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Bank of America was fined for withholding credit card rewards from customers. The bank's actions led to a significant financial loss for many individuals.
The fine was a result of a class-action lawsuit that alleged the bank had engaged in deceptive practices. This included failing to disclose that rewards would be forfeited if customers didn't meet certain spending requirements.
The lawsuit also claimed that Bank of America had manipulated the rewards system to maximize profits. This involved changing the rewards program's terms without notifying customers.
Customers who were affected by the bank's actions may be eligible for compensation.
Bank of America's Financial Misconduct
Bank of America has been sanctioned for a "double-dipping scheme" that charged customers $35 for overdrafts and repeatedly charged them for the same transaction, generating "substantial additional revenue".
The bank's employees also opened accounts without consumers' knowledge, using or obtaining credit reports and completing applications without permission, resulting in unjust fees and negative impacts to customers' credit scores.
The bank has a history of financial misconduct, having paid $727 million to the CFPB in 2014 for illegally deceiving customers through deceptive marketing products.
In 2022, Bank of America was ordered to pay a $20 million civil money penalty for charging 1.9 million consumers for credit monitoring and credit reporting services they never received.
The bank's actions have been deemed "totally improper" and "totally inexcusable" by the CFPB's Director, Chopra.
Bank of America has also been slapped with two other penalties in 2022, totaling $235 million, for unlawfully processing out-of-state garnishments and automatically freezing customer accounts with a fraud detection program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bank has taken steps to address some of these issues, voluntarily reducing overdraft fees and eliminating non-sufficient fund fees, which has resulted in a drop in revenue from these fees of over 90%.
Bank of America's Fines and Penalties
Bank of America has been slapped with hefty fines and penalties for its alleged wrongdoings. The bank was ordered to pay $727 million to the CFPB in 2014 for deceiving customers through deceptive marketing products.
In 2022, the bank was hit with two more penalties totaling $235 million. It paid a $10 million civil penalty for unlawfully processing out-of-state garnishments and a $225 million fine for automatically and unlawfully freezing customer accounts with a fraud detection program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bank's history of misconduct has led some to call it a "repeat offender."
Withholding Credit Card Rewards
Bank of America has a history of withholding credit card rewards from customers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that the bank illegally withheld tens of thousands of customers from receiving cash and point rewards they were promised when signing up for a credit card.
A common practice in the credit card industry is offering special cash and point rewards to new customers, but Bank of America allegedly did a "bait and switch" by not delivering on these promises. This practice undermines fair market and consumer choice.
The CFPB ordered Bank of America to follow through on its promises and provide the rewards to affected customers. This is just one of the penalties the bank has faced in recent years for its business practices.
$250M Fine
Bank of America has been hit with a $250M fine, but what does that even mean? The fine is actually the result of multiple penalties, adding up to a whopping $250 million.
The bank was ordered to pay $727 million in 2014 for deceiving customers through deceptive marketing products, affecting roughly 1.4 million customers.
This isn't the first time the bank has been penalized for conducting illegal practices, and it's clear that they've been given multiple chances to clean up their act.
Bank of America's Reputation
Bank of America has a history of being a repeat offender when it comes to breaking the rules.
The bank was penalized $727 million in 2014 for deceiving 1.4 million customers through deceptive marketing products.
This is not the first time the bank has been caught red-handed.
In 2022, Bank of America was slapped with a $10 million civil penalty for unlawfully processing out-of-state garnishments.
The bank was also fined $225 million for automatically and unlawfully freezing customer accounts with a fraud detection program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bank of America's actions have cost customers tens of millions of dollars in fees and credit card rewards.
The bank has also been accused of opening up accounts without customers' authorization.
This behavior is unacceptable, especially from a household name like Bank of America.
Sources
- https://www.npr.org/2023/07/11/1187060652/bank-of-america-250-million-illegal-fees-fake-accounts-fines
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-orders-bank-of-america-to-pay-12-million-for-reporting-false-mortgage-data/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bank-of-america-fined-cfpb-tips-to-avoid-bank-fees/
- https://news.slashdot.org/story/23/07/15/0210256/bank-of-america-fined-250m-for-systematic-overcharging-opening-unwanted-credit-cards
- https://www.bankingdive.com/news/bank-america-securities-fined-24m-treasury-spoofing-finra/701306/
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