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

The Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau announced Tuesday that it was suing Capital One for deceptive customers about their financial savings account rates of interest and “dishonest” them out of greater than $2 billion in curiosity.

The company mentioned in an announcement Capital One deceived holders of its “360 Financial savings” account by conflating it with its newer and higher-yield financial savings account possibility, the “360 Efficiency Financial savings” account. The financial institution allegedly did not notify 360 Financial savings account holders of the newer possibility and marketed the 2 merchandise equally to steer prospects to imagine they have been the identical.

Nevertheless, the rates of interest of the 2 choices have been considerably totally different, in line with the CFPB. Capital One elevated the 360 Efficiency Financial savings rate of interest from 0.4% in April 2022 to 4.35% in January 2024, whereas it lowered after which froze the 360 Financial savings charge at 0.3% between late 2019 and mid-2024, the company mentioned.

Regardless of its comparatively low rate of interest, the CFPB alleged, the 360 Financial savings account was marketed as a high-interest financial savings account. The bureau mentioned Capital One aimed to maintain 360 Financial savings customers at nighttime concerning the higher-yield possibility by changing all references to the account with the equally named 360 Efficiency Financial savings possibility on its web site, excluding account holders from advertising campaigns promoting the higher-yield account and forbidding staff from notifying account holders concerning the 360 Efficiency Financial savings possibility.

“The CFPB is suing Capital One for dishonest households out of billions of {dollars} on their financial savings accounts,” mentioned CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in a information launch. “Banks shouldn’t be baiting individuals with guarantees they can not reside as much as.”

In an announcement, Capital One denied the allegations and mentioned it transparently marketed its 360 Efficiency Financial savings account.

“We’re deeply disenchanted to see the CFPB proceed its current sample of submitting eleventh hour lawsuits forward of a change in administration. We strongly disagree with their claims and can vigorously defend ourselves in courtroom,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement.

The financial institution added the 360 Efficiency Financial savings product was “marketed extensively, together with on nationwide tv, with the only and most clear phrases within the trade.”