(1) Agreement. For purposes of this section, “agreement” or “prepaid account agreement” means the written document or documents evidencing the terms of the legal obligation, or the prospective legal obligation, between a prepaid account issuer and a consumer for a prepaid account. “Agreement” or “prepaid account agreement” also includes fee information, as defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section.
1. Provisions contained in separate documents included. Section 1005.19(a)(1) defines a prepaid account agreement, for purposes of § 1005.19, as the written document or documents evidencing the terms of the legal obligation, or the prospective legal obligation, between a prepaid account issuer and a consumer for a prepaid account. An agreement may consist of several documents that, taken together, define the legal obligation between the issuer and consumer.
(2) Amends. For purposes of this section, an issuer “amends” an agreement if it makes a substantive change (an “amendment”) to the agreement. A change is substantive if it alters the rights or obligations of the issuer or the consumer under the agreement. Any change in the fee information, as defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, is deemed to be substantive.
1. Substantive changes. A change to an agreement is substantive, and therefore is deemed an amendment of the agreement, if it alters the rights or obligations of the parties. Section 1005.19(a)(2) provides that any change in the fee information, as defined in § 1005.19(a)(3), is deemed to be substantive. Examples of other changes that generally would be considered substantive include:
i. Addition or deletion of a provision giving the issuer or consumer a right under the agreement, such as a clause that allows an issuer to unilaterally change the terms of an agreement.
ii. Addition or deletion of a provision giving the issuer or consumer an obligation under the agreement, such as a clause requiring the consumer to pay an additional fee.
iii. Changes that may affect the cost of the prepaid account to the consumer, such as changes in a provision describing how the prepaid account’s monthly fee will be calculated.
iv. Changes that may affect how the terms of the agreement are construed or applied, such as changes to a choice of law provision.
v. Changes that may affect the parties to whom the agreement may apply, such as changes to provisions regarding authorized users or assignment of the agreement.
vi. Changes to the corporate name of the issuer or program manager, or to the issuer’s address or identifying number, such as its RSSD ID number or tax identification number.
vii. Changes to the list of names of other relevant parties, such as the employer for a payroll card program or the agency for a government benefit program. But see § 1005.19(b)(2)(ii) regarding the timing of submitting such changes to the Bureau.
viii. Changes to the name of the prepaid account program to which the agreement applies.
2. Non-substantive changes. Changes that generally would not be considered substantive include, for example:
i. Correction of typographical errors that do not affect the meaning of any terms of the agreement.
ii. Changes to the issuer’s corporate logo or tagline.
iii. Changes to the format of the agreement, such as conversion to a booklet from a full-sheet format, changes in font, or changes in margins.
iv. Reordering sections of the agreement without affecting the meaning of any terms of the agreement.
v. Adding, removing, or modifying a table of contents or index.
vi. Changes to titles, headings, section numbers, or captions.
(3) Fee information. For purposes of this section, “fee information” means the short form disclosure for the prepaid account pursuant to § 1005.18(b)(2) and the fee information and statements required to be disclosed in the pre-acquisition long form disclosure for the prepaid account pursuant to § 1005.18(b)(4).
(4) Issuer. For purposes of this section, “issuer” or “prepaid account issuer” means the entity to which a consumer is legally obligated, or would be legally obligated, under the terms of a prepaid account agreement.
1. Issuer. Section 1005.19(a)(4) provides that, for purposes of § 1005.19, issuer or prepaid account issuer means the entity to which a consumer is legally obligated, or would be legally obligated, under the terms of a prepaid account agreement. For example, Bank X and Bank Y work together to issue prepaid accounts. A consumer that obtains a prepaid account issued pursuant to this arrangement between Bank X and Bank Y is subject to an agreement that states “This is an agreement between you, the consumer, and Bank X that governs the terms of your Bank Y Prepaid Account.” The prepaid account issuer in this example is Bank X, because the agreement creates a legally enforceable obligation between the consumer and Bank X. Bank X is the issuer even if the consumer applied for the prepaid account through a link on Bank Y’s website and the cards prominently feature the Bank Y logo on the front of the card.
