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CFPB Finalizes Amendments to Regulation E’s Remittance Transfer Requirements

michaelchristians • May 13, 2020

On May 11th, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule which makes several changes to the remittance transfer requirements found in Subpart B of Regulation E. The final rule is effective on July 21, 2020.

Scope and Coverage
Currently, a financial institution is not subject to Regulation E’s remittance transfer requirements if it:

  •  Provided 100 or fewer remittance transfers in the previous calendar year; and
  •  Provides 100 or fewer remittance transfers in the current calendar year.

Upon the rule’s effective date, a financial institution that provides 500 or fewer remittance transfers in both the previous and current calendar years will not be subject to the remittance transfer requirements.

Estimates
Under Regulation E, a financial institution subject to the remittance transfer requirements must provide the sender with both a pre-payment disclosure (before the sender is required to pay for the remittance transfer) and a receipt (after the sender makes payment for the remittance transfer). These disclosures contain, among other things: the exchange rate, fees charged by a third-party in connection with the transfer, etc.

Under the temporary exception found in Section 1005.32, a financial institution is permitted to use estimates in connection with these disclosures if it is unable to determine exact amounts for reasons beyond its control. However, this temporary exception expires on July 21, 2020.

In response, the CFPB included the following permanent exceptions in the final rule:

  •  A financial institution is permitted to estimate the exchange rate in connection with a remittance transfer if all of the following are true –
    •  The sender is requesting to send the remittance transfer from his/her account at the financial institution,
    •  The financial institution cannot determine the exact exchange rate at the time it is required to provide disclosures, and
    •  In the prior calendar year, the financial institution sent 1,000 or fewer remittance transfers to the particular country to which the remittance transfer in question is being sent.
  •  A financial institution is permitted to estimate third-party fees in connection with a remittance transfer if all of the following are true –
    •  The sender is requesting to send the remittance transfer from his/her account at the financial institution,
    •  The financial institution cannot determine the exact third-party fees at the time it is required to provide disclosures, and
    •  In the prior calendar year, the financial institution sent 500 or fewer remittance transfers to the particular country to which the remittance transfer in question is being sent.

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