The Durbin Amendment’s debit card interchange price cap took effect six years ago this month, prompting a merchant group to celebrate the occasion and claim the measure has saved consumers and merchants $48 billion. But a lobbying group of payment networks and banks derided those savings estimates and once again said the amendment has hurt consumers.
Viewing results for:
Digital Transactions: Merchants Celebrate the Durbin Amendment’s Sixth Birthday as Payments Group Sneers
Digital Transactions | October 16, 2017
Voters’ Views Highlight Importance of National Data Security Standards
Electronic Payments Coalition | September 5, 2017
More than half of voters are concerned with data breaches when purchasing goods at a large retailer, according to new Morning Consult survey data, underscoring the need for national data security standards.
As the number of retail data breaches increases, consumers continue to place more trust in banks and card companies when it comes to security and innovation. The survey showed there is a 32-point margin between people who trust card companies versus people who trust retailers when it comes to keeping card information secure. Plus, banks and card companies are the only entities a majority of voters place a lot of trust when it comes to the security of their personal information.
While financial institutions are subject to the data security requirements set by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), there are no similar national standards for retailers. The Electronic Payments Coalition (EPC) has long advocated for national data security standards to better protect consumers’ personal information from breaches.
“Financial institutions are committed to protecting their customers’ information before a breach even occurs. But if it does, they work hard to minimize the harm to their customers,” said Molly Wilkinson, executive director of EPC. “Until there are similar data security standards for retailers as there are for financial institutions, community banks and credit unions will continue to take on the burden of card replacement costs, reimbursing customers for fraud, and monitoring for fraudulent activity.”
Additionally, seven in ten voters say it is likely a more secure way to pay for goods will be introduced over the next few years. Four times as many voters trust banks and financial institutions over retail stores to develop these new, more secure payment technologies.
“In today’s ever changing world, we cannot remain static with our technologies,” said Wilkinson. “This is why banks and card companies are continuously innovating and providing new technologies for their customers to make their lives better and safer. Providing consumers with the latest security, as well as easy ways to pay, is a major focus of the payments industry.”
To view EPC’s infographic on the polling, click here.
Morning Consult, on behalf of the Electronic Payments Coalition, conducted an online survey of 2,000 registered voters from August 23-24, 2017. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of +/- 2 percent.
Infographic: Voters Trust Banks & Card Companies with Security Information
Electronic Payments Coalition | September 5, 2017
NBCC: Study by Federal Reserve economists shows the ‘Durbin Amendment” is a failed policy
The Hill | August 31, 2017
It sometimes amazes me how many proof points Congress needs to act on an issue. Here is hoping that on the matter of debit card interchange fees, a recent Federal Reserve report is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
The new study recently published by two Federal Reserve economists provides definitive proof, once again, that the Durbin amendment is a failed public policy. This deep dive examines the impact these price controls have had on consumers, and comes to the same conclusion that we and many others have been telling Congress for years: it hurts the very people Congress says they are trying to protect.
Op-Ed: Fed finds (again!) that Durbin Amendment hurts consumers
The Hill | July 26, 2017
The Federal Reserve Board of Governors recently released a report called “The Impact of Price Controls in Two-sided Markets: Evidence from US Debit Card Interchange Fee Regulation.” That dense title is one that few consumers—or even policy wonks—will put on their August reading lists.
They should. It proves, yet again, that lawmakers like House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and others were right: the Durbin amendment, shoved into the 2010 Dodd-Frank bill at the last minute by politicians doing the bidding of merchants like Walmart, is the reason that American consumers are paying more to bank.
Op-Ed: Markup Of CHOICE Act Proves The Retailers Have No Clothes
Forbes | June 13, 2017
In the Hans Christian Andersen tale the Emperor Has No Clothes, a king is convinced by two scam artists that they can weave him a suit that can only be seen by the best and brightest in the land. As the Emperor parades around naked, his subjects are fearful to comment because they don’t want to be viewed as stupid. It finally takes a child to blurt out what is clear to everyone – that indeed the emperor was wearing nothing at all.
This story is reminiscent of the fairy tale retailers have been telling for the past seven years – trying to convince Congress that price controls on debit card interchange fees are beneficial to consumers and small businesses.
Op-Ed: Banklike data security rules for retailers would reduce breaches
American Banker | June 12, 2017
Target’s recent settlement with 47 states and the District of Columbia over the retailer’s 2013 data breach brought to mind this well-known John F. Kennedy quote: “There are risks and costs to a program of action — but they are far less than the long-range cost of comfortable inaction.”
The $18 million settlement is in addition to $202 million in legal fees and other expenses resulting from the breach, in which hackers stole data from up to 40 million credit and debit cards of shoppers who had visited Target stores during the holiday season.
