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§ 1030.2 Definitions.

For purposes of this part, the following definitions apply:

(a) Account means a deposit account at a depository institution that is held by or offered to a consumer. It includes time, demand, savings, and negotiable order of withdrawal accounts. For purposes of the advertising requirements in § 1030.8 of this part, the term also includes an account at a depository institution that is held by or on behalf of a deposit broker, if any interest in the account is held by or offered to a consumer.

1. Covered accounts. Examples of accounts subject to the regulation are:

i. Interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing accounts.

ii. Deposit accounts opened as a condition of obtaining a credit card.

iii. Accounts denominated in a foreign currency.

iv. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and simplified employee pension (SEP) accounts.

v. Payable on death (POD) or “Totten trust” accounts.

2. Other accounts. Examples of accounts not subject to the regulation are:

i. Mortgage escrow accounts for collecting taxes and property insurance premiums.

ii. Accounts established to make periodic disbursements on construction loans.

iii. Trust accounts opened by a trustee pursuant to a formal written trust agreement (not merely declarations of trust on a signature card such as a “Totten trust,” or an IRA and SEP account).

iv. Accounts opened by an executor in the name of a decedent's estate.

3. Other investments. The term “account” does not apply to all products of a depository institution. Examples of products not covered are:

i. Government securities.

ii. Mutual funds.

iii. Annuities.

iv. Securities or obligations of a depository institution.

v. Contractual arrangements such as repurchase agreements, interest rate swaps, and bankers acceptances.

See interpretation of 2(a) Account. in Supplement I

(b) Advertisement means a commercial message, appearing in any medium, that promotes directly or indirectly:

1. Covered messages. Advertisements include commercial messages in visual, oral, or print media that invite, offer, or otherwise announce generally to prospective customers the availability of consumer accounts - such as:

i. Telephone solicitations.

ii. Messages on automated teller machine (ATM) screens.

iii. Messages on a computer screen in an institution's lobby (including any printout) other than a screen viewed solely by the institution's employee.

iv. Messages in a newspaper, magazine, or promotional flyer or on radio.

v. Messages that are provided along with information about the consumer's existing account and that promote another account at the institution.

2. Other messages. Examples of messages that are not advertisements are:

i. Rate sheets in a newspaper, periodical, or trade journal (unless the depository institution, or a deposit broker offering accounts at the institution, pays a fee for or otherwise controls publication).

ii. In-person discussions with consumers about the terms for a specific account.

iii. For purposes of § 1030.8(b) of this part through § 1030.8(e) of this part, information given to consumers about existing accounts, such as current rates recorded on a voice-response machine or notices for automatically renewable time account sent before renewal.

iv. Information about a particular transaction in an existing account.

v. Disclosures required by federal or other applicable law.

vi. A deposit account agreement.

See interpretation of 2(b) Advertisement. in Supplement I

(1) The availability or terms of, or a deposit in, a new account; and

(2) For purposes of §§ 1030.8(a) and 1030.11 of this part, the terms of, or a deposit in, a new or existing account.

(c) Annual percentage yield means a percentage rate reflecting the total amount of interest paid on an account, based on the interest rate and the frequency of compounding for a 365-day period and calculated according to the rules in appendix A of this part.

(d) Average daily balance method means the application of a periodic rate to the average daily balance in the account for the period. The average daily balance is determined by adding the full amount of principal in the account for each day of the period and dividing that figure by the number of days in the period.

(e) Bureau means the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.

(f) Bonus means a premium, gift, award, or other consideration worth more than $10 (whether in the form of cash, credit, merchandise, or any equivalent) given or offered to a consumer during a year in exchange for opening, maintaining, renewing, or increasing an account balance. The term does not include interest, other consideration worth $10 or less given during a year, the waiver or reduction of a fee, or the absorption of expenses.

1. Examples. Bonuses include items of value, other than interest, offered as incentives to consumers, such as an offer to pay the final installment deposit for a holiday club account. Items that are not a bonus include discount coupons for goods or services at restaurants or stores.

2. De minimis rule. Items with a de minimis value of $10 or less are not bonuses. Institutions may rely on the valuation standard used by the Internal Revenue Service to determine if the value of the item is de minimis. Examples of items of de minimis value are:

i. Disability insurance premiums valued at an amount of $10 or less per year.

ii. Coffee mugs, T-shirts or other merchandise with a market value of $10 or less.

3. Aggregation. In determining if an item valued at $10 or less is a bonus, institutions must aggregate per account per calendar year items that may be given to consumers. In making this determination, institutions aggregate per account only the market value of items that may be given for a specific promotion. To illustrate, assume an institution offers in January to give consumers an item valued at $7 for each calendar quarter during the year that the average account balance in a negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) account exceeds $10,000. The bonus rules are triggered, since consumers are eligible under the promotion to receive up to $28 during the year. However, the bonus rules are not triggered if an item valued at $7 is offered to consumers opening a NOW account during the month of January, even though in November the institution introduces a new promotion that includes, for example, an offer to existing NOW account holders for an item valued at $8 for maintaining an average balance of $5,000 for the month.

4. Waiver or reduction of a fee or absorption of expenses. Bonuses do not include value that consumers receive through the waiver or reduction of fees (even if the fees waived exceed $10) for banking-related services such as the following:

i. A safe deposit box rental fee for consumers who open a new account.

ii. Fees for travelers checks for account holders.

iii. Discounts on interest rates charged for loans at the institution.

