Publisher's Synopsis
In February 2012, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) initiated a broad inquiry into financial institutions' overdraft programs for consumer checking accounts. This effort included a public Request for Information (RFI) and a detailed study of overdraft programs at a small set of large banks that are supervised by the CFPB. These banks provide a significant portion of all U.S. consumer checking accounts. Through the CFPB's supervision program, these banks have provided institution-level information about their overdraft programs and accounts during 2010 and 2011. Many of the concerns that motivated the CFPB's inquiry are not new. In response to growing costs to consumers, federal agencies have addressed these issues in different ways at different times, which industry has recognized.a Our review is intended to provide the factual basis to inform efforts to develop more uniform treatment of these issues across financial institutions.
