A Comerica Financial institution signal on a constructing in Walnut Creek, California, March 30, 2023.
Smith Assortment/gado | Archive Images | Getty Photos
The Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau filed a grievance Friday towards Comerica Financial institution, accusing the regional financial institution of failing to manage a federal advantages program that makes use of pay as you go debit playing cards.
The lawsuit claims Comerica Financial institution “deliberately terminated” greater than 24 million customer support calls, charged greater than 1 million cardholders ATM charges they did not owe and mishandled fraud complaints whereas offering federal advantages via the Direct Specific pay as you go debit card program.
“By intentionally disconnecting hundreds of thousands of calls and harvesting unlawful junk charges, Comerica boosted its backside line on the expense of Individuals dwelling on a set revenue,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra mentioned.
The Direct Specific program is a pay as you go card that beneficiaries of Social Safety and different federal packages can use to pay for bills together with groceries and fuel. Comerica has been contracted with the Division of the Treasury since 2008 to manage this system and deal with customer support for the hundreds of thousands of Individuals utilizing the pay as you go card, a lot of whom are disabled and older and do not have a financial institution.
Whereas the Direct Specific web site advertises 24/7 customer support, the CFPB alleges that “when folks had issues with their accounts, it was usually inconceivable to speak to somebody who would assist.”
Comerica filed an earlier grievance towards the CFPB on Nov. 8, arguing the bureau had overreached in its dealing with of the case and “has did not acknowledge that, as Monetary Agent of the Direct Specific program, Comerica typically acted with the oversight and data or approval of the federal authorities,” the go well with reads.
“All through the CFPB’s investigation, we’ve cooperated by sharing data and information for instance the distinctive nature of this program and the truth that we function with the oversight of the Fiscal Service,” mentioned Louis Mora, Comerica vice chairman of media relations. “Regardless of our good religion efforts to offer this crucial context, the CFPB has constantly ignored our arguments and documentation.”
“We’ll proceed to vigorously defend our report because the monetary agent for the Direct Specific program and stay dedicated to serving our cardholders,” Mora continued.
The CFPB has taken motion towards banks for mishandling advantages previously, together with in 2022 when the bureau fined Financial institution of America $100 million for mishandling state unemployment advantages in 2020 and 2021. The Workplace of the Comptroller of the Forex additionally fined the financial institution $125 million in a separate order.
— NBC Information’ Steve Kopack contributed to this report
