Bank of America hit with $250M in fines and refunds

NEW YORK (AP) — Financial institution of America will reimburse prospects greater than $100 million and pay $150 million in fines for “double-dipping” on overdraft charges, withholding reward bonuses on bank cards and opening accounts with out buyer consent.

Mixed, it is likely one of the highest monetary penalties in years towards Financial institution of America, which has largely spent the final 15 years attempting to scrub up its status and market itself to the general public as a financial institution centered on monetary well being and never on overdraft payment revenue and monetary trickery.

BofA should refund $100 million to prospects, pay $90 million in penalties to the Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau and $60 million to the Workplace of the Comptroller of the Foreign money. “Financial institution of America wrongfully withheld bank card rewards, double-dipped on charges, and opened accounts with out consent,” mentioned CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, in a press release. “These practices are unlawful and undermine buyer belief.”

Empowered by a broad mandate from the White Home, Chopra and the bureau have centered closely prior to now yr on the problem of “ junk charges ” — charges charged to People which might be typically seen as pointless or exploitative by banks, debt collectors, airways and live performance venues. Banks corresponding to BofA, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and others have been a goal for the bureau below the Biden administration.

A part of the fines and penalties come as a result of Financial institution of America had a coverage of charging prospects $35 after the financial institution declined a transaction as a result of the client didn’t have sufficient funds of their account, the CFPB mentioned. The company decided that the financial institution double-dipped by permitting charges to be repeatedly charged for a similar transaction.

The charges typically got here when prospects had routine month-to-month transactions, like a health club membership. If a buyer had too low of a stability to cowl the transaction, it might be declined and BofA would cost the client a $35 payment. The enterprise, who hasn’t been paid, typically would recharge the client’s account, leading to one other $35 non-sufficient funds payment.

The financial institution ended this apply final yr, however will nonetheless must repay prospects who acquired charged earlier than the coverage was modified.

BofA has been chopping down on its reliance on overdraft payment income for greater than a decade, and lower how a lot it fees prospects for an overdraft to $15 final yr. Brian Moynihan, the financial institution’s CEO and chairman, informed The Related Press in 2022 that below these new insurance policies, overdraft payment revenue was down 90% from 2021. The financial institution mentioned that it voluntarily decreased overdraft charges and eradicated all non-sufficient fund charges within the first half of final yr.

Financial institution of America additionally supplied individuals money rewards and bonus factors when signing up for a card, however the CFPB mentioned the financial institution illegally withheld promised bank card account bonuses.

The CFPB additionally discovered that, since not less than 2012, Financial institution of America staff illegally utilized for and enrolled customers in bank card accounts with out their data or authorization. It’s a much like, however smaller than, a cost that was made towards Wells Fargo, which paid billions in fines after it was decided that the San Francisco financial institution opened tens of millions of unauthorized financial institution accounts with a view to meet unrealistic gross sales targets.

In 2014 the CFPB ordered Financial institution of America to pay $727 million for unlawful bank card practices. Final yr it was ordered to pay a $10 million civil penalty over illegal garnishments. Additionally in 2022, the CFPB and OCC fined Financial institution of America $225 million and required it to pay a whole bunch of tens of millions of {dollars} in redress to customers for botched disbursement of state unemployment advantages on the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

– Written by Ken Candy and Michelle Chapman for Related Press

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