Pay Magazine – Spring 2017
Paybefore’s Pay Magazine Spring 2017 issue out now.
Regulation
Fintech funding round-up: 24 April 2017
The latest fintech funding round-up featuring Token, Ongo, National Bank of Canada (NBC) and a bunch of venture capitalist firms.
CFPB to Delay Final Prepaid Rule by 6 Months, ‘Revisit’ Aspects with New Proposal
It’s official. The CFPB is pushing back the effective date of its final rule on prepaid accounts until April 1, 2018—six months after the originally scheduled implementation date of Oct. 1, 2017. What’s more, the agency has decided to “revisit at least two substantive issues” in the final rule: requirements for digital wallets that are capable of storing funds; and error resolution and liability limitations for prepaid accounts that cannot or have not yet been registered.
Top fintech stories this week – 14 April 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Mastercard gets approval to buy VocaLink for $920m Deal expected to close in coming weeks. Bank of England implicated in Libor rigging by secret recording Well, it was secret. FIS sheds Ambit Private Banking business FIS inherited it […]
The CFPB and Dodd-Frank Could Face another Congressional Threat
Congressional Republicans hoping to hobble the CFPB and unwind the law that supports it, the Dodd-Frank Act, have another tool at their disposal.
Mastercard Wins U.K. Approval for VocaLink Buy
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority gave its blessing April 11, enabling Mastercard to complete its acquisition of 92.4 percent of VocaLink Holdings for $920 million. The deal, which is expected to close within weeks, gives Mastercard control of a large portion of the U.K. transaction processing market.
UK regulator plays sheriff to fight “Wild West” sandboxes
As fintech regulators across the world begin to set up their own sandboxes, with different models and standards, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority says a “Wild West” version could emerge. But hang on folks, we got a new sheriff in town. Speaking at the Innovate Finance Global Summit in London, Christopher Woolard, executive director of […]
U.S. Rep. Tipton Pushes for Longer CFPB Prepaid Rule Delay
The CFPB accepted comments on its proposed delay of the effective date for its final rule on prepaid accounts through April 5. Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) likes the idea of a delay so much, he’s proposing giving the industry even more time.
FDIC Savings Pilot Helps Students, Banks
Students gain financial literacy and banks develop important relationships with the community and new banking customers as shown in the FDIC’s Youth Savings Pilot.
Credit Card Complaints Increase in CFPB’s Latest Snapshot Report
Billing disputes and fraud, identity theft and embezzlement are among the most common complaints that consumers have about their credit cards, according to the CFPB.
States Square off in Fight over CFPB Leadership Structure
The states weigh in on the CFPB leadership structure with two amicus briefs. A group of 17 states, plus the District of Columbia, has sided with the agency as it fights a court ruling that says the president should have the authority to fire the head of the CFPB. Meanwhile, 15 other states have taken an opposing stance.
PIF Seeks Clarity, Exemptions as U.K. Moves toward PSD2
As the U.K. moves ahead with plans to implement the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), the Prepaid International Forum (PIF) has asked regulators for more clarification on certain aspects of how the framework will be applied in the country.
Class Action Filed Against Bank over Prison-Release Cards
A proposed class action lawsuit was filed by a former prisoner who claims he had no choice but to receive a prepaid card upon his release instead of the cash he arrived with, minus any card fees he was charged.
Supreme Court Finds N.Y. Surcharge Laws Regulate Speech
The Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision finding that a New York law prohibiting merchants from disclosing surcharges to cover the costs of credit card processing while allowing for discounts in the case of cash transactions regulated speech
Netspend Settles with FTC for $53 Million
Facing charges by the Federal Trade Commission that Netspend deceived cardholders and denied or delayed their access to funds, the TSYS subsidiary agreed to a $53 million settlement, which consists of $40 million on deposit in customer accounts and $13 million in refunded fees. Netspend doesn’t admit any wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement.
Regulation and Prepaid Dominate the Conversation in 2017
A look at the most popular Viewpoints in Pay Op-Ed so far in 2017 shows two clear trends of thought: What will happen to the CFPB and payments under the Trump administration, and how can prepaid providers reach more consumers and increase profitability?
Wells Fargo Settles Account-Scandal Claims but Runs Afoul of Federal Regulator
Wells Fargo will pay $110 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by U.S. consumers over a scandal about fake accounts its employees set up for customers without their knowledge. But the trouble continues for the financial institution, which has received a dim evaluation from a federal regulator.
PSR pushes for greater payments competition and innovation
The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is calling for even more competition and creativity in the sector over the next 12 months. At the launch of its “Annual Plan and Budget for the year 2017/18”, held at the Barbican Centre in London, it summarised its achievements and set out its ambitions to build on the […]
SCOTUS Won’t Revive Settlement in Interchange Case
A legal battle between merchants and payment networks over interchange fees that has been raging for more than a decade will continue now that the Supreme Court has declined to restore a $5.7 billion settlement agreement that was tossed out by a lower court.
Federal Judge Dismisses CFPB Suit against Payments Processor
A federal judge has dismissed an unfair practices lawsuit filed by the CFPB against a North Dakota-based payment processor. The federal agency had accused Intercept Corp. of permitting unauthorized and other illegal withdrawals from consumer accounts by its clients.