2. Use of third-party service providers. An issuer has a legal obligation to comply with the requirements of § 1005.19. However, an issuer generally may use a third-party service provider to satisfy its obligations under § 1005.19, provided that the issuer acts in accordance with regulatory guidance regarding use of third-party service providers and other applicable regulatory guidance. In some cases, an issuer may wish to arrange for the entity with which it partners to issue prepaid accounts to fulfill the requirements of § 1005.19 on the issuer’s behalf. For example, Program Manager and Bank work together to issue prepaid accounts. Under the § 1005.19(a)(4) definition of issuer, Bank is the issuer of these prepaid accounts for purposes of § 1005.19. However, Program Manager services the prepaid accounts, including mailing to consumers account opening materials and making available to consumers their electronic account transaction history, pursuant to § 1005.18(c)(1)(ii). While Bank is responsible for ensuring compliance with § 1005.19, Bank may arrange for Program Manager (or another appropriate third-party service provider) to make submissions of prepaid account agreements to the Bureau under § 1005.19 on Bank’s behalf. Bank must comply with regulatory guidance regarding use of third-party service providers and other applicable regulatory guidance.
3. Third-party websites. As explained in comment 19(c)–2, if an issuer provides consumers with access to specific information about their individual accounts, such as making available to consumers their electronic account transaction history, pursuant to § 1005.18(c)(1)(ii), through a third-party website, the issuer is deemed to maintain that website for purposes of § 1005.19. Such a website is deemed to be maintained by the issuer for purposes of § 1005.19 even where, for example, an unaffiliated entity designs the website and owns and maintains the information technology infrastructure that supports the website, consumers with prepaid accounts from multiple issuers can access individual account information through the same website, and the website is not labeled, branded, or otherwise held out to the public as belonging to the issuer. A partner institution’s website is an example of a third-party website that may be deemed to be maintained by the issuer for purposes of § 1005.19. For example, Program Manager and Bank work together to issue prepaid accounts. Under the § 1005.19(a)(4) definition of issuer, Bank is the issuer of these prepaid accounts for purposes of § 1005.19. Bank does not maintain a website specifically related to prepaid accounts. However, consumers can access information about their individual accounts, such as an electronic account transaction history, through a website maintained by Program Manager. Program Manager designs the website and owns and maintains the information technology infrastructure that supports the website. The website is branded and held out to the public as belonging to Program Manager. Because consumers can access information about their individual accounts through this website, the website is deemed to be maintained by Bank for purposes of § 1005.19. Bank therefore may comply with § 1005.19(c) or (d)(1) by ensuring that agreements offered by Bank are posted on Program Manager’s website in accordance with § 1005.19(c) or (d)(1), respectively. Bank need not create and maintain a website branded and held out to the public as belonging to Bank in order to comply with § 1005.19(c) and (d) as long as Bank ensures that Program Manager’s website complies with these sections.
(5) Offers. For purposes of this section, an issuer “offers” an agreement if the issuer markets, solicits applications for, or otherwise makes available a prepaid account that would be subject to that agreement, regardless of whether the issuer offers the prepaid account to the general public.
(6) Offers to the general public. For purposes of this section, an issuer “offers to the general public” an agreement if the issuer markets, solicits applications for, or otherwise makes available to the general public a prepaid account that would be subject to that agreement.
1. Prepaid accounts offered to limited groups. An issuer is deemed to offer a prepaid account agreement to the general public even if the issuer markets, solicits applications for, or otherwise makes available prepaid accounts only to a limited group of persons. For example, an issuer may solicit only residents of a specific geographic location for a particular prepaid account; in this case, the agreement would be considered to be offered to the general public. Similarly, agreements for prepaid accounts issued by a credit union are considered to be offered to the general public even though such prepaid accounts are available only to credit union members.
