1030.8 Advertising

OFFICIAL INTERPRETATION OF SECTION

Section 1030.8 --Advertising

(a) Misleading or inaccurate advertisements.

1. General. All advertisements are subject to the rule against misleading or inaccurate advertisements, even though the disclosures applicable to various media differ.

2. Indoor signs. An indoor sign advertising an annual percentage yield is not misleading or inaccurate when:

i. For a tiered-rate account, it also provides the lower dollar amount of the tier corresponding to the advertised annual percentage yield.

ii. For a time account, it also provides the term required to obtain the advertised annual percentage yield.

3. Fees affecting “free” accounts. For purposes of determining whether an account can be advertised as “free” or “no cost,” maintenance and activity fees include:

i. Any fee imposed when a minimum balance requirement is not met, or when consumers exceed a specified number of transactions.

ii. Transaction and service fees that consumers reasonably expect to be imposed on a regular basis.

iii. A flat fee, such as a monthly service fee.

iv. Fees imposed to deposit, withdraw, or transfer funds, including per-check or per-transaction charges (for example, $.25 for each withdrawal, whether by check or in person).

4. Other fees. Examples of fees that are not maintenance or activity fees include:

i. Fees not required to be disclosed under § 1030.4(b)(4).

ii. Check printing fees.

iii. Balance inquiry fees.

iv. Stop-payment fees and fees associated with checks returned unpaid.

v. Fees assessed against a dormant account.

vi. Fees for ATM or electronic transfer services (such as preauthorized transfers or home banking services) not required to obtain an account.

5. Similar terms. An advertisement may not use the term “fees waived” if a maintenance or activity fee may be imposed because it is similar to the terms “free” or “no cost.”

6. Specific account services. Institutions may advertise a specific account service or feature as free if no fee is imposed for that service or feature. For example, institutions offering an account that is free of deposit or withdrawal fees could advertise that fact, as long as the advertisement does not mislead consumers by implying that the account is free and that no other fee (a monthly service fee, for example) may be charged.

7. Free for limited time. If an account (or a specific account service) is free only for a limited period of time--for example, for one year following the account opening--the account (or service) may be advertised as free if the time period is also stated.

8. Conditions not related to deposit accounts. Institutions may advertise accounts as “free” for consumers meeting conditions not related to deposit accounts, such as the consumer's age. For example, institutions may advertise a NOW account as “free for persons over 65 years old,” even though a maintenance or activity fee is assessed on accounts held by consumers 65 or younger.

9. Electronic advertising. If an electronic advertisement (such as an advertisement appearing on an Internet Web site) displays a triggering term (such as a bonus or annual percentage yield) the advertisement must clearly refer the consumer to the location where the additional required information begins. For example, an advertisement that includes a bonus or annual percentage yield may be accompanied by a link that directly takes the consumer to the additional information.

10. Examples. Examples of advertisements that would ordinarily be misleading, inaccurate, or misrepresent the deposit contract are:

i. Representing an overdraft service as a “line of credit,” unless the service is subject to Regulation Z, 12 CFR part 1026.

ii. Representing that the institution will honor all checks or authorize payment of all transactions that overdraw an account, with or without a specified dollar limit, when the institution retains discretion at any time not to honor checks or authorize transactions.

iii. Representing that consumers with an overdrawn account are allowed to maintain a negative balance when the terms of the account's overdraft service require consumers promptly to return the deposit account to a positive balance.

iv. Describing an institution's overdraft service solely as protection against bounced checks when the institution also permits overdrafts for a fee for overdrawing their accounts by other means, such as ATM withdrawals, debit card transactions, or other electronic fund transfers.

v. Advertising an account-related service for which the institution charges a fee in an advertisement that also uses the word “free” or “no cost” (or a similar term) to describe the account, unless the advertisement clearly and conspicuously indicates that there is a cost associated with the service. If the fee is a maintenance or activity fee under Sec. 1030.8(a)(2) of this part, however, an advertisement may not describe the account as “free” or “no cost” (or contain a similar term) even if the fee is disclosed in the advertisement.

