U.S, CNBC, Consumer Bankers Association, District, CBA Locations: Washington ,, U.S, Northern District

☆ Credit card interest rates are at record highs. Cards have 'never been this expensive,’ CFPB says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The share of consumers with "subprime" credit scores who hold a credit card has been "relatively stable," they said. Major credit card issuers got $25 billion in extra interest by raising their average APR margin over the last 10 years, the CFPB estimated. "Higher APR margins have allowed credit card companies to generate returns that are significantly higher than other bank activities." They're among the nation's biggest credit card issuers. How to manage credit card interest

Persons: Martinez, Seikel, Lindsey Johnson, Greg McBride, McBride, That's Organizations: Bank, Getty, Consumer Bankers Association, CBA, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Financial, Discover Financial Locations: Federal Reserve Bank of New York

☆ Credit card users can save over $400 a year by switching issuers, CFPB says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Olga Rolenko | Moment | Getty ImagesCard balances and total debt at are all-time highsThe agency's findings come as average credit card balances and total credit card debt hit all-time highs at the end of 2023. The average credit card interest rate for all accountholders was more than 21% in November, also a record, according to Federal Reserve data. The federal agency's analysis defines large lenders as the nation's 25 biggest, and small lenders as all others in its sample. Credit scores didn't impact findingsThe CFPB's new interest-rate findings are consistent regardless of a consumer's credit score, it said. Why interest rates may not matter for some usersThe CFPB report doesn't necessarily offer a complete picture of the credit card market, Rossman said.

Persons: Olga Rolenko, spokespeople, Lindsey Johnson, CFPB, Ted Rossman, Rossman, cardholders, Bankrate, Rohit Chopra Organizations: Federal Reserve, Consumer Bankers Association, American Bankers Association, —

☆ Biden administration unveils proposed changes to big banks' overdraft fees
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesWASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday unveiled long-awaited changes to how the nation's biggest banks structure overdraft protection plans. Since 2000, American consumers have paid an estimated $280 billion in bank overdraft fees, according to CFPB data. During that time, the annual revenue big banks derived from overdraft fees soared, helped along by the boom in consumer debit cards tied directly to checking accounts. Taken together, these banks typically account for more than 80% of the overdraft fees charged in any given year. Banking trade groups deeply opposed to any changes in the overdraft rules have already begun to mobilize opposition, which is only expected to grow.

Persons: Washington . Samuel Corum, Joe Biden, Parks, Lael Brainard, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, CFPB, Biden Organizations: Consumer Financial, Bloomberg, Getty Images WASHINGTON, National Economic, White, AFP, Getty, Banking, Consumer Bankers Association Locations: Washington ., Washington ,

Federal rules require banks to reimburse customers for payments made without their authorization, such as by hackers, but not when customers themselves make the transfer. Following its launch in 2017, Zelle grew to become one of the largest U.S. peer-to-peer payments networks by total payments. A March 2022 New York Times report that scams were flourishing on Zelle caught the attention of lawmakers frequently critical of big banks, including Senator Elizabeth Warren. He said Zelle has seen "a step-change reduction" in fraud and scam rates this year but declined to provide details. Chance said EWS has been engaging with policymakers on the need for a "holistic approach" to combating scams, including advocating for more dedicated law enforcement resources.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, Jane Fraser, Brian Moynihan, Banks, Ben Chance, Zelle, Elizabeth Warren, Warren, Dimon, EWS, Chance, ”, Trace, Carla Sanchez, Adams, we're, Lindsey Johnson, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Michelle Price, Rod Nickel Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Capitol, Warning, Reuters, Federal, JPMorgan, New York Times, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, PayPal, National Consumer Law, Consumer Bankers Association, Thomson Locations: Zelle, U.S, Warren, Washington, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The top U.S. consumer financial watchdog on Tuesday proposed to regulate tech giants' digital payments and smartphone wallet services, saying they rival traditional payment methods in scale and scope but lack consumer safeguards. In a statement on Tuesday, Chopra said the tech sector had expanded into financial services traditionally provided by the closely regulated banking sector. "Today's rule would crack down on one avenue for regulatory arbitrage by ensuring large technology firms and other nonbank payments companies are subjected to appropriate oversight," he said. Representatives of Big Tech companies have previously highlighted their efforts to protect consumer data. The agency said the rule would also foster competition by ensuring that both traditional financial players and the tech sector were equally subject to the same oversight.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Block's, CashApp, Rohit Chopra, Chopra, CFPB, Lindsey Johnson, Douglas Gillison, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Matthew Lewis, Mark Potter, David Gregorio Our Organizations: PayPal, REUTERS, Rights, Consumer, Apple, Big Tech, Consumer Bankers Association, Electronic Transactions Association, Thomson Locations: Washington, New York

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators will begin grading banks on which communities and geographies they service via online lending under tougher new rules modernizing fair lending standards to be finalized on Tuesday. The changes to 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations draw a line under a contentious multiyear effort that was delayed amid fierce lobbying by community groups and lenders, as well as by a change of presidential administrations. Conceived to prevent red lining, CRA regulations are central to banks' overall supervisory performance. Historically, CRA grades focused on how well banks serviced low-income communities where banks have branches. Banks on Tuesday said they supported fair lending but flagged concerns with the final rule.