2. Prepaid account agreements not offered to the general public. A prepaid account agreement is not offered to the general public when a consumer is offered the agreement only by virtue of the consumer’s relationship with a third party. Examples of agreements not offered to the general public include agreements for payroll card accounts, government benefit accounts, or for prepaid accounts used to distribute student financial aid disbursements, or property and casualty insurance payouts, and other similar programs.
(7) Open account. For purposes of this section, a prepaid account is an “open account” or “open prepaid account” if: There is an outstanding balance in the account; the consumer can load funds to the account even if the account does not currently hold a balance; or the consumer can access credit from a covered separate credit feature accessible by a hybrid prepaid-credit card as defined in Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.61, in connection with the account. A prepaid account that has been suspended temporarily (for example, due to a report by the consumer of unauthorized use of the card) is considered an “open account” or “open prepaid account.”
1. Open account. A prepaid account is an open account if (i) there is an outstanding balance in the account; (ii) the consumer can load more funds to the account even if the account does not currently hold a balance; or (iii) the consumer can access credit from a covered separate credit feature accessible by a hybrid prepaid-credit card as defined in Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.61, in connection with a prepaid account. Under this definition, an account that meets any of these criteria is considered to be open even if the account is deemed inactive by the issuer.
(8) Prepaid account. For purposes of this section, “prepaid account” means a prepaid account as defined in § 1005.2(b)(3).
1. Prepaid account. Section 1005.19(a)(7) provides that, for purposes of § 1005.19, the term prepaid account means a prepaid account as defined in § 1005.2(b)(3). Therefore, for purposes of § 1005.19, a prepaid account includes, among other things, a payroll card account as defined in § 1005.2(b)(3)(iii) and a government benefit account as defined in §§ 1005.2(b)(3)(iii) and 1005.15(a)(2).
(1) Submissions on a rolling basis. An issuer must make submissions of prepaid account agreements to the Bureau on a rolling basis, in the form and manner specified by the Bureau. Rolling submissions must be sent to the Bureau no later than 30 days after an issuer offers, amends, or ceases to offer any prepaid account agreement as described in paragraphs (b)(1)(ii) through (iv) of this section. Each submission must contain:
1. Rolling submission requirement. Section 1005.19(b)(1) requires issuers to send submissions to the Bureau no later than 30 days after offering, amending, or ceasing to offer any prepaid account agreement, as described in § 1005.19(b)(1)(ii) through (iv). For example, if on July 1 an issuer offers a prepaid account agreement that has not been previously submitted to the Bureau, it must submit that agreement to the Bureau by July 31 of the same year. Similarly, if on August 1 an issuer amends a prepaid account agreement previously submitted to the Bureau, and the change becomes effective on September 15, the issuer must submit the entire amended agreement as required by § 1005.19(b)(2)(i) by October 15 of the same year. Furthermore, if on December 31 an issuer ceases to offer a prepaid account agreement that was previously submitted to the Bureau, it must submit notification to the Bureau that it is withdrawing that agreement as required by § 1005.19(b)(3) by January 30 of the following year.
2. Prepaid accounts offered in conjunction with multiple issuers. If a program manager offers prepaid account agreements in conjunction with multiple issuers, each issuer must submit its own agreement to the Bureau. Alternatively, each issuer may use the program manager to submit the agreement on its behalf, in accordance with comment 19(a)(4)–2.
(i) Identifying information about the issuer and the agreements submitted, including the issuer’s name, address, and identifying number (such as an RSSD ID number or tax identification number), the effective date of the prepaid account agreement, the name of the program manager, if any, and the list of names of other relevant parties, if applicable (such as the employer for a payroll card program or the agency for a government benefit program);
(ii) Any prepaid account agreement offered by the issuer that has not been previously submitted to the Bureau;
(iii) Any prepaid account agreement previously submitted to the Bureau that has been amended, as described in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section; and
(iv) Notification regarding any prepaid account agreement previously submitted to the Bureau that the issuer is withdrawing, as described in paragraphs (b)(3), (b)(4)(ii), and (b)(5)(ii) of this section.
