Calling the Durbin Amendment a "windfall for the nation’s largest merchants," the American Bankers Association, along with hundreds of banks and 49 state bankers associations, sent a letter to Congress urging its repeal. Section 1075 of the Dodd–Frank Act, known as the Durbin Amendment, requires the Federal Reserve Board to cap the debit card interchange fees that large banks charge.
The ABA’s letter states that, rather than resulting in lower prices for consumers at the register, as retail lobbyists promised, the Durbin Amendment has "shifted higher profits to big-box stores," and banks have restricted the availability of free checking accounts and free debit rewards. The letter adds that "retailers have pocketed this windfall at the precise time that their underinvestment in cybersecurity has permitted massive payment data breaches on their systems—costing consumers, banks of all sizes, and credit unions many hundreds of millions of dollars to remedy."
As the House Financial Services Committee considers how best to protect the interests of American consumers, the letter concludes, "we urge you to support efforts to repeal the Durbin Amendment."
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