FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Vicki Christner – CUNA Communications; 202-329-9950; vchristner@cuna.coop
Washington, DC (September 29, 2017) - CUNA filed a petition Friday with the Federal Communications Commission regarding the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), outlining how it can provide credit unions with regulatory relief from the onerous requirements for communicating with member-owners. In the petition, CUNA proposes two routes for providing credit unions with greater ability to communicate with consumers about information they want and need on their cell phone.
CUNA is seeking regulatory relief on behalf of America's credit unions and their members from an outdated TCPA statute, which has been made more obsolete for credit unions due to conflicting and confusing FCC interpretations of the statute," said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. "Credit union members are being harmed by unclear guidance about how they can receive communications such as text messages about vitally important financial information including ways they can improve and protect their own finances. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recognized that protecting consumers includes the ability to be in timely communication with them, and the FCC should do the same."
Specifically, CUNA is requesting the FCC issue a declaratory ruling that wireless informational calls to credit union member-owners with whom the credit union has an established business relationship, or where the call or text is in fact free, be exempt from the TCPA’s prior express consent requirement for autodialed and artificial or prerecorded voice calls.
Changes to the TCPA were finalized by the FCC in 2015. CUNA is concerned that these changes in addition to a convoluted regulatory landscape from other FCC rulings and orders are stifling the ability of credit unions to contact members with important account information, due to risks of not being in compliance with the changes.
CUNA also feels the changes do not take into account the changing ways consumers communicate, particularly the shift from landlines to cell phones.
CUNA’s two proposed ways to equalize treatment of informational messages are:
CUNA believes adoption of these exemptions would restore the balance Congress sought to achieve between consumers’ privacy interests and the legitimate interests of businesses to communicate with consumers.
In the petition, CUNA also explains that adopting these exemptions would eliminate much of the confusion and uncertainty surrounding various conditions and exemptions established over time.
CUNA also highlights that granting the petition would align FCC policy with recent guidance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that urges financial institutions to text consumers regarding financial information. Such guidance acknowledges that consumers benefit when “real-time information” through text alerts help protect their finances.
CUNA will host a members-only webinar on October 11 at 3pm ET to discuss the FCC petition, ways credit unions can participate in the process and hear industry attorneys explain how the statute impacts credit unions' ability to communicate with members.
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About CUNA
Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America's credit unions, which are owned by 110 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org.