H.R. 5244, the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights
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H.R. 5244, THE CREDIT CARDHOLDERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS: PROVIDING NEW PROTECTIONS FOR CONSUMERS HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND CONSUMER CREDIT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION APRIL 17, 2008 Printed for the use of the Committee on Financial Services Serial No. 110–109 ( VerDate Aug 31 2005 16:23 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 042721 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6011 Sfmt 6011 K:\DOCS\42721.TXT TERRIE H.R. 5244, THE CREDIT CARDHOLDERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS: PROVIDING NEW PROTECTIONS FOR CONSUMERS VerDate Aug 31 2005 16:23 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 042721 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6019 Sfmt 6019 K:\DOCS\42721.TXT TERRIE H.R. 5244, THE CREDIT CARDHOLDERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS: PROVIDING NEW PROTECTIONS FOR CONSUMERS HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND CONSUMER CREDIT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION APRIL 17, 2008 Printed for the use of the Committee on Financial Services Serial No. 110–109 ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 42–721 PDF WASHINGTON : 2008 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 16:23 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 042721 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 K:\DOCS\42721.TXT TERRIE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES BARNEY FRANK, Massachusetts, Chairman PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania SPENCER BACHUS, Alabama MAXINE WATERS, California DEBORAH PRYCE, Ohio CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York MICHAEL N. CASTLE, Delaware LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois PETER T. KING, New York NYDIA M. VELA´ ZQUEZ, New York EDWARD R. ROYCE, California MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York RON PAUL, Texas BRAD SHERMAN, California STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York DONALD A. MANZULLO, Illinois DENNIS MOORE, Kansas WALTER B. JONES, JR., North Carolina MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois RUBE´ N HINOJOSA, Texas CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri GARY G. MILLER, California CAROLYN MCCARTHY, New York SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia JOE BACA, California TOM FEENEY, Florida STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts JEB HENSARLING, Texas BRAD MILLER, North Carolina SCOTT GARRETT, New Jersey DAVID SCOTT, Georgia GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida AL GREEN, Texas J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina EMANUEL CLEAVER, Missouri JIM GERLACH, Pennsylvania MELISSA L. BEAN, Illinois STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico GWEN MOORE, Wisconsin, RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee TOM PRICE, Georgia PAUL W. HODES, New Hampshire GEOFF DAVIS, Kentucky KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina RON KLEIN, Florida JOHN CAMPBELL, California TIM MAHONEY, Florida ADAM PUTNAM, Florida CHARLES A. WILSON, Ohio MICHELE BACHMANN, Minnesota ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado PETER J. ROSKAM, Illinois CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut KENNY MARCHANT, Texas JOE DONNELLY, Indiana THADDEUS G. McCOTTER, Michigan ROBERT WEXLER, Florida KEVIN McCARTHY, California JIM MARSHALL, Georgia DEAN HELLER, Nevada DAN BOREN, Oklahoma BILL FOSTER, Illinois ANDRE´ CARSON, Indiana JEANNE M. ROSLANOWICK, Staff Director and Chief Counsel (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 16:23 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 042721 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 K:\DOCS\42721.TXT TERRIE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND CONSUMER CREDIT CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York, Chairwoman MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York TOM PRICE, Georgia BRAD SHERMAN, California DEBORAH PRYCE, Ohio LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois MICHAEL N. CASTLE, Delaware DENNIS MOORE, Kansas PETER T. KING, New York 4PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania EDWARD R. ROYCE, California MAXINE WATERS, California STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio RUBE´ N HINOJOSA, Texas WALTER B. JONES, JR., North Carolina CAROLYN MCCARTHY, New York SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia JOE BACA, California TOM FEENEY, Florida AL GREEN, Texas JEB HENSARLING, Texas WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri SCOTT GARRETT, New Jersey BRAD MILLER, North Carolina GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida DAVID SCOTT, Georgia J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina EMANUEL CLEAVER, Missouri JIM GERLACH, Pennsylvania MELISSA L. BEAN, Illinois STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas PAUL W. HODES, New Hampshire GEOFF DAVIS, Kentucky KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina RON KLEIN, Florida JOHN CAMPBELL, California TIM MAHONEY, Florida KEVIN McCARTHY, California CHARLES A. WILSON, Ohio DEAN HELLER, Nevada ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 16:23 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 042721 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 K:\DOCS\42721.TXT TERRIE VerDate Aug 31 2005 16:23 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 042721 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 K:\DOCS\42721.TXT TERRIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on: April 17, 2008 ................................................................................................... 1 Appendix: April 17, 2008 ................................................................................................... 87 WITNESSES THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008 Autrey, Steven, Fredericksburg, Virginia .............................................................. 18 Bowman, John E., Deputy Director, General Counsel, Office of Thrift Super- vision ..................................................................................................................... 39 Braunstein, Sandra F., Director, Division of Consumer and Community Af- fairs, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ................................ 41 Carey, John P., Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President, Citi Cards, Citigroup Inc. .................................................................................... 60 Gruenberg, Martin J., Vice Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corpora- tion ........................................................................................................................ 36 Levin, Hon. Carl, United States Senator, State of Michigan ............................... 12 Mierzwinski, Edmund, Consumer Program Director, U.S. Public Interest Re- search Group ........................................................................................................ 68 Minetti, Carlos, Executive Vice President, Cardmember Services and Con- sumer Banking, Discover Financial Services ..................................................... 63 Plunkett, Travis B., Legislative Director, Consumer Federation of America ..... 65 Sharnak, Larry, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Cards, American Express Company ................................................................... 62 Sherry, Linda, Director, National Priorities, Consumer Action .......................... 67 Strachan, Stephen M., York, Pennsylvania ........................................................... 21 Williams, Julie L., Chief Counsel and First Senior Deputy Comptroller, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ..................................................................... 37 Wones, Susan, Denver, Colorado ............................................................................ 19 Wyden, Hon. Ron, United States Senator, State of Oregon ................................. 14 APPENDIX Prepared statements: Carson, Hon. Andre .......................................................................................... 88 Autrey, Steven .................................................................................................. 90 Bowman, John E. .............................................................................................. 94 Braunstein, Sandra F. ...................................................................................... 107 Carey, John P. .................................................................................................. 118 Gruenberg, Martin J. ....................................................................................... 131 Levin, Hon. Carl ............................................................................................... 149 Mierzwinski, Edmund ...................................................................................... 186 Minetti, Carlos .................................................................................................. 201 Plunkett, Travis B. ........................................................................................... 223 Sharnak, Larry ................................................................................................. 246 Sherry, Linda .................................................................................................... 276 Strachan, Stephen M. ....................................................................................... 285 Williams, Julie L. ............................................................................................. 332 Wones, Susan .................................................................................................... 347 Wyden, Hon. Ron .............................................................................................. 348 (V) VerDate Aug 31 2005 16:23 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 042721 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 K:\DOCS\42721.TXT TERRIE VI Page ADDITIONAL MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD Bachus, Hon. Spencer: Letter to Hon. Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal