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Consumer Financial Services Watch News and developments related to consumer financial products and services

Monthly Archives: October 2011

CFPB to Host Town Hall in Minneapolis on October 26

By K&L Gates on Posted in Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB), Credit Cards

By: Rebecca Lobenherz

The CFPB, which has regularly reached out to consumers online through its blog posts and its consumer complaint portal, is also seeking consumer input the old-fashioned way – in person. On October 26, Raj Date, Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury for the CFPB, who previously spoke with consumers in Philadelphia, will be headed to Minneapolis, Minnesota to discuss the Bureau’s upcoming initiatives directly with consumers.

CFPB Shares Company Portal Manual with Industry

By K&L Gates on Posted in Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB)

By: Kathryn M. Baugher

In the months ahead, the CFPB will be expanding the coverage of its consumer complaint portal to include products such as mortgages and student loans. Consumers have been able to submit credit card complaints through a portal on the CFPB web site since July 21st. In addition to providing a consumer portal through which consumers can submit and check on the status of their complaints, the CFPB now provides a company portal through which companies can view and respond to consumer complaints. The CFPB recently met with industry representatives to show them how the new system works.

CFPB Official Hints at Disclosure Requirements for Checking Accounts

By K&L Gates on Posted in Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB)

By: David L. Beam

Raj Date recently issued a statement on the CFPB’s web site which suggests that the Bureau is considering a standardized disclosure form for checking account fees. The “problem,” Mr. Date said, “is that checking accounts often come with a wide variety of unexpected costs that can quickly add up for consumers.” One bank might call the fee one thing, while another bank calls it something else. And the circumstances under which banks charge the same fee might be different.

California Governor Vetoes Burdensome Payroll Card Bill

By K&L Gates on Posted in Payment Systems

By: David L. Beam, Steven M. Kaplan, Kathryn M. Baugher

The effort to impose demanding new requirements on payroll cards in California just lost some steam. On Sunday, October 9, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have imposed an onerous set of requirements and restrictions on employers who want to pay employees by payroll card (and, by extension, the financial institutions that provide payroll card programs to employers).