FRB Approves Final Rule on Credit Card Practices

From FRB press release:

Release Date: January 12, 2010

For immediate release

The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday approved a final rule amending Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) to protect consumers who use credit cards from a number of costly practices. Credit card issuers must comply with most aspects of the rule beginning on February 22.

"This rule marks an important milestone in the Federal Reserve's efforts to ensure that consumers who rely on credit cards are treated fairly," said Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth A. Duke.  "The rule bans several harmful practices and requires greater transparency in the disclosure of the terms and conditions of credit card accounts."

Among other things, the rule will:

• Protect consumers from unexpected increases in credit card interest rates by generally prohibiting increases in a rate during the first year after an account is opened and increases in a rate that applies to an existing credit card balance.
• Prohibit creditors from issuing a credit card to a consumer who is younger than the age of 21 unless the consumer has the ability to make the required payments or obtains the signature of a parent or other cosigner with the ability to do so.
• Require creditors to obtain a consumer's consent before charging fees for transactions that exceed the credit limit.
• Limit the high fees associated with subprime credit cards.
• Ban creditors from using the "two-cycle" billing method to impose interest charges.
• Prohibit creditors from allocating payments in ways that maximize interest charges.

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