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
-
ArticleSFO head to step down as speculation grows over future of agency
Nick Ephgrave, director of the U.K.’s main anti-corruption enforcement agency, the Serious Fraud Office, will retire at the end of March—about halfway through his appointed five-year term. Experts say he leaves the agency in a lot better position than he joined it in September 2023.
-
News BriefFTC puts GM’s puts connected vehicle data practices under compliance spotlight
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission finalized its order against General Motors and its OnStar subsidiary over the improper usage of geolocation and driving behavior data of drivers.
-
ArticleKaiser plans pay $556M to settle Medicare upcoding allegations
Kaiser Health affiliates have agreed to pay more than $556 million to settle allegations originally made by whistleblowers that they ignored compliance department warnings and unlawfully reworked diagnoses for Medicare patients in order to receive higher payments from the federal government.