11. Additional disclosures in connection with the payment of overdrafts. The rule in § 1030.3(a), providing that disclosures required by § 1030.8 may be provided to the consumer in electronic form without regard to E-Sign Act requirements, applies to the disclosures described in § 1030.11(b), which are incorporated by reference in § 1030.8(f).

(b) Permissible rates.

1. Tiered-rate accounts. An advertisement for a tiered-rate account that states an annual percentage yield must also state the annual percentage yield for each tier, along with corresponding minimum balance requirements. Any interest rates stated must appear in conjunction with the applicable annual percentage yields for each tier.

2. Stepped-rate accounts. An advertisement that states an interest rate for a stepped-rate account must state all the interest rates and the time period that each rate is in effect.

3. Representative examples. An advertisement that states an annual percentage yield for a given type of account (such as a time account for a specified term) need not state the annual percentage yield applicable to other time accounts offered by the institution or indicate that other maturity terms are available. In an advertisement stating that rates for an account may vary depending on the amount of the initial deposit or the term of a time account, institutions need not list each balance level and term offered. Instead, the advertisement may:

i. Provide a representative example of the annual percentage yields offered, clearly described as such. For example, if an institution offers a $25 bonus on all time accounts and the annual percentage yield will vary depending on the term selected, the institution may provide a disclosure of the annual percentage yield as follows: “For example, our 6-month certificate of deposit currently pays a 3.15% annual percentage yield.”

ii. Indicate that various rates are available, such as by stating short-term and longer-term maturities along with the applicable annual percentage yields: “We offer certificates of deposit with annual percentage yields that depend on the maturity you choose. For example, our one-month CD earns a 2.75% APY. Or, earn a 5.25% APY for a three-year CD.”

(c) When additional disclosures are required.

1. Trigger terms. The following are examples of information stated in advertisements that are not “trigger” terms:

i. “One, three, and five year CDs available.”

ii. “Bonus rates available.”

iii. “1% over our current rates,” so long as the rates are not determinable from the advertisement.

(c)(2) Time annual percentage yield is offered.

1. Specified date. If an advertisement discloses an annual percentage yield as of a specified date, that date must be recent in relation to the publication or broadcast frequency of the media used, taking into account the particular circumstances or production deadlines involved. For example, the printing date of a brochure printed once for a deposit account promotion that will be in effect for six months would be considered “recent,” even though rates change during the six-month period. Rates published in a daily newspaper or on television must reflect rates offered shortly before (or on) the date the rates are published or broadcast.

2. Reference to date of publication. An advertisement may refer to the annual percentage yield as being accurate as of the date of publication, if the date is on the publication itself. For instance, an advertisement in a periodical may state that a rate is “current through the date of this issue,” if the periodical shows the date.

(c)(5) Effect of fees.

1. Scope. This requirement applies only to maintenance or activity fees described in comment 8(a).

(c)(6) Features of time accounts.

(c)(6)(i) Time requirements.

1. Club accounts. If a club account has a maturity date but the term may vary depending on when the account is opened, institutions may use a phrase such as: “The maturity date of this club account is November 15; its term varies depending on when the account is opened.”

(c)(6)(ii) Early withdrawal penalties.

1. Discretionary penalties. Institutions imposing early withdrawal penalties on a case-by-case basis may disclose that they “may” (rather than “will”) impose a penalty if such a disclosure accurately describes the account terms.

(d) Bonuses.

1. General reference to “bonus.” General statements such as “bonus checking” or “get a bonus when you open a checking account” do not trigger the bonus disclosures.

(e) Exemption for certain advertisements.

(e)(1) Certain media.

Paragraph (e)(1)(i).

1. Internet advertisements. The exemption for advertisements made through broadcast or electronic media does not extend to advertisements posted on the Internet or sent by email.

Paragraph (e)(1)(iii).

1. Tiered-rate accounts. Solicitations for a tiered-rate account made through telephone response machines must provide the annual percentage yields and the balance requirements applicable to each tier.

(e)(2) Indoor signs.

Paragraph (e)(2)(i).

1. General. Indoor signs include advertisements displayed on computer screens, banners, preprinted posters, and chalk or peg boards. Any advertisement inside the premises that can be retained by a consumer (such as a brochure or a printout from a computer) is not an indoor sign.