(2) Amended agreements—
1. Change-in-terms notices not permissible. Section 1005.19(b)(2)(i) requires that if an agreement previously submitted to the Bureau is amended, the issuer must submit the entire revised agreement to the Bureau. An issuer may not fulfill this requirement by submitting a change-in-terms or similar notice covering only the terms that have changed. Amendments must be integrated into the text of the agreement (or the optional addenda described in § 1005.19(b)(6)), not provided as separate riders.
2. Updates to the list of names of other relevant parties to an agreement. Section 1005.19(b)(2)(ii) permits an issuer to delay making a submission to the Bureau regarding a change in the list of other relevant parties to a particular agreement until the earlier of such time as the issuer is otherwise submitting an amended agreement or changes to other identifying information about the issuer and its submitted agreements pursuant to § 1005.19(b)(1)(i); or May 1 of each year, for any updates to the list of names of other relevant parties that occurred between the issuer’s last submission of relevant party information for that agreement and April 1 of that year. Section 1005.19(b)(2)(ii) thus ensures that the Bureau has a list of names of other relevant parties for all submitted agreements that is up-to-date as of April 1 of each year. The following examples illustrate these requirements:
i. An issuer first submits to the Bureau a payroll card agreement, along with a list of names of the other relevant parties (i.e., employers) to that agreement, on May 1, 2019. On July 1, 2020, the issuer adds four new employers under the agreement. The issuer is not required to make a submission to the Bureau regarding the addition of other relevant parties to that agreement at that time.
ii. On January 1, 2020, a change to the payroll card agreement becomes effective reflecting a new feature and accompanying fee that the issuer has added to the program. The issuer is required, by January 31, 2020, to submit to the Bureau its entire revised agreement and an updated list of the names of other relevant parties to that agreement.
iii. If the issuer has not added any other employers to the agreement by April 1, 2020, the issuer is not required to submit to the Bureau an updated list of names of other relevant parties to that agreement, because the list it previously submitted to the Bureau remains current.
iv. If, however, on March 1, 2020, the issuer adds two new employers under the agreement but makes no other changes to the agreement, then as of April 1 there are new relevant parties to the agreement that the issuer has not submitted to the Bureau. The issuer is required, by May 1, 2020, to submit to the Bureau an updated list of names of other relevant parties to that agreement reflecting the two employers it added in March. Because the issuer has not made any other changes to the agreement since it was submitted in January, the issuer is not required to re-submit the agreement itself by May 1, 2020.
(i) Submission of amended agreements generally. If a prepaid account agreement previously submitted to the Bureau is amended, the issuer must submit the entire amended agreement to the Bureau, in the form and manner specified by the Bureau, no later than 30 days after the change becomes effective. If other identifying information about the issuer and its submitted agreements pursuant to paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section previously submitted to the Bureau is amended, the issuer must submit updated information to the Bureau, in the form and manner specified by the Bureau, no later than 30 days after the change becomes effective.
(ii) Submission of updated list of names of other relevant parties. Notwithstanding paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section, an issuer may delay submitting a change to the list of names of other relevant parties to a particular agreement until the earlier of:
(A) Such time as the issuer is otherwise submitting an amended agreement or changes to other identifying information about the issuer and its submitted agreements pursuant to paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section; or
(B) May 1 of each year, for any updates to the list of names of other relevant parties for that agreement that occurred between the issuer’s last submission of relevant party information and April 1 of that year.
(3) Withdrawal of agreements no longer offered. If an issuer no longer offers a prepaid account agreement that was previously submitted to the Bureau, the issuer must notify the Bureau, in the form and manner specified by the Bureau, no later than 30 days after the issuer ceases to offer the agreement, that it is withdrawing the agreement.
