In 17 years, Discover Financial never managed to clean up a billion dollar mess
By 
Aaron Nicodemus2025-07-08T19:50:00
Federal banking regulators have laid the blame for Discover Financial Services charging merchants $1 billion in excessive credit card fees over 17 years squarely at the feet of company executives.
Following a two-year investigation into the misconduct, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) ordered Discover to repay $1.2 billion in overcharges to merchants and fined it $150 million. The Federal Reserve Bank tacked on an additional $100 million fine.
The root of the problem, the banking regulators said, was that management at Discover failed to act even after regulators brought the issue to their attention following an FDIC examination in 2021.
THIS IS MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT
You are not logged in and do not have access to members-only content.
If you are already a registered user or a member, SIGN IN now.
Related articles
-
ArticleFTC files contempt against credit card processor Cliq for alleged ongoing compliance failures
The Federal Trade Commission asked a court to hold the payment processor Cliq in contempt for allegedly “flagrantly” violating a 2015 order that the company monitor transactions for illegal charges and activity.
-
ArticleCompliance officers accused of helping criminals run $346 million international payment fraud network
Four U.S. citizens were arrested in California Wednesday in connection with a massive, $346 million international credit card fraud scheme based in Germany, in which compliance officers were allegedly complicit, according to the DOJ.
-
ArticleOCC proposes dropping its ‘recovery plan’ requirements for big banks
Less than a year after a new rule required more of the U.S.’s biggest banks to draft “recovery” plans in case of failure, the rule is on its way out.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
ArticleDOJ makes good on corporate-friendly enforcement policy with Balt resolution
The ink was barely dry on the U.S. Department of Justice’s new corporate enforcement policy (CEP) when the agency announced it would not prosecute Balt SAS for alleged bribery violations.
-
ArticleBoA settles class-action related to its dealings with Jeffrey Epstein
Bank of America has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging know-your-customer and other failings in its dealings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
-
News BriefSEC’s Uyeda: ‘Enforcement is the wrong way’ to handle off-channel communications
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Mark Uyeda told an audience of investment advisers that the SEC will no longer prioritize stand-alone enforcement actions for violations of the SEC’s rules on off-channel communications.