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Choice Money Transfer, Inc. d/b/a Small World Money Transfer

On October 4, 2022, the Bureau issued an order against Choice Money Transfer, Inc., which does business as Small World Money Transfer (Choice Money). Choice Money is a nonbank remittance transfer provider incorporated in New York and headquartered in New Jersey which offers remittances in at least 27 states and the District of Columbia. It provides remittances to over 90 countries worldwide through a nationwide network of over 2,000 agents and handles more than 500,000 transactions each month. The Bureau found that since the 2013 effective date of the Remittance Transfer Rule, Choice Money engaged in practices that violated numerous provisions of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and its implementing Regulation E, including Subpart B, known as the Remittance Transfer Rule. Specifically, the Bureau found that Choice Money failed to comply with a wide range of disclosure requirements set out in EFTA and the Remittance Transfer Rule. Choice Money failed to disclose accurately certain required information, including when funds would be available to recipients, exchange rates, and transfer fees. Its disclosures also failed to use proper terms, to adequately disclose other key terms, to clearly and conspicuously disclose the exchange rate, and to provide disclosures in both English and Spanish as required by the Remittance Transfer Rule. Choice Money also failed to refund fees after senders properly submitted error resolution requests; failed to obtain consumer consent prior to providing receipts in electronic form on its mobile application and website platforms; failed to develop and maintain required policies and procedures for error resolution and to retain evidence demonstrating that it complied with error resolution requirements; and included in its disclosures an improper waiver of consumer rights under EFTA. These violations also constituted violations of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010. The consent order requires Choice Money to come into compliance and to pay a civil money penalty of $950,000.

Related documents

Consent order

Stipulation

Press release

CFPB Takes Action Against Choice Money for Remittance Failures

Case docket

View case filings