1. No longer offers agreement. Section 1005.19(b)(3) provides that, if an issuer no longer offers an agreement that was previously submitted to the Bureau, the issuer must notify the Bureau no later than 30 days after the issuer ceases to offer the agreement that it is withdrawing the agreement. An issuer no longer offers an agreement when it no longer allows a consumer to activate or register a new account in connection with that agreement.
1. Relationship to other exceptions. The de minimis exception in § 1005.19(b)(4) is distinct from the product testing exception under § 1005.19(b)(5). The de minimis exception provides that an issuer with fewer than 3,000 open prepaid accounts is not required to submit any agreements to the Bureau, regardless of whether those agreements qualify for the product testing exception. In contrast, the product testing exception provides that an issuer is not required to submit to the Bureau agreements offered solely in connection with certain types of prepaid account programs with fewer than 3,000 open accounts, regardless of the issuer’s total number of open accounts.
2. De minimis exception. Under § 1005.19(b)(4), an issuer is not required to submit any prepaid account agreements to the Bureau under § 1005.19(b)(1) if the issuer has fewer than 3,000 open prepaid accounts. For example, an issuer has 2,000 open prepaid accounts. The issuer is not required to submit any agreements to the Bureau because the issuer qualifies for the de minimis exception.
3. Date for determining whether issuer qualifies. Whether an issuer qualifies for the de minimis exception is determined as of the last day of each calendar quarter. For example, an issuer has 2,500 open prepaid accounts as of December 31, the last day of the calendar quarter. As of January 30, the issuer has 3,100 open prepaid accounts. As of March 31, the last day of the following calendar quarter, the issuer has 2,700 open prepaid accounts. Even though the issuer had 3,100 open prepaid accounts at one time during the calendar quarter, the issuer qualifies for the de minimis exception because the number of open prepaid accounts was less than 3,000 as of March 31. The issuer therefore is not required to submit any agreements to the Bureau under § 1005.19(b)(1).
4. Date for determining whether issuer ceases to qualify. Whether an issuer ceases to qualify for the de minimis exception under § 1005.19(b)(4) is determined as of the last day of the calendar quarter. For example, an issuer has 2,500 open prepaid accounts as of June 30, the last day of the calendar quarter. The issuer is not required to submit any agreements to the Bureau under § 1005.19(b) by July 30 (the 30th day after June 30) because the issuer qualifies for the de minimis exception. As of July 15, the issuer has 3,100 open prepaid accounts. The issuer is not required to take any action at this time, because whether an issuer qualifies for the de minimis exception under § 1005.19(b)(4) is determined as of the last day of the calendar quarter. The issuer still has 3,100 open prepaid accounts as of September 30. Because the issuer had 3,100 open prepaid accounts as of September 30, the issuer ceases to qualify for the de minimis exception and must submit its agreements to the Bureau by October 30, the 30th day after the last day of the calendar quarter.
5. Option to withdraw agreements. Section 1005.19(b)(4) provides that if an issuer that did not previously qualify for the de minimis exception newly qualifies for the de minimis exception, the issuer must continue to make rolling submissions to the Bureau as required by § 1005.19(b)(1) until the issuer notifies the Bureau that the issuer is withdrawing all agreements it previously submitted to the Bureau. For example, an issuer offers three agreements and has 3,001 open accounts as of December 31. The issuer submitted each of the three agreements to the Bureau by January 30 as required under § 1005.19(b). As of March 31, the issuer has only 2,999 open accounts. The issuer has two options. First, the issuer may notify the Bureau that the issuer is withdrawing each of the three agreements it previously submitted. Once the issuer has notified the Bureau, the issuer is no longer required to make rolling submissions to the Bureau under § 1005.19(b) unless it later ceases to qualify for the de minimis exception. Alternatively, the issuer may choose not to notify the Bureau that it is withdrawing its agreements. In this case, the issuer must continue making rolling submissions to the Bureau as required by § 1005.19(b). The issuer might choose not to withdraw its agreements if, for example, the issuer believes it will likely cease to qualify for the de minimis exception again in the near future.
