We are happy to share this issue of Supervisory Insights with you. We hope you find the articles informative and useful.
Innovation and technology play a critical role in expanding consumer access to banking products and services. As a relatively new financial offering, mobile payments have the potential to significantly change how individuals pay for goods and services. “Mobile Payments: An Evolving Landscape” explores recent advancements in payments services performed on mobile devices, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. This article describes the range of mobile payments options, identifies potential risks associated with their use, and highlights the importance for banks that offer mobile payments services of complying with existing laws and regulations.
To attract and retain depositors, banks may offer high-yield checking accounts. The rates offered by these accounts usually are conditioned on the satisfaction of certain requirements. FDIC examiners have observed instances where the disclosures and promotions for these accounts described these requirements in ways that were inaccurate or potentially misleading. “High-Yield Checking Accounts: Know the Rules” reviews the typical features of these accounts and the disclosure issues most frequently encountered by examiners, issues that potentially can result in violations of consumer protection laws and regulations. The article also highlights the steps examiners take to help ensure a bank is providing customers with account information that is clear and unambiguous.
We welcome your feedback on these articles. Please send your comments as well as suggestions for topics for future issues to SupervisoryJournal@fdic.gov.
Sandra L. Thompson
Director
Division of Risk Management Supervision