EPC Cheers Hensarling, Luetkemeyer and Budd for Support of Durbin Amendment Repeal
Electronic Payments Coalition | June 8, 2017
WASHINGTON—(June 8, 2017)—The Electronic Payments Coalition (EPC) applauds House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) Chairman Jeb Hensarling and Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and Ted Budd (R-NC) for speaking out today on the House floor in defense of the consumers, small businesses, credit unions, and community banks harmed by the Durbin amendment. Although repeal of the Durbin amendment was removed from the CHOICE Act, these leaders stressed the importance of ending this failed policy.
“As Chairman Hensarling, Reps. Luetkemeyer and Budd stated, price controls have no place in government policy, as they go against free market principles and always end up hurting consumers,” said Molly Wilkinson, executive director of EPC. “For six years too long, the Durbin price controls have allowed big box retailers to pocket $42 billion at the expense of consumers, small businesses, community banks, and credit unions. We appreciate their leadership in the fight to end this merchant markup and urge Congress to support efforts to repeal this policy.”
Today on the House floor, Chairman Hensarling declared that, “When government fixes market prices, consumer welfare suffers. It’s not a surprise that the Durbin amendment resulted in a net loss of perhaps $25 billion for consumers … I remain hopeful Congress will correct this mistake, and I will work towards that goal in the future.” Led by Chairman Hensarling, two separate Congresses have taken action in the past year to repeal the Durbin amendment. In September 2016, the 114th Congress’s HFSC passed the CHOICE Act of 2016, which included Durbin amendment repeal. In May, the HFSC of the 115th Congress voted once again to end the provision as part of CHOICE 2.0.
Rep. Luetkemeyer also reiterated support for the repeal of the Durbin amendment, explaining that “Congress should not be in the business of price fixing. Price controls will never work and will always have negative consequences. I’m committed to returning to free market principles that deliver real results for consumers.” In addition to serving on the HFSC, Rep. Luetkemeyer is also the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, as well as the Vice Chair on the House Small Business Committee. As a former community banker and small businessman, Rep. Luetkemeyer has long been an advocate for these institutions which contribute to economic growth.
Also on the House floor today, Rep. Budd explained the Durbin amendment has hurt low-income consumers and that those “who campaigned on a platform of free markets and limited government” should stand by their principles and support repeal. A freshman congressman, Rep. Budd grew up in a family business and now owns a small business in North Carolina. After being assigned to HFSC in January, he announced his commitment to promoting “free market principles [and] entrepreneurial spirit.” He has spoken out against the Durbin amendment multiple times for allowing the government to intervene in the free market.
According the International Center for Law & Economics, the Durbin amendment and its disastrous outcomes have particularly hurt low-income consumers, who rely on free checking and other banking services, as well as small businesses. In fact, a report by Javelin Strategy & Research showed that small merchants care more about value, rather than cost, when it comes to debit card transactions and fees, underscoring the importance of a competitive free market system.
“Multiple studies confirm the Durbin amendment has failed to benefit anyone but big box stores, who have not passed along savings to consumers as promised, while retailers continue to peddle the same misleading study in order to protect this special interest handout,” said Wilkinson. “We look forward to working with Congress to repeal the Durbin amendment and bring needed relief to consumers.”
To learn more about the Durbin amendment’s failures, click here.
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Press Releases/Statements
Consumer Harm, Durbin Amendment, Small Business Harm, Small Financial Institution Harm
NBCC: The Durbin Amendment Will Yet Be Judged for Its Failures
Morning Consult | June 7, 2017
In a disappointing turn of events, Congress has decided to strip out crucial language from the Financial CHOICE Act that would have righted a serious wrong done to consumers over the last seven years.
Last month, the House Financial Services Committee voted to include language in the bill to repeal the disastrous Durbin amendment, and do away with price controls on debit interchange fees that have provided retailers $42 billion in profit since 2011. These same retailers promised to lower prices for their customers with the additional revenue, but those savings never materialized and in many cases prices have been increased. Tacked on to the enormous Dodd-Frank bill in the 11th hour, the Durbin amendment was full of empty promises that were never fulfilled.
NAFCU’s B. Dan Berger: Tell Congress it’s time for data-security standards for retailers
Credit Union Journal | June 6, 2017
Every time there is a retailer data-security breach, credit unions step forward to make their members whole. A NAFCU survey found that its member credit unions paid an average of $226,000 each in costs associated with retailer data breaches in 2014. Meanwhile, large companies like Target might lose less than one-tenth of one percent of their annual sales due to a data-security breach; and if they want to recoup expenses, they can always raise prices. Credit unions, as not-for-profit, member-owned institutions, have no such remedy.
It’s time to get a national data-security standard in place for retailers. And to do that, we need everyone in the industry – trades, credit unions and the more than 107 million credit union members nationwide – to raise their voices and make Congress take action.