(i) An issuer is not required to submit any prepaid account agreements to the Bureau if the issuer has fewer than 3,000 open prepaid accounts. If the issuer has 3,000 or more open prepaid accounts as of the last day of the calendar quarter, the issuer must submit to the Bureau its prepaid account agreements no later than 30 days after the last day of that calendar quarter.
(ii) If an issuer that did not previously qualify for the de minimis exception newly qualifies for the de minimis exception, the issuer must continue to make submissions to the Bureau on a rolling basis until the issuer notifies the Bureau that the issuer is withdrawing all agreements it previously submitted to the Bureau.
(5) Product testing exception.
(i) An issuer is not required to submit a prepaid account agreement to the Bureau if the agreement meets the criteria set forth in paragraphs (b)(5)(i)(A) through (C) of this section. If the agreement fails to meet the criteria set forth in paragraphs (b)(5)(i)(A) through (C) of this section as of the last day of the calendar quarter, the issuer must submit to the Bureau that prepaid account agreement no later than 30 days after the last day of that calendar quarter. An agreement qualifies for the product testing exception if the agreement:
(A) Is offered as part of a product test offered to only a limited group of consumers for a limited period of time;
(B) Is used for fewer than 3,000 open prepaid accounts; and
(C) Is not offered other than in connection with such a product test.
(ii) If an agreement that did not previously qualify for the product testing exception newly qualifies for the exception, the issuer must continue to make submissions to the Bureau on a rolling basis with respect to that agreement until the issuer notifies the Bureau that the issuer is withdrawing the agreement.
(6) Form and content of agreements submitted to the Bureau—
1. Agreements currently in effect. Agreements submitted to the Bureau must contain the provisions of the agreement and fee information currently in effect. For example, on June 1, an issuer decides to decrease the out-of-network ATM withdrawal fee associated with one of the agreements it offers. The change in that fee will become effective on August 1. The issuer must submit and post the amended agreement with the decreased out-of-network ATM withdrawal fee to the Bureau by August 31 as required by § 1005.19(b)(2)(i) and (c).
2. Fee information variations do not constitute separate agreements. Fee information that may vary from one consumer to another depending on the consumer’s state of residence or other factors must be disclosed by setting forth all the possible variations. For example, an issuer offers a prepaid account with a monthly fee of $4.95 or $0 if the consumer regularly receives direct deposit to the prepaid account. The issuer must submit to the Bureau one agreement with fee information listing the possible monthly fees of $4.95 or $0 and including the explanation that the latter fee is dependent upon the consumer regularly receiving direct deposit.
3. Integrated agreement requirement. Issuers may not submit provisions of the agreement or fee information in the form of change-in-terms notices or riders. The only addenda that may be submitted as part of an agreement are the optional fee information addenda described in § 1005.19(b)(6)(ii). Changes in provisions or fee information must be integrated into the body of the agreement or the optional fee information addenda. For example, it would be impermissible for an issuer to submit to the Bureau an agreement in the form of a terms and conditions document on January 1 and subsequently submit a change-in-terms notice to indicate amendments to the previously submitted agreement. Instead, the issuer must submit a document that integrates the changes made by each of the change-in-terms notices into the body of the original terms and conditions document and the optional addenda displaying variations in fee information.
(A) Each agreement must contain the provisions of the agreement and the fee information currently in effect.
(B) Agreements must not include any personally identifiable information relating to any consumer, such as name, address, telephone number, or account number.
(C) The following are not deemed to be part of the agreement for purposes of this section, and therefore are not required to be included in submissions to the Bureau:
(1) Ancillary disclosures required by state or Federal law, such as affiliate marketing notices, privacy policies, or disclosures under the E-Sign Act;
(2) Solicitation or marketing materials;
(3) Periodic statements; and
(4) Documents that may be sent to the consumer along with the prepaid account or prepaid account agreement such as a cover letter, a validation sticker on the card, or other information about card security.
