HR 3137 · 113th Congress 2013–2015, ended

Freedom and Mobility in Consumer Banking Act

Fact sheet

Latest action · Sep 19, 2013 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedSep 19, 2013
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Freedom and Mobility in Consumer Banking Act - Amends the Truth in Savings Act to prohibit depository institutions from: (1) prohibiting a consumer from closing a covered account (a checking, savings, or any other account that the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection [CFPB] may include), regardless of whether the balance is positive, zero, or negative; (2) charging any fee to close such account; or (3) reopening such an account to apply subsequent debits after a consumer has requested the account to be closed, unless the consumer requests that the account be reopened.

Requires depository institutions to provide consumers with a description of the policies and procedures in place to close such accounts at the time the account is opened, upon request, and on the websites of such institutions.

Directs the CFPB to prescribe regulations relating to the closure of such accounts, including: (1) allowing consumers to receive available funds from a closed account in the form of a cashier's check, electronic funds transfer, or any other means offered by the institution or determined appropriate by the CFPB; (2) requiring depository institutions to provide consumers with certain information regarding any preauthorized transactions or direct deposits associated with an account before it is closed; (3) prohibiting a depository institution from reporting adverse information regarding such account to any consumer reporting agency if, at the time the account is closed, the account has a negative balance resulting solely from any fee assessed by the depository institution; and (4) establishing the terms under which a depository institution may report to a consumer reporting agency that an account had a negative closing balance, provided that the institution notifies the consumer and provides a reasonable period for repayment of the balance.

Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress and the CFPB regarding additional barriers that could limit the ability of a consumer to close a covered account. Requires the CFPB, after receiving such report, to determine whether regulations should be issued to remove such barriers.

Cosponsors 14

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 19, 2013 to May 21, 2014, with 7 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-CABarbara LeeOriginalSep 19, 2013
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOriginalSep 19, 2013
D-MIJohn Conyers, Jr.OriginalSep 19, 2013
D-MNKeith EllisonOriginalSep 19, 2013
D-ILLuis V. GutierrezOriginalSep 19, 2013
D-ORPeter A. DeFazioOriginalSep 19, 2013
D-AZRaúl M. GrijalvaOriginalSep 19, 2013
D-MAMichael E. CapuanoOct 1, 2013
D-CAAnna G. EshooNov 13, 2013
D-CAMark TakanoDec 3, 2013
D-CAZoe LofgrenDec 3, 2013
D-NJRush HoltFeb 10, 2014
D-WAJim McDermottMay 6, 2014
D-CAHenry A. WaxmanMay 21, 2014

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Sep 19, 2013Introduced in House
  2. Sep 19, 2013Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 1534Freedom and Mobility in Consumer Banking ActIdentical billSep 19, 2013

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Sep 19, 2013Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.