CFPB sues Capital One for ‘cheating’ customers out of over $2 billion in interest

Key Points

  • The CFPB is suing Capital One for misleading consumers about savings account interest rates, alleging the bank cheated them out of over $2 billion in interest.
  • Capital One allegedly conflated its "360 Savings" account with the higher-yield "360 Performance Savings" account, failing to notify customers of the better option.
  • The interest rate for the 360 Performance Savings account was significantly higher, increasing from 0.4% to 4.35% while the 360 Savings rate was frozen at 0.3%.
  • Capital One denies the allegations, stating they marketed the 360 Performance Savings account transparently and widely.

Summary

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has filed a lawsuit against Capital One, accusing the bank of deceiving customers about the interest rates on its savings accounts. According to the CFPB, Capital One misled holders of its "360 Savings" account by not informing them about the existence of a higher-yield option, the "360 Performance Savings" account. While the interest rate for the 360 Performance Savings account rose from 0.4% to 4.35% over a period, the rate for the 360 Savings account was kept at a low 0.3%. The CFPB alleges that Capital One's marketing strategies were designed to confuse customers into thinking both accounts were similar, thereby preventing them from switching to the better-yielding option. Capital One has responded by denying these allegations, asserting that they marketed the 360 Performance Savings account transparently and widely, and they plan to defend themselves vigorously in court.

cnbc
January 14, 2025
Stocks
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