Thursday, May 28, 2015

Massachusetts: Maximum Fee for Dishonored Checks Is $6.84

The Massachusetts Division of Banking has set the maximum fee for dishonored checks (deposit returned items) at $6.84, which was the median cost for a sample of state chartered financial institutions to process deposit returned items. This maximum fee goes into effect on June 1.

Previously, the maximum fee was $5.71 per item.

Massachusetts State Law authorizes the commissioner of banks to annually establish a reasonable fee that compensates a bank or credit union for the direct cost incurred in processing deposit return items.

The fee was determined from cost data of 74 state chartered banks and credit unions. The sample included 39 banks and 35 credit unions.

The cost of processing a deposit return item ranged from $1.21 to $22.65 per item. The average cost for banks and credit unions were $6.97 and $8.95, respectively.

Based upon the survey, half of the banks and credit unions will not be able to recoup their cost for processing a deposit return item. That is just wrong.

Banks and credit unions should have the freedom to set their prices, not have them dictated by the state. Price controls have the unintended consequence of distorting economic decisions.

Read more.

1 comment:

  1. Does this imply that CFPB could impose a ceiling on bounced checks that is similar ( just the cost to the bank)?
    Could they impose such a cap even on opt in programs like "courtesy pay"?

    ReplyDelete

 

The content is provided for educational purposes only, with the understanding that neither the authors, contributors, nor the publishers of this site are engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other expert or professional services. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Comments appearing in response to articles appearing on this site do not necessarily reflect the views of the ABA. ABA makes no representations regarding the truth or accuracy of commentary or opinions that may be posted in response to the articles that appear on this website.

The inclusion herein of any link to a website, either in the text of an article or in a comment, does not denote any approval, sponsorship, or endorsement by the ABA, and ABA is not responsible for the content or opinions expressed on those linked websites or related commentary. This content is not licensed to third parties sites and is not affiliated with any third party site. Any reference to the author or this content on any third party site on the Internet is not authorized by the ABA.

It is the policy of the American Bankers Association to comply fully with all antitrust laws. Certain discussions should be considered off-limits, including those that contain competitively sensitive data such as price and cost information, or statements that could be construed as reflecting an attempt or desire to control or influence a particular market or markets. Future pricing or other prospective competitive information should never be shared.