Thinking about Consumer Protection, Families, and Older Clients in Banking
I‘m currently on sabbatical and working on a couple of big projects. I’ve been digging deeper into how banks approach consumer protection issues for older customers. Awareness of the potential for financial exploitation of elders among bankers is clearly at an all-time high.
One of the practical lessons, however, is that each banking institution does it differently when responding to concerns. For example, one bank I met with has a system of “alerts” for tellers about prospective transactions, such as where an older customer is accompanied into the bank by “problematic” befrienders. Another bank said that before it could take any action in response to a request made by a valid agent with a broadly-worded power of attorney, the agent would have to be added as a party “on” the account in question. The latter approach, although understandable on one level, seems to pose the potential for additional problems. One-on-one meetings with high-level officials at major banks makes me realize just how challenging this would be for the average family member or concerned friend of a prospective victim.
Along this line, I recently received news of a timely CLE program. The Pennsylvania Bar Institute is hosting an “update” program on Consumer Financial Services and Banking Law on October 18, with simulcasts offered in several locations around Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Bankers Association is co-hosting the program.
Speakers include:
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Hon. Robin L. Wiessmann |
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Leonidas Pandeladis, Esq. |
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Jeffrey P. Ehrlich, Esq. Deputy Enforcement Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Washington, DC |
The planned program will include updates on the latest rules affecting consumer protection measures, and — I suspect — will likely address some of the “hot” issues, such as the Wells Fargo “mess.”
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