(D) Agreements must be presented in a clear and legible font.
(ii) Fee information. Fee information must be set forth either in the prepaid account agreement or in addenda to that agreement that attach either or both the short form disclosure for the prepaid account pursuant to § 1005.18(b)(2) and the fee information and statements required to be disclosed in the long form disclosure for the prepaid account pursuant to § 1005.18(b)(4). The agreement or addenda thereto must contain all of the fee information, as defined by paragraph (a)(3) of this section.
(iii) Integrated agreement. An issuer may not provide provisions of the agreement or fee information to the Bureau in the form of change-in-terms notices or riders (other than the optional fee information addenda described in paragraph (b)(6)(ii) of this section). Changes in provisions or fee information must be integrated into the text of the agreement, or the optional fee information addenda, as appropriate.
(c) Posting of agreements offered to the general public.
1. Requirement applies only to agreements offered to the general public. An issuer is only required to post and maintain on its publicly available Web site the prepaid account agreements that the issuer offers to the general public as defined by § 1005.19(a)(6) and must submit to the Bureau under § 1005.19(b). For agreements not offered to the general public, the issuer is not required to post and maintain the agreements on its publicly available Web site, but is still required to provide each individual consumer with access to his or her specific prepaid account agreement under § 1005.19(d). This posting requirement is distinct from that of § 1005.7, as modified by § 1005.18(f)(1), which requires an issuer to provide certain disclosures at the time a consumer contracts for an electronic fund transfer service or before the first electronic fund transfer is made involving the consumer’s account, and the change-in-terms notice required under § 1005.8(a), as modified by § 1005.18(f)(2). This requirement is also distinct from that of § 1005.18(b)(4), which requires issuers to make the long form disclosure available to consumers prior to prepaid account acquisition and which, depending on the methods an issuer offers prepaid accounts to consumers, may require posting of the long form disclosure on the issuer’s Web site. Additionally, if an issuer is not required to submit any agreements to the Bureau because the issuer qualifies for the de minimis exception under § 1005.19(b)(4) or the agreement qualifies for the product testing exception under § 1005.19(b)(5), the issuer is not required to post and maintain any agreements on its Web site under § 1005.19(c). The issuer is still required to provide each individual consumer with access to his or her specific prepaid account agreement under § 1005.19(d) by posting and maintaining the agreement on the issuer’s Web site or by providing a copy of the agreement upon the consumer’s request.
2. Issuers that do not otherwise maintain Web sites. If an issuer offers an agreement to the general public as defined by § 1005.19(a)(6), that issuer must post that agreement on a publicly available Web site it maintains. If an issuer provides consumers with access to specific information about their individual accounts, such as balance information or copies of statements, through a third-party Web site, the issuer is considered to maintain that Web site for purposes of § 1005.19. Such a third-party Web site is deemed to be maintained by the issuer for purposes of § 1005.19(c) even where, for example, an unaffiliated entity designs the Web site and owns and maintains the information technology infrastructure that supports the Web site, consumers with prepaid accounts from multiple issuers can access individual account information through the same Web site, and the Web site is not labeled, branded, or otherwise held out to the public as belonging to the issuer. Therefore, issuers that provide consumers with access to account-specific information through a third-party Web site can comply with § 1005.19(c) by ensuring that the agreements the issuer submits to the Bureau are posted on the third-party Web site in accordance with § 1005.19(c).
(1) An issuer must post and maintain on its publicly available Web site any prepaid account agreements offered to the general public that the issuer is required to submit to the Bureau under paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) Agreements posted pursuant to this paragraph (c) must conform to the form and content requirements for agreements submitted to the Bureau set forth in paragraph (b)(6) of this section.
(3) The issuer must post and update the agreements posted on its Web site pursuant to this paragraph (c) as frequently as the issuer is required to submit new or amended agreements to the Bureau pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section.
