When the Iowa Supreme Court knocked down that economic development bill last week, it also did away with a new protection for some Iowa credit card users When a consumer sent their credit card payment in late, but just made the minimum payment, some state-chartered banks and credit unions used to take out of portion of that payment to cover a late fee. That meant consumers who paid the minimum payment due were then over their limit and charged an additional, overdue fee on their next bill. The new law made state-chartered financial institutions credit consumers for their entire minimum payment, and assess late fees on the next month’s bill. An Iowa Bankers Association spokesperson says if there’s no special legislative session this summer to fix this problem and the others created by the Supreme Court’s nullification of the 2003 law, then bankers will have to meet with lawyers to determine whether to continue with the new policy on credit card payments, even though it’s no longer state law.
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