: Bank of America ordered to pay $250 mln for fake accounts, junk fees and withholding credit card rewards

The Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) said Tuesday that Bank of America Corp. BAC to pay a total of $250 million for illegally charging junk fees, withholding credit card rewards, and opening fake accounts. The bank will pay more than $100 million to consumers who were harmed by these activities. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said the bank’s “double-dipping on fees” was illegal. Bank of America will pay penalties of $90 million to the CFPB and $60 million to the OCC. “Bank of America wrongfully withheld credit card rewards, double-dipped on fees, and opened accounts without consent,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “These practices are illegal and undermine customer trust. The CFPB will be putting an end to these practices across the banking system.” A Bank of America spokesman said, “We voluntarily reduced overdraft fees and eliminated all non-sufficient fund fees in the first half of 2022. As a result of these industry leading changes, revenue from these fees has dropped more than 90%.” Bank of America stock is up 0.3% in premarket trades.

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