By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Next Gen Econ
  • Home
  • News
  • Personal Finance
    • Credit Cards
    • Loans
    • Banking
    • Retirement
    • Taxes
  • Debt
  • Homes
  • Business
  • More
    • Investing
    • Newsletter
Reading: Digital Bank Chime Fined $3.25 Million For Delays In Returning Customer Funds
Share
Subscribe To Alerts
Next Gen Econ Next Gen Econ
Font ResizerAa
  • Personal Finance
  • Credit Cards
  • Loans
  • Investing
  • Business
  • Debt
  • Homes
Search
  • Home
  • News
  • Personal Finance
    • Credit Cards
    • Loans
    • Banking
    • Retirement
    • Taxes
  • Debt
  • Homes
  • Business
  • More
    • Investing
    • Newsletter
Follow US
Copyright © 2014-2023 Ruby Theme Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Next Gen Econ > Personal Finance > Banking > Digital Bank Chime Fined $3.25 Million For Delays In Returning Customer Funds
Banking

Digital Bank Chime Fined $3.25 Million For Delays In Returning Customer Funds

NGEC By NGEC Last updated: May 8, 2024 4 Min Read
SHARE

Chime, the largest digital bank in America, was fined $3.25 million by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for long delays in getting customers their refunds after their accounts were closed, sometimes involuntarily. Chime doesn’t have a bank charter–it partners with Bancorp Bank and Stride Bank to offer banking products like checking accounts, savings accounts, a secured credit card and personal loans. But the CFPB, a federal agency, has fined multiple fintechs over the years for violations of consumer protection laws.

The 12-year-old San Francisco-based Chime needs to pay at least $1.3 million to compensate affected customers, in addition to a fine of $3.25 million to the CFPB’s victims relief fund, according to a CFPB press release. Chime took longer than 90 days to issue refund checks in “thousands of instances,” according to the consent order that Chime has entered into with the CFPB. (As is common in such enforcement actions, Chime agreed to the order without admitting or denying specific facts.)

The consent order notes that Chime’s customers often use their accounts to pay for “day-to-day necessities such as groceries, gas, and housing.” When those customers lose access to their money, “they are likely to be unable to pay for these necessities or have to search for alternative sources to cover the gap. Those alternative sources, such as credit cards and payday loans, can be expensive.”

In a statement, Chime said the majority of the delays “were caused by a configuration error with a third-party vendor during 2020 and 2021.” The settlement agreement “reflects our belief that the timely handling of customer matters is critical, even amid the pandemic’s unique challenges,” Chime added.

During the pandemic, as Chime and many other fintechs attracted a flood of new customers, fraud spiked. Chime abruptly closed so many accounts to fight fraud that it closed legitimate users’ accounts too. Cofounder Ryan King recently told Forbes that some of the fraud was committed not by crooks, but regular customers who fell on hard times or became opportunistic. A Chime spokesperson says its rate of closing accounts due to fraud is down more than 50% from 2021; complaints to the CFPB about wrongly closed Chime accounts appear to have peaked in the first half of 2023.

Chime agreed to make payments to customers if it took more than 14 days after their accounts were closed to process a refund check, provided the accounts hadn’t been opened using stolen or synthetic identities. Customers who had $10 or less in their accounts when they were closed will receive $25. Those who had more than $10 will get at least $150. According to the consent order, which Chime will be under for five years, Chime needs to develop a “comprehensive compliance plan designed to ensure that [Chime’s] post-closure account-refund practices comply with all applicable laws that the Bureau enforces,” and Chime must provide a progress report to the CFPB in a year.

In February 2024, Chime also reached a $2.5 million settlement with the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) regarding its responsiveness to customer complaints between January 2021 and March 2021.

“We proactively improved our processes to remedy this at the time, and had already implemented the reforms identified by the DFPI. This matter has been resolved, and we’re pleased to put it behind us,” a Chime spokesperson says regarding the DFPI settlement.

Read the full article here

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Previous Article Judge Presses Pause On Second Case To Challenge FTC Non-Compete Ban
Next Article Low Self-Confidence Impairs Your Health. Strategies to Boost Self-Confidence
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
PinterestPin
InstagramFollow
TiktokFollow
Google NewsFollow
Most Popular
These 7 401(k) Moves Could Ruin Your Retirement
July 1, 2025
New FICO credit score includes BNPL transactions ~ Credit Sesame
July 1, 2025
5 Hidden Dangers in the Homes of Most People Over 50
July 1, 2025
Why Do Debit And Credit Cards Have Expiration Dates?
July 1, 2025
10 Hidden Symptoms of Cognitive Decline Most Adults Dismiss
July 1, 2025
Excise Tax: What It Is And How It Works
July 1, 2025

You Might Also Like

Banking

Vote For America’s Best Insurance Companies 2026

2 Min Read
Banking

The Strength Of Small Business In A Shifting Economy

4 Min Read
Banking

New Lawsuits Allege Companies Conspired To Secretly Pocket Class Action Payouts

5 Min Read
Banking

FINRA Defeats Legal Challenge By Penny Stock Broker Alpine, But Faces Ongoing Legislative Threat

10 Min Read

Always Stay Up to Date

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Next Gen Econ

Next Gen Econ is your one-stop website for the latest finance news, updates and tips, follow us for more daily updates.

Latest News

  • Small Business
  • Debt
  • Investments
  • Personal Finance

Resouce

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Newsletter
  • Contact

Daily Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Get Daily Updates
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?