On the recordDecember 11, 2012
I thank the Senator. I too am concerned by the rising consumer ATM costs. As you know, the Senate recently passed legislation that does away with the requirement that ATMs post a physical sign notifying consumers that they may be charged multiple fees for a transaction. In many ways this requirement was outdated and it put our local institutions at risk for frivolous lawsuits. While I supported the bill we passed, I believe we must proceed with caution. All of my friends speaking on this issue today, myself included, believe that this legislation was only intended to remove duplicative disclosures and not to lessen the important information consumers rely on when making an ATM transactions. We are concerned that one of the unintended consequences of this legislation is that consumers will lose access to information about the fees that they might face at an ATM, including, for example, fees for simple transactions like a balance inquiry and additional fees imposed by their own institution. I would like to ask Senator Johnson, the distinguished chairman of the Banking Committee, for his input on this point as well.