ClauseMatch right match for Barclays compliance
Barclays has chosen smart document management provider ClauseMatch for handling policies and standards in one place with a new online editor. London-based ClauseMatch, a 2014 graduate of the inaugural Barclays accelerator programme, will provide its editor to the bank. This tool turns a “fragmented workflow” of Word documents, PDFs and e-mails and replaces them with […]
A vaccination for financial crime
ransaction monitoring is emerging as one of the top priorities for banks and other financial institutions. Some now employ up to three per cent of their workforce to track financial crime. But, as leadership teams look to increase the effectiveness of their processes in the face of regulatory scrutiny and reduce costs, are there lessons to be learnt from health industry and its battle against infectious diseases?
Responsibility isn’t about rules
What can banks learn from the fintech community when it comes to fostering a culture of innovation against a backdrop of regulation?
CFPB fines Experian $3m for credit score marketing
CFPB has taken action against Experian over allegations that the company made false claims about the uses of credit scores it sold to consumers.
Tug of love turns to group hug for banks and fintechs
With the EU’s Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and open architecture framework set to come into force next year, regulation may well tip the scales between banks and fintechs for customer loyalty, according to a new report conducted for Temenos by the Economist Intelligence Unit. In the 36-page study, “Symbiosis: Your bank has your trust. […]
Will the CFPB’s Proposed Six-Month Effective Date Extension Be Enough?
In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the CFPB proposed pushing back the effective date of the final prepaid accounts rule to April 1, 2018. The six-month delay provides industry participants more time to handle the difficulties of complying with certain provisions of the rule and for the CFPB to assess whether any additional adjustments to the rule are appropriate. Comments are due by April 5, 2017.
SEC Says ‘No’ to Winklevoss Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund
The Securities and Exchange Commission denied the application of Internet entrepreneurs and venture capitalists Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss to create an exchange-traded fund for the virtual currency bitcoin.
DOJ Weighs in on CFPB Leadership Case, Calls for Changes to Dodd-Frank
The Department of Justice files an amicus brief filed with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that the president should have the authority to fire the head of the CFPB, but stopped short of calling for the bureau’s leadership format to be changed.
CFPB Stares down another D.C. Challenge
House bill 1009 would require the CFPB and other independent federal agencies to submit regulations annually to a White House office for review, in the latest push to reform the CFPB and otherwise reduce regulatory burdens for the financial and payments industry under the Trump administration.
Illinois Regulator Joins Global Virtual Currency Consortium
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has become the first U.S. regulatory agency to join the R3 Consortium, a global partnership of banks and other parties working to develop distributed ledger-based applications for financial services. The agency oversees the regulation and licensing of banks and financial institutions, among other businesses, in the state.
Faster Loans for Consumers with Little Credit History? Experian and Finicity Think So.
New underwriting technology developed by Experian and financial data aggregator Finicity could speed up borrowing and enable millennials and other consumers with thin or no credit files to receive money. The product emerges amid a federal call for more work on helping those potential borrowers build credit scores.
Survey: how regtech savvy are you?
Banking Technology and BearingPoint are conducting a brief survey to find out the industry view on regtech and its implications for all parties involved.
Wells Fargo Faces New Pressure from Top Democrat over Fake Accounts
The top Democrat on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee wants to interview executives from Wells Fargo over a scandal about fake accounts its employees set up for customers. Last year, the CFPB announced a $100 million fine against Wells Fargo for what the agency called “widespread unlawful sales practices.” The agency said the fine was the largest such penalty it has ever issued.
Under Renewed Fire, the OCC Moves Forward with its Fintech Charter Plan
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is moving forward with its plan to enable fintech companies to become special purpose national banks (SPNBs), releasing a licensing manual draft supplement which provides guidance on how the OCC “will apply the licensing standards and requirements in its existing regulations and policies to fintech companies applying for [SPNB] charters“ and another document that summarizes public comments about the plan to allow SPNBs for fintech companies. The special purpose charter has no shortage of critics, but perhaps the most vocal—New York State—has turned up the dial on its opposition.
The Bancorp Hires Neurohr to Lead Compliance
With federal and state payments regulation in near-constant flux, compliance strategy continues to be of utmost importance, especially for issuers. Amid this landscape, The Bancorp has named Bill Neurohr to head its compliance operations and serve as the point man for the company’s interactions with regulators.
Fintech funding round-up: 14 March 2017
Life needs less noise. So here words are destroyed. A round-up of key events in fintech funding. Featuring Autobooks, University of British Columbia, Scotiabank and more. Michigan-based start-up Autobooks has raised $5.5 million in funding. This follows an earlier $2 million seed funding round. Draper Triangle Ventures led the latest round and was joined by […]
Top fintech stories this week – 10 March 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
CFPB Proposes Delay, Potential Tweaks on Prepaid Rule
Prepaid stakeholders scrambling to meet the Oct. 1, 2017, effective date for the CFPB’s final rule on prepaid accounts can take a breath. The CFPB has proposed delaying the effective date by six months—and has signaled it might be open to tweaking some aspects of the rule.
New global fintech group for standardisation launches
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) Financial Services Committee (TC/68) has unveiled its new global committee, the Fintech Technical Advisory Group (TAG), to act as a sounding board for data and technology standards. The group’s goal is to establish a “proactive dialogue” with financial institutions, their regulators, and supply chain and fintech firm. TAG’s objectives are […]
Disrupting Payments for the Better at Mobile World Congress
A deep dive into a packed panel discussion on disruption at the annual conference shows how payments providers are mapping the future with new technology, and how traditional players can endure.
