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S 4041 111th Congress Senate Finance and Financial Sector Bank accounts, deposits, capital Banking and financial institutions regulation Consumer credit

Prepaid Card Consumer Protection Act of 2010

Introduced: December 17, 2010 See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 17, 2010
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Dec 17, 2010
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Prepaid Card Consumer Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to extend its coverage to spending card accounts (prepaid cards) established by a consumer (or on a consumer's behalf): (1) to which recurring electronic fund transfers may be made, at the consumer's direction, and (2) from which payments may be made, at the consumer's direction, through the use of a card, code, or device. Treats as a spending card account any similar asset account operated or managed by a financial institution, or any other person, whose funds: (1) are pooled with the funds of a person other than the one who established the account, or (2) are held in a name other than that of the person who established the account.

Excludes from the meaning of spending card account: (1) any nonreloadable general-use prepaid card in an amount under $250; and (2) any general-use prepaid card solely associated with a certain kind of health plan, a qualified transportation fringe, a health savings account or any other healthcare benefit account, a gift certificate, a store gift card, an electronic promise, plastic card, or payment code, or device, a nonreloadable card labeled as a gift card and marketed solely as such, or a nonreloadable loyalty, rebate, or promotional card.

Requires a financial institution to offer electronic fund transfer services in connection with a spending card account only if the account is insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and complies with its pass-through deposit insurance requirements.

Requires any person that accepts funds in connection with an electronic fund transfer to a spending card account to: (1) transfer them, within 24 hours after accepting them, to an account at an insured depository institution; or (2) credit the spending card account an amount equal to the amount of such funds.

Waives the requirement for providing a consumer with a periodic statement if a financial institution, among other things, provides the consumer with access to the account balance through a readily available telephone line and the Internet and at an electronic terminal or other device (ATM machine) that allows the consumer to make a balance inquiry. Prohibits the charging of fees for services required to meet these requirements, other than $1 for an optional periodic statement.

Specifies other fees which may and may not be charged in connection with a spending account card.

What's happening now December 17, 2010

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1