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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

Federal, State Officials Focus on Employee Payroll Cards

CFPB State Attorney General Prepaid Cards EFTA

Fintech

On July 11, a group of Democratic Senators urged the CFPB and the Department of Labor to “take swift action” regarding prepaid payroll cards. The Senators expressed concern that workers do not understand the “excessive fees” and “harmful practices” associated with such cards, and suggested that those fees and practices - specifically, those relating to ATM use, balance inquiry, swipe purchases, overdraft, and inactivity, among others – may violate the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and its implementing regulation, Regulation E. The lawmakers asked the CFPB to conduct a study to better understand these fees and their impact on workers, and to clarify through a rulemaking or other supervisory action the options employers must provide to their employees under Regulation E. The Senators’ letter follows reports of an investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman into potential state law violations related to employers’ use of payroll cards.