Instant Approval Credit Cards for immediate use

These claims shed light on what the FTC considers to be misleading practice and how to prevent it. The FTC, in its November 10, 2016 appeal, alleged that NetSpend had engaged in misleading activities or practice by making certain false representations and leaving out essential facts in breach of Section 5 of the FTC Act, which grants the FTC Authority power of execution against non-banks that have engaged in dishonest or misleading activities or practice (UDAP).

In particular, the FTC alleged that NetSpend: 1) did not grant pre-paid credit cards to customers as a matter of promise; 2) refused or retarded the use of pre-paid cards and cash to customers during the capitalisation procedure; 3) refused or retarded the use of pre-paid credit cards after cards had been capitalised through blocked bank accounts; 4) retarded credit cards to immediate deposit; 5) conditional the consent of customers fulfilling unanticipated conditions despite the guarantee of authorisation; and 6) did not grant temporary credit for pre-paid credit cards.

FTC's claims were primarily predicated on NetSpend's presentations to end-users in relation to the NetSpend branding of NetSpend calling cards on NetSpend's website and in retailers, including: The NetSpend cards are "out of the box" and offer users "instant cash access" or "instant cash without holding, without waiting"; "use today"; NetSpend clients can "use their cards out of the box"; NetSpend cards are "the quick, simple and reliable way to get paid"; NetSpend cards make sure that "your cash is available securely and at any time"; users can get temporary credit for contentious payments until the contentious payments are completed.

In contrast to these claims, the FTC complaints state that NetSpend refused or retarded the acceptance of its pre-paid cards and prevented the use of its cards by those who had already accepted pre-paid cards. Instead of having immediate recourse to their money as it had been pledged, the FTC claimed that the consumer was obliged to finalise the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) client authentication procedure before gaining recourse to their pre-paid credit.

The FTC explained that many customers had already deposited money on their pre-paid cards but could not get it, either because they did not comply with the consumer ID needs or because they did, but NetSpend afterwards postponed accessing money by up to a few months.

A number of accusations also arose from incorrect information in NetSpend's General Conditions. NetSpend's general conditions provided, for example, that customers could deny bank statement mistakes and that NetSpend would try to close an examination of the mistakes within ten working working days and then " remedy any mistake immediately". "If NetSpend could not conclude the inquiry within ten working days, NetSpend would "credit the consumer's credit balance within ten (10) working days with the amount that the user considers to be incorrect", while NetSpend further investigated the incorrectness, unless the credit balance had been opened for less than 30 working days, in which case NetSpend would grant temporary credit within 20 workingdays.

In spite of these stipulations in NetSpend's general conditions, NetSpend did not make provision for temporary loans as NetSpend pledged, the FTC explained, even after NetSpend had informed the consumer that NetSpend would make the loans available. NetSpend shall in other cases have issue temporary credit notes in instalments and not in the full amount of the unauthorised or contested transaction.

Besides the imposition of refunds and a fine under public law, the regulation agreed between the FTC and NetSpend on 31 March 2017 demands that NetSpend: Inform all affected customers within 60 working days; Inform also within 60 working days about NetSpend pre-paid cards to merchants; Supply labels to merchants to be affixed to pre-paid cards and provided to merchants to rectify misrepresentation found in the order; Produce, maintain and supply certain 20 year FTC report forms, include detail report forms on NetSpend's bookkeeping documents, merchandising material, customer complaint and customer enquiries, to the FTC to open, to open and to process preliminary credit on NetSpend pre-paid cards; Supply labels to merchants to be affixed to pre-paid cards within 60 working days; Supply labels to merchants to be affixed to pre-paid cards to rectify misrepresentation found in the order; Produce, maintain and supply certain 20 year FTC report forms, comprising detail report forms on NetSpend's bookkeeping documents, merchandising material, customer complaint and customer enquiries, to open pre-paid credit on NetSpend's pre-paid cards

Third parties who market NetSpend pre-paid cards may no longer use NetSpend material that states that the cards "provide immediate or immediate cash admission, are operational today, or grant a warranted authorisation". "For certain other merchandising material, third parties may be required to affix labels indicating that "[y]ou must comply with ID validation standards in order to gain and use this equipment " to all material containing the above notices.

NetSpend provides some useful suggestions for retail payment service suppliers in general - not only for pre-paid card suppliers - regarding the FTC's standard for 'deceptive' behaviour. In order to reduce the perception of perception as fraudulent behaviour similar to that quoted in the NetSpend campaign, there are a number of actions that can be taken by retail financiers.

Enterprises that offer a finance item or services, for example, should review thoroughly all market material, whether it is shown in the business, on-line, mobile TV or via community networks. Make sure that all statements in your promotional material are truthful. All assurances that something will be provided "immediately" or within a certain amount of space must apply to all users who receive the work.

Where there is a substantial restriction or term on the term or general term or general term of a particular item or services, the Marketer' s Kit should clearly set out all such restrictions and term or term or use. If, for example, authorisation to purchase a specific item depends on a client fulfilling the criteria for a Client ID Programme, the marketer's literature should clearly identify this criterion.

In the case of businesses that resell pre-paid cards through third providers, the pre-paid calling organisation must make sure that its third providers and their staff do not falsely present the conditions of the products, either in relation to advertising or in relation to consumer sales. Staff and third persons who interact with users must also be adequately trained and scripted to avoid misrepresentations of finance products or services.

There is also a need for the condition of each finance item or every single type of public finance activity to clearly specify the directives and practices that apply to the consumer and to a finance undertaking that fulfils all the assurances given in the condition. Information about troubleshooting techniques, how to notify non-authorized transaction, and directions and requests for activation of goods and provision of certain specific features must be included diligently in the general term and condition of a good or provision of specific provision in order to properly describe a company's policy and practices.

In addition to diligently reviewing the marketers' material and condition of a specific item or services, finance firms should also review any complaint submitted to the Company's support services division and against the Enterprise by government agencies, regulatory agencies and prosecutors. When a particular market message, section of the general policy or characteristic of a good or services is addressed in repeated client complaint, this should be a prominent banner for the finance firm to further explore the problem and see if changes should be made.

And, in parallel to collecting such advice from informed bills, it is useful to seek guidelines from the FTC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on the regulatory demands and aspirations for delivering consumer goods. The FTC, for example, publishes a large number of emissions for companies on its website, also with respect to publicity and sales.

This is important for any supplier of retail finance, as responsibility for misleading behaviour can be significant. The FTC and CFPB both have the power to take action to prevent misleading behaviour by non-banks offering pre-paid cards and other retail banking products (the FTC and CFPB managing their joint authorities in accordance with a MOU).

Indeed, as mentioned above, while the CFPB's pre-paid rules remain uncertain about the FTC and CFPB's own futures, the FTC and CFPB may already take action against pre-paid cards suppliers for allegations of UDAP (as well as for 'abusive' behaviour in the event of CFPB's actions). Possible liabilities in such acts may involve orders providing for criminal fines, reimbursement, various remedial measures and long-term supervision and recording (although the FTC's powers to judge criminal fines are somewhat restricted, it tends to require very long recording and recording intervals in its approval orders, as was the case with the 20-year NetSpend deadline).

This can be expensive and time-consuming, not to speak of damage to a company's image with customers, third parties and marketers.