The bureau issued a template for the savings programs as part of its overall compliance assistance policies.
8/12/2020 10:30
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a Compliance Assistance Statement of Terms Template (CAST Template) under its Compliance Assistance Sandbox (CAS) Policy to Build Commonwealth Inc.
Employers interested in creating an automatic savings (Autosave) program as a way for employees to build emergency savings and increase their financial resiliency would be able to use the CAST Template as the basis for an application to receive approval from the bureau to create such a program, according to a news release from the CFPB.
Under an Autosave program, new and existing employees would be able to build emergency savings by directing a portion of their earnings to an existing account at a financial institution of their choice. If an employee does not designate an account, the employer would create an Autosave account for the employee at an institution designated by the employer. Autosave programs would be structured similarly to automatic 401(k) retirement savings programs and employees would receive certain advance notice and have the right to not participate, according to the CFPB.
A 2019 report by the Federal Reserve showed that 37% of adults could not cover a $400 expense with cash or a cash equivalent. For 25% of these adults, the most common approach was to pay for the expense using a credit card and then carry a balance. Twelve percent of adults said they would be unable to pay the expense by any means.
Regulatory uncertainty can hinder the development of innovative products and services with the potential to benefit consumers. To encourage innovation, last year the bureau introduced the CAS Policy, which enables testing of a financial product or service where there is regulatory uncertainty, according to the CFPB news release.
In comments filed in 2019, ACA International sought guidance on how the accounts receivable management industry can incorporate innovation into its financial services for consumers and recommended a safe harbor provision for a bona fide error defense under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in the sandbox policy, ACA previously reported.
After the bureau evaluates the product or service for compliance with relevant law, an approved applicant that complies in good faith with the terms of the approval will have a “safe harbor” from liability for specified conduct during the testing period, according to the CFPB news release. The policy includes a provision concerning CAST templates, which permit third-party entities such as service providers or nonprofits to secure a template that can serve as the foundation for approval applications from covered entities that provide consumer financial products or services. Approvals based on the Commonwealth CAST Template will provide protection from liability under the “compulsory use” provisions of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), and the bureau’s regulation implementing EFTA, Regulation E, according to the CFPB.
Bulld Commonwealth’s application may be found here.
The Commonwealth CAST Template may be found here.
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CFPB Seeks Comments on Pilot Advisory Opinion Program
New CFPB Policies Address Innovation and Compliance; More to Come for the ARM Industry
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