Persons: Michael Barr, Michelle Bowman, Banks, Randy Benjenk, Lindsey Johnson, Pete Schroeder, Andrea Ricci, Michelle Price, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Federal, Fed, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office, Covington, Consumer Bankers Association, Thomson Locations: U.S, Burling

☆ Why credit card late fees may drop to $8
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

How things might changeIf no substantive changes are made to the proposal, here is how late fees would change, relative to current rules. Today, they may charge you automatically up to $41 ($30 for your first late payment but $41 for subsequent ones). But since the CFPB hasn’t seen today’s late fees exceed $41, it is unlikely you would see late fees as high as those examples suggest, Shearer noted. Among them, they assert that the CFPB’s estimates don’t account for the costs associated with uncollected late fees or the forgiveness of late fees by financial institutions. As a result, the cost of credit will increase, credit availability will drop, and rewards and other credit card features will decline and some may disappear,” the letter stated.

Persons: Brian Shearer, Rohit Chopra, Shearer, ”, “, ” CFPB’s Shearer Organizations: New, New York CNN, Consumer Financial, American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, National Association of, ABA Locations: New York

Banks' commercial real estate portfolios performed better than expected, showing $65 billion in losses or 8.8% of average loan losses, slightly down on last year's 9.8%, the Fed said. "Some may ask how all the banks can get a regulatory thumbs-up when the industry just went through a period of turmoil. The test assesses whether banks would stay above the required minimum 4.5% capital ratio. The average capital ratio for the 23 banks was 10.1%, the Fed said. That compares with 9.7% last year, when the central bank tested 34 lenders against a slightly easier scenario.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab, Michael Barr, ” Barr, Banks, Barr, Lindsey Johnson, Dennis Kelleher, Ian Katz, Pete Schroeder, Caroline Valetkevich, Deepa Babington, Stephen Coates Organizations: Federal, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Charles Schwab Corp, Deutsche Bank's, Financial Corp, U.S . Bancorp, Valley Bank, Wells, JPMorgan, Industry, Consumer Bankers Association, U.S, Treasury, T Bank, PNC Financial, Citizens Financial, Better, Fed, Capital Alpha Partners, Thomson Locations: Big U.S, Wells Fargo, U.S

☆ US banks rethink social media as a threat, not a marketing tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Nupur Anand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Greg Becker, the former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, blamed social media as an "unprecedented" factor in the lender's demise. The former CEO of First Republic Bank, Michael Roffler, also blamed social media for its collapse two months later. Bank executives and directors have ordered their companies to add social media into risk-management programs, according to regional bank executives who declined to be identified because the discussions are private. "NIP IT IN THE BUD"Banks are also contacting customers who complain on social media to address their issues quickly. The Financial Stability Board, an international body, is also investigating the role of social media in recent market turmoil, a source said.

☆ Quotes: Fed plans broad revamp of bank oversight in wake of SVB collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The assertion in the introduction that the Fed should focus on large bank capital requirements is disconnected from the report's conclusions. AMERICAN BANK ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AND CEO ROB NICOLS"We take any bank failure seriously, and we will review the findings and proposed policy changes in these reports carefully, including where the conclusions may differ. JONATHAN MONDILLO, HEAD OF NORTH AMERICAN FIXED INCOME AT ABRDN"We're likely to see higher capital requirements. What that means for the overall markets is that the devil is in the details: how stringent those capital requirements will be. A potential First Republic Bank failure could similarly present a risk to the long-term investment strategy of high net-worth individuals."

NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp's (BAC.N) digital personal finance tool, Life Plan, has attracted more than $55 billion in new money since its launch in late 2020, as customers use technology to set financial goals. Life Plan, which has more than 10 million users, enables customers to set goals such as saving for a vacation or college or to build a retirement fund. BofA's app allows customers to move money around their bank and brokerage accounts, as well as pull in funds from other institutions, David Tyrie, chief digital officer at Bank of America, told Reuters. While millennials and Gen-Z account for 63% of the app's users, Gen X and baby boomers make up 38%. Reporting by Lananh Nguyen and Nupur Anand in New York; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Las Vegas, March 29 (Reuters) - Consumer and mid-sized banks are planning to monitor their internal processes more closely and hold more frequent discussions with regulators as the industry tries to move forward from weeks of turmoil, industry executives say. She spoke as senior executives from regional and mid-sized U.S. banks gathered alongside regulators for the association's annual conference this week. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said regulators were focused on maintaining stability of the financial system. In recent weeks, President Joe Biden, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and industry executives have made public statements aimed at reassuring depositors. "The banking system is pretty sound," and large and regional banks are well-capitalized, Citigroup Inc (C.N) CEO Jane Fraser said last week.

March 28 (Reuters) - The recent failures of mid-size U.S. lenders show the need for more robust risk management at banks and fintechs, along with improved regulation, the head of the top consumer financial watchdog agency said on Tuesday. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra told a gathering of retail bankers in Las Vegas that regulators were looking at liquidity, interest-rate risk management, capital frameworks, resolution planning and stress testing. "It will be good for the industry to have some honest conversations with itself about what is the way for the regulatory framework to not create this type of risk," Chopra said. As head of the CFPB, Chopra also sits on the board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which took over failed Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month. He also serves on the Financial Stability Oversight Council, created in the wake of the 2008 crash.

LAS VEGAS, March 28 (Reuters) - Mid-sized U.S. lenders are getting creative as they try to hang onto customer deposits after two bank failures rattled consumers and spurred a $119 billion exodus from small institutions in recent weeks. Industry executives discussed strategies to bolster trust in their institutions at an annual meeting of the Consumer Bankers Association conference on Monday in Las Vegas. Paying higher rates on deposits is the most common way to make them stick, executives said. Despite the recent flight in deposits to large banks, one banker at a mid-sized bank said they were confident the lender could survive the recent exodus. Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer and Nupur Anand in Las Vegas; Editing by Lananh Nguyen and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The lawsuit marks a major escalation of tensions between the industry and the consumer watchdog, which industry groups say has repeatedly overstepped its mandate under President Joe Biden's director Rohit Chopra. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe groups said the agency does not have the legal authority to make that change. Certain financial products, like no-fee checking accounts, could be seen as discriminatory using a disparate impact analysis, the Chamber said. "The CFPB is attempting to pretend that they are Congress and impose new theories of disparate impact through an extra-legal process," Bradley said. The Chamber was joined in the lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Texas, by the American Bankers Association and Consumer Bankers Association, among other state groups.

☆ Chamber of Commerce sues Biden administration regulator over an attempt to fight discrimination at financial services companies
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN Business —The US Chamber of Commerce and other trade groups filed a lawsuit against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over the agency’s recent attempt to examine discrimination in financial services, a move that the groups argue needs congressional approval. The Biden administration recently updated the Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices section of the CFPB’s examination manual to include discrimination – specifically whether financial products are offered equally to all customers of different backgrounds. The groups say allegations of discrimination in finance are investigated from other government agencies. Putting CFPB in charge of that could “result in the disappearance of products consumers currently enjoy and benefit from,” they argue. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other proponents argue it’s a key watchdog agency working for American consumers.

☆ Big U.S. bank CEOs to be grilled by Congress on consumer, social issues
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Pete Schroeder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The line-up includes the CEOs of the four largest U.S. banks: JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, Bank of America's Brian Moynihan, Citi's Jane Fraser and Wells Fargo's Charles Scharf. They will be joined by USBancorp (USB.N) CEO Andy Cecere, PNC Financial (PNC.N) CEO William Demchak, and Truist Financial CEO William Rogers, who run the country's largest regional lenders. That's a message the banks' executives, lobbyists, and trade groups have conveyed during a marathon of private meetings with key lawmakers over the past few weeks, the sources said. But bank executives are also wary of growing criticism from Republicans, traditionally allies who have pushed back against heavy regulation, over what they see as Wall Street's increasingly liberal leanings on environment and social issues. While executives faced some critical questions from Republicans on such issues last year, the pressure will be greater this time, said analysts.

☆ Sen. David Perdue is raising big campaign money with DC lobbyists. He also traded stock shares of several of the companies the lobbyists represent.
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-09 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The senator this year has bought or sold these companies' stock shares, according to an Insider analysis of federal records. The senator's stock trades have become a highly politicized issue, with Ossoff and Democratic allies spending millions of dollars on ads highlighting the controversy. Perdue sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of these companies' stock shares during 2020, an Insider analysis of Senate stock trade disclosure records indicates. The Perdue campaign and the fundraiser coordinator, Alice Perry of The Elevated Group, did not return several requests for comment. The Ossoff campaign declined to comment.

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