See interpretation of 2(f) Bonus. in Supplement I

(g) Business day means a calendar day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or any of the legal public holidays specified in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a).

(h) Consumer means a natural person who holds an account primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, or to whom such an account is offered. The term does not include a natural person who holds an account for another in a professional capacity.

1. Professional capacity. Examples of accounts held by a natural person in a professional capacity for another are attorney-client trust accounts and landlord-tenant security accounts.

2. Other accounts. Accounts not held in a professional capacity include accounts held by an individual for a child under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act.

3. Sole proprietors. Accounts held by individuals as sole proprietors are not covered.

4. Retirement plans. IRAs and SEP accounts are consumer accounts to the extent that funds are invested in covered accounts. Keogh accounts are not subject to the regulation.

See interpretation of 2(h) Consumer. in Supplement I

(i) Daily balance method means the application of a daily periodic rate to the full amount of principal in the account each day.

(j) Depository institution and institution mean an institution defined in section 19(b)(1)(A)(i) through (vi) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 461), except credit unions defined in section 19(b)(1)(A)(iv).

1. Foreign institutions. Branches of foreign institutions located in the United States are subject to the regulation if they offer deposit accounts to consumers. Edge Act and Agreement corporations, and agencies of foreign institutions, are not depository institutions for purposes of this part.

See interpretation of 2(j) Depository institution and institution. in Supplement I

(k) Deposit broker means any person who is a deposit broker as defined in section 29(g) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1831f(g)).

1. General. A deposit broker is a person who is in the business of placing or facilitating the placement of deposits in an institution, as defined by the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 29(g)).

See interpretation of 2(k) Deposit broker. in Supplement I

(l) Fixed-rate account means an account for which the institution contracts to give at least 30 calendar days advance written notice of decreases in the interest rate.

(m) Grace period means a period following the maturity of an automatically renewing time account during which the consumer may withdraw funds without being assessed a penalty.

(n) Interest means any payment to a consumer or to an account for the use of funds in an account, calculated by application of a periodic rate to the balance. The term does not include the payment of a bonus or other consideration worth $10 or less given during a year, the waiver or reduction of a fee, or the absorption of expenses.

1. Relation to bonuses. Bonuses are not interest for purposes of this part.

See interpretation of 2(n) Interest. in Supplement I

(o) Interest rate means the annual rate of interest paid on an account which does not reflect compounding. For the purposes of the account disclosures in § 1030.4(b)(1)(i) of this part, the interest rate may, but need not, be referred to as the “annual percentage rate” in addition to being referred to as the “interest rate.”

(p) Passbook savings account means a savings account in which the consumer retains a book or other document in which the institution records transactions on the account.

1. Relation to Regulation E. Passbook savings accounts include accounts accessed by preauthorized electronic fund transfers to the account (as defined in 12 CFR 1005.2(j)), such as an account that receives direct deposit of social security payments. Accounts permitting access by other electronic means are not “passbook saving accounts” and must comply with the requirements of § 1030.6 if statements are sent four or more times a year.

See interpretation of 2(p) Passbook savings account. in Supplement I

(q) Periodic statement means a statement setting forth information about an account (other than a time account or passbook savings account) that is provided to a consumer on a regular basis four or more times a year.

1. Examples. Periodic statements do not include:

i. Additional statements provided solely upon request.

ii. General service information such as a quarterly newsletter or other correspondence describing available services and products.

See interpretation of 2(q) Periodic statement. in Supplement I

(r) State means a state, the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession of the United States.

(s) Stepped-rate account means an account that has two or more interest rates that take effect in succeeding periods and are known when the account is opened.

(t) Tiered-rate account means an account that has two or more interest rates that are applicable to specified balance levels.

1. Time accounts. Time accounts paying different rates based solely on the amount of the initial deposit are not tiered-rate accounts.

2. Minimum balance requirements. A requirement to maintain a minimum balance to earn interest does not make an account a tiered-rate account.

See interpretation of 2(t) Tiered-rate account. in Supplement I

(u) Time account means an account with a maturity of at least seven days in which the consumer generally does not have a right to make withdrawals for six days after the account is opened, unless the deposit is subject to an early withdrawal penalty of at least seven days' interest on amounts withdrawn.

1. Club accounts. Although club accounts typically have a maturity date, they are not time accounts unless they also require a penalty of at least seven days' interest for withdrawals during the first six days after the account is opened.2. Relation to Regulation D. Regulation D of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (12 CFR part 204) permits in limited circumstances the withdrawal of funds without penalty during the first six days after a “time deposit” is opened. (See 12 CFR 204.2(c)(1)(i).) But the fact that a consumer makes a withdrawal as permitted by Regulation D does not disqualify the account from being a time account for purposes of this part.

See interpretation of 2(u) Time account. in Supplement I

(v) Variable-rate account means an account in which the interest rate may change after the account is opened, unless the institution contracts to give at least 30 calendar days advance written notice of rate decreases.

1. General. A certificate of deposit permitting one or more rate adjustments prior to maturity at the consumer's option is a variable-rate account.

See interpretation of 2(v) Variable-rate account. in Supplement I