(4) Agreements posted pursuant to this paragraph (c) may be posted in any electronic format that is readily usable by the general public. Agreements must be placed in a location that is prominent and readily accessible to the public and must be accessible without submission of personally identifiable information.
(d) Agreements for all open accounts—
1. Requirement applies to all open accounts. The requirement to provide access to prepaid account agreements under § 1005.19(d) applies to all open prepaid accounts. For example, an issuer that is not required to post agreements on its Web site because it qualifies for the de minimis exception under § 1005.19(b)(4) would still be required to provide consumers with access to their specific agreements under § 1005.19(d). Similarly, an agreement that is no longer offered would not be required to be posted on the issuer’s Web site, but would still need to be provided to the consumer to whom it applies under § 1005.19(d). Additionally, an issuer is not required to post on its Web site agreements not offered to the general public, such as agreements for payroll card accounts and government benefit accounts, as explained in comment 19(c)–1, but the issuer must still provide consumers with access to their specific agreements under § 1005.19(d).
2. Agreements sent to consumers. Section 1005.19(d)(1)(ii) provides, in part, that if an issuer makes an agreement available upon request, the issuer must send the consumer a copy of the consumer’s prepaid account agreement no later than five business days after the issuer receives the consumer’s request. If the issuer mails the agreement, the agreement must be posted in the mail five business days after the issuer receives the consumer’s request. If the issuer hand delivers or provides the agreement electronically, the agreement must be hand delivered or provided electronically five business days after the issuer receives the consumer’s request. For example, if the issuer emails the agreement, the email with the attached agreement must be sent no later than five business days after the issuer receives the consumer’s request.
(1) Availability of an individual consumer’s prepaid account agreement. With respect to any open prepaid account, an issuer must either:
(i) Post and maintain the consumer’s agreement on its Web site; or
(ii) Promptly provide a copy of the consumer’s agreement to the consumer upon the consumer’s request. If the issuer makes an agreement available upon request, the issuer must provide the consumer with the ability to request a copy of the agreement by telephone. The issuer must send to the consumer a copy of the consumer’s prepaid account agreement no later than five business days after the issuer receives the consumer’s request.
(2) Form and content of agreements.
(i) Except as provided in this paragraph (d), agreements posted on the issuer’s Web site pursuant to paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section or sent to the consumer upon the consumer’s request pursuant to paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section must conform to the form and content requirements for agreements submitted to the Bureau as set forth in paragraph (b)(6) of this section.
(ii) If the issuer posts an agreement on its Web site under paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section, the agreement may be posted in any electronic format that is readily usable by the general public and must be placed in a location that is prominent and readily accessible to the consumer.
(iii) Agreements posted or otherwise provided pursuant to this paragraph (d) may contain personally identifiable information relating to the consumer, such as name, address, telephone number, or account number, provided that the issuer takes appropriate measures to make the agreement accessible only to the consumer or other authorized persons.
(iv) Agreements posted or otherwise provided pursuant to this paragraph (d) must set forth the specific provisions and fee information applicable to the particular consumer.
(v) Agreements posted pursuant to paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section must be updated as frequently as the issuer is required to submit amended agreements to the Bureau pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section. Agreements provided upon consumer request pursuant to paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section must be accurate as of the date the agreement is sent to the consumer.
(vi) Agreements provided upon consumer request pursuant to paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section must be provided by the issuer in paper form, unless the consumer agrees to receive the agreement electronically.
(e) E-Sign Act requirements. Except as otherwise provided in this section, issuers may provide prepaid account agreements in electronic form under paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section without regard to the consumer notice and consent requirements of section 101(c) of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act(E-Sign Act) (15 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.).
(f) Initial submission date. The requirements of this section apply to prepaid accounts beginning on April 1, 2019. An issuer must submit to the Bureau no later than May 1, 2019 all prepaid account agreements it offers as